Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA – On April 16, 2026, following a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Alfredo Capote of kidnapping. Capote tied up the victim’s teenaged son, sexually assaulted the victim, abducted her, and drove her to several Georgia cities over the course of two days. At the time of the kidnapping, Capote was under indictment for fraud and money laundering.

“While on pretrial release facing serious federal charges, Capote kidnapped and sexually assaulted his then-girlfriend repeatedly before she escaped and ran to safety,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The victim’s family deserved justice for her terrifying ordeal, especially after the victim was gunned down mere weeks after her rescue. I am grateful for the strong federal and local law enforcement partnerships throughout Georgia that led to Capote’s capture, charging, and conviction.”

“This was a deliberate and brutal crime carried out against a victim who trusted the defendant,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners worked tirelessly to get justice for the victim’s family, and today’s verdict sends a clear message that we will not stop until violent offenders are held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on April 7, 2016, Alfredo Capote and an unknown, masked man went to the house of the victim, who Capote was dating at the time. Capote staged a ruse in which he led the victim and her then-17-year-old son to believe that the masked man was robbing Capote and looking for Capote’s money at the victim’s house. After the armed, masked man tied up the victim in her bedroom, the masked man and Capote tied up her son in his bedroom. Capote, who was also armed, returned to the victim’s bedroom and sexually assaulted her.

Capote then took the victim from her home in Duluth, Georgia to a friend’s house in Austell, Georgia, where he sought assistance getting a new phone and a place to stay for the night. Unaware that a kidnapping was ongoing, the friend booked a hotel room for Capote, where Capote again sexually assaulted the victim.

The following day, Capote took the victim to Perry, Georgia to another friend’s house. While Capote was driving with the victim in Perry, the victim escaped by jumping out of the car and running to a nearby gas station. 

At the time of the kidnapping, Capote was on bond facing more than a dozen counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering in the Northern District of Georgia. During the kidnapping, Capote cut off a court-ordered ankle monitor to facilitate his evasion of law enforcement. Capote remained a fugitive for over a year and was arrested in Louisiana on April 18, 2017.

Sentencing for Alfredo Capote, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for July 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Perry Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren E. Renaud and Skye Davis are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chloe Smith and Robert Shapiro.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Following a four-day trial, a federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted an Atlanta man of sexually and physically abusing two minors while he was stationed overseas with the U.S. Army.

“When he should have been honorably defending our country with the utmost integrity, Schlueter instead spent years terrorizing his young victims through physical and sexual abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thankfully, federal law allowed my office and our partners in Washington to seek justice for the children Schlueter battered and molested abroad. Excellent work by the prosecutors and investigators assigned to this case will ensure that Schlueter is suitably punished for his wickedness.”

“The defendant exploited a position of trust to carry out horrific abuse against vulnerable children,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to protecting children wherever these crimes occur and to ensuring those who commit such acts are held fully accountable. We are grateful to the victims for their courage in coming forward and to our partners who helped bring this case to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Adam Schlueter was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany from 2009 until 2013, while enlisted in the U.S. Army. In Germany, he physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. At trial, both minors described being choked and beaten by Schlueter. One minor also testified that Schleuter pushed him through a second-story window and dangled him above the ground when he was eight years old. 

Schlueter sexually assaulted both minors when they were under the age of 10. To prevent his victims and others from reporting the abuse to authorities, Schleuter threatened to harm and even kill witnesses.

On April 17, 2026, a jury convicted Adam Schlueter, 39, of Atlanta, of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for July 9, 2026. Schleuter faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years of imprisonment for each of the aggravated sexual abuse convictions and may be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.  Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters assisted with the prosecution of this case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted a Georgia man Friday of sexually and physically abusing two minors.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Adam Schlueter, 37, of Atlanta, was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany while a member of the Army from 2009 until 2013. While there, he physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. During trial testimony, both minors described being choked and beaten by Schlueter, among others form of egregious physical abuse. One minor described, at age eight, being pushed through a second-story window and dangled above the ground. Schlueter sexually assaulted both minors when they were under the age of 10. Schlueter also employed threats to prevent his victims and other witnesses from disclosing the abuse to authorities, going so far as to threaten to kill one witness.

The jury convicted Schlueter of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia; and Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

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

ATLANTA - Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a convicted felon, and Damon Marquis Yarns, an Atlanta-area homeless man, face federal firearms charges based on their possession and purchase, respectively, of a handgun allegedly found at the scene of the murder of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security employee in DeKalb County, Georgia this week.

“The defendants allegedly violated federal law to put a firearm in the hands of a convicted felon with tragic consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “I have expressed to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston that I have full confidence in her office’s ongoing investigation and anticipated prosecution of Monday’s heinous attacks in Brookhaven and Decatur.  My office and federal law enforcement agencies will continue to provide any requested support.”

“Through strong partnerships and proactive efforts, we are making measurable progress in reducing crime. These charges reinforce our commitment to holding offenders accountable and protecting our communities,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the criminal complaints, and other information presented in court: in the early morning of April 13, 2026, DeKalb County Police Department officers responded to an alleged homicide in a residential neighborhood in Decatur, Georgia. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security later identified the victim as one of its employees, Lauren Bullis. DeKalb County police officers allegedly found a loaded 9mm pistol and five 9mm cartridge casings on the ground near the murder victim.

Based on a National Tracing Center analysis of the firearm, Damon Marquis Yarns allegedly purchased the 9mm pistol at a federally licensed firearms dealer in midtown Atlanta on February 20, 2026. Yesterday, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Yarns. Yarns explained that he has been residing in homeless shelters since relocating to Atlanta last year. He allegedly admitted that he purchased a firearm for a Nigerian or British man he knew only as “Abdul or Obie,” who he identified in a photo array as Abel. Yarns stated that Abel paid for him to travel by rideshare to purchase the firearm for Abel and admitted that, when he purchased the firearm, he lied by indicating on an ATF form that he was the actual buyer of the firearm. After the purchase, Yarns allegedly gave the firearm to Abel and never possessed the firearm again.

On April 13, 2026, Georgia State Patrol Troopers stopped Abel’s car in Troup County, Georgia. Troopers searching the car found a box of 9mm ammunition and shell casings matching the same brand of ammunition found at the murder scene in Decatur, Georgia. Law enforcement arrested and transferred Abel to DeKalb County, where he is facing numerous felony charges, including for malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Abel was previously convicted of a felony for Assault of a Police Officer with a Deadly Weapon on January 2, 2025, in the Superior Court of San Diego County, California, and he was sentenced to probation in June 2025 for four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery in the Recorders Court of Chatham County, Georgia.

Damon Marquis Yarns, 35, appeared in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher C. Bly and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings. Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, remains incarcerated at the DeKalb County Jail.

Members of the public are reminded that the complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the DeKalb County Police Department, Brookhaven Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. – Former Cherokee County Deputy Sheriff Stephen Michael Bunte has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor and receipt of child sexual abuse material.         

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect, and Bunte ignored that oath by sexually exploiting children and preying on vulnerable victims overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Predatory conduct will not be tolerated, and those who commit these crimes will be prosecuted and excised from the community.”  

“Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the most vulnerable among us, and the public trusts them to uphold that responsibility,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Stephen Bunte failed to honor his oath and betrayed that trust by exploiting children instead of protecting them. His actions are reprehensible, and HSI is committed to ensuring that anyone who violates their oath and preys on the innocent is held fully accountable—regardless of their position or title.”

“Working alongside Homeland Security Investigations to keep children in our community and communities around the world safe is always a priority,” said Calhoun Police Department Assistant Chief, Lt. Col. Ken Carson. “It gives detectives with the Calhoun Police Department great satisfaction to assist with this case and have a successful outcome for the child victims involved.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In August 2023, HSI agents conducting an expansive investigation into international child sex trafficking networks in the Philippines identified a child trafficker who offered access to sexually explicit webcam livestreams involving multiple children under the age of 12. The investigation revealed that the target offered customers hands-on access to the children, including the trafficker’s own children.

In March 2024, agents discovered communication between the trafficker and Stephen Michael Bunte. At the time, Bunte lived in Calhoun, Georgia, and was employed as a deputy sheriff for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Between May 2023 and March 2024, Bunte and the target exchanged over 14,000 messages and 15 phone calls. During these conversations, Bunte received at least 35 images of child sexual abuse material involving three minor victims aged 6, 10, and 14.

On April 16, 2026, Stephen Michael Bunte, 42, of Calhoun, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II, to 15 years in federal prison followed by 15 years on supervised release. Bunte was also ordered to register as a sex offender. On November 4, 2025, Bunte pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Calhoun Police Department.

Assistant U.S Attorneys Calvin A. Leipold, III and Leanne Marek prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Indictments were unsealed today in the Northern District of Georgia and the Western District of Texas charging a Georgia man and a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft and other crimes arising out of a scheme to defraud the IRS using stolen identities.

According to the indictment, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Abayomi Quadri Eletu, 42, of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, conspired together and with others to claim fraudulent tax refunds using the stolen identities of accountants and taxpayers. Over the course of their scheme, the co-conspirators allegedly filed more than 300 false tax returns claiming over $100 million in refunds from the IRS.

Between 2018 and 2023, Eletu, Raheem and others allegedly obtained identifying information for tax professionals and taxpayers, including their names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting private taxpayer information. As part of the scheme, they changed the addresses of taxpayers to an address controlled by the co-conspirators, so the IRS would correspond with the co-conspirators instead of the taxpayers. They also submitted “change of address” requests to the U.S. Postal Service to cause the mail of some taxpayers to be forwarded to a co-conspirator’s address. Using the personal identifying information of others, Eletu, Raheem and their co-conspirators electronically filed tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds, then allegedly directed the IRS to split the refunds among several prepaid debit cards. Before issuing some of these tax refunds, the IRS sent verification letters to the addresses controlled by the co-conspirators, who, pretending to be the taxpayers, fraudulently verified the taxpayers’ identities and instructed the IRS to release the refunds.    

Eletu allegedly directed Raheem and others to obtain prepaid debit cards to receive the anticipated fraudulent tax refunds. Once the refunds were deposited onto the prepaid debit cards, they laundered some of the funds by purchasing, among other things, money orders from U.S. Postal Offices and local stores in amounts low enough to avoid reporting thresholds. They also used the money orders to purchase used cars from auction sites, some of which they shipped to Nigeria, as well as designer clothing and other items.

Eletu was arrested in the UK at the request of the United States.

Both defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Eletu was also charged with five counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, seven counts of access device fraud and 21 counts of aggravated identity theft. Raheem is also charged with 14 counts of access device fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. The defendants face maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 20 years for money laundering and 10 years for access device fraud, as well as a mandatory sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter. The United States also thanks the United Kingdom for its valuable assistance in the investigation.

Senior Litigation Counsel Michael C. Boteler and Trial Attorney Michael Jones of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the cases. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas has provided substantial assistance to the investigation.

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

ATLANTA - Indictments have been unsealed in the Northern District of Georgia and the Western District of Texas charging a Georgia man, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, and a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, Abayomi Quadri Eletu, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft and other crimes arising out of a scheme to defraud the IRS using stolen identities.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Akinade Adedeji Raheem and Abayomi Quadri Eletu conspired together and with others to claim fraudulent tax refunds using the stolen identities of accountants and taxpayers. Over the course of their scheme, the co-conspirators allegedly filed more than 300 false tax returns claiming over $100 million in refunds from the IRS.

Between 2018 and 2023, Eletu, Raheem and others allegedly obtained identifying information for tax professionals and taxpayers, including their names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting private taxpayer information. As part of the scheme, they changed the addresses of taxpayers to an address controlled by the co-conspirators, so the IRS would correspond with the co-conspirators instead of the taxpayers. They also submitted “change of address” requests to the U.S. Postal Service to cause the mail of some taxpayers to be forwarded to a co-conspirator’s address. Using the personal identifying information of others, Eletu, Raheem and their co-conspirators electronically filed tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds, then allegedly directed the IRS to split the refunds among several prepaid debit cards. Before issuing some of these tax refunds, the IRS sent verification letters to the addresses controlled by the co-conspirators, who, pretending to be the taxpayers, fraudulently verified the taxpayers’ identities and instructed the IRS to release the refunds.           

Eletu allegedly directed Raheem and others to obtain prepaid debit cards to receive the anticipated fraudulent tax refunds. Once the refunds were deposited onto the prepaid debit cards, they laundered some of the funds by purchasing, among other things, money orders from U.S. Postal Offices and local stores in amounts low enough to avoid reporting thresholds. They also used the money orders to purchase used cars from auction sites, some of which they shipped to Nigeria, as well as designer clothing and other items.

Eletu was arrested in the UK at the request of the United States.

Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Abayomi Quadri Eletu, 42, of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Eletu was also charged with five counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, seven counts of access device fraud and 21 counts of aggravated identity theft. Raheem is also charged with 14 counts of access device fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. The defendants face maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 20 years for money laundering and 10 years for access device fraud, as well as a mandatory sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.

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

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter. The United States also thanks the United Kingdom for its valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce of the Northern District of Georgia and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael C. Boteler and Trial Attorney Michael Jones of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Western District of Texas has provided substantial assistance to the investigation.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Brady Lum, the former chief operating officer of the High Museum of Art, was arraigned today on a federal charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. Lum allegedly used his position at the High Museum to steal more than $600,000 from the museum by doctoring invoices and approving transactions for personal purchases.

“While entrusted to run the High Museum, Lum allegedly used the museum’s money as his personal slush fund and thereby betrayed one of Atlanta’s civic crown jewels,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will move with swift precision to prosecute individuals who abuse positions of power and trust to enrich themselves at the expense of non-profit institutions.”

“We expect officials of one of our communities’ historic institutions to serve as stewards — not to loot it,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham. “The FBI remains unwavering in its pursuit to hold accountable those who exploit their positions for selfish purposes.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The High Museum of Art is an iconic cornerstone of Atlanta’s cultural identity, featuring a collection of more than 20,000 works of art, a dynamic schedule of special exhibitions, and engaging community-focused programs.

Lum served as the High Museum’s chief operating officer from January 2, 2019, until his resignation on December 9, 2025. As COO, he was responsible for planning, implementing, managing, and controlling the High Museum’s operational and financial activities.

During his tenure as COO, Lum repeatedly purchased non-business items and services for himself, including luxury guitars and other music equipment, personal music lessons, and woodworking equipment, through direct supplier invoicing and through the High Museum’s corporate credit card reimbursement process. Lum concealed the nature of his transactions in several ways, including by submitting altered invoices, using his position to exercise delegated expense approval authority, and using accounting adjustments to spread his expenses across different cost centers so that they would not be readily identified. 

For example, in one instance, on or about November 29, 2024, Lum submitted an altered invoice for reimbursement through the High Museum’s online expense processing platform. While the submitted invoice showed a $9,147.87 purchase of equipment that appeared to be for the museum’s benefit, the original version of the invoice was for a guitar and accessories. Over the course of his scheme, Lum stole more than $600,000 from the High Museum. 

Brady Lum, 59, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher C. Bly. Members of the public are reminded that the information only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges until he is proven guilty or admits guilt in a court of law.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas N. Joy is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Alberto Ortiz-Osornio, an illegal alien from Mexico, and Marco Antonio Solano-Posadas face federal drug trafficking charges after law enforcement seized approximately 85 kilograms of methamphetamine in Norcross, Georgia.

“The defendants allegedly sought to traffic nearly 200 pounds of deadly methamphetamine before a coordinated law enforcement effort caught them in the act,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office and our law enforcement partners will use every tool at our disposal to prevent foreign drug cartels from poisoning Georgians and to hold drug dealers accountable for their crimes.”

“These arrests represent a significant step in dismantling a drug trafficking operation responsible for distributing dangerous amounts of methamphetamine into our communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “We will continue to pursue individuals involved in the distribution of methamphetamine with relentless focus. Those who engage in this criminal activity should understand that law enforcement is committed to bringing them to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on April 3, 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation, DEA agents allegedly saw Ortiz place two large 12-gallon bins in his car parked outside his residence in Norcross, drive a short distance to meet with Solano, and place those bins in Solano’s car. Shortly thereafter, sheriff’s deputies from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office stopped Solano’s car and located approximately 30 kilograms of methamphetamine inside the 12-gallon bins. Agents then searched Ortiz’s residence, where they allegedly found four more 12-gallon bins containing an additional 55 kilograms of methamphetamine. The investigation further revealed that Ortiz is a citizen of Mexico who is illegally present in the United States.

On April 3, 2026, Ortiz and Solano were named in a criminal complaint charging them with a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Earlier today, a federal magistrate judge ordered Ortiz to be held in federal custody without bail pending further proceedings. Solano is currently in the custody of the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office but is expected to appear in federal court within the next week.

Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang is prosecuting the case.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Following a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted Patrick Shackelford, a former federal correctional officer, for accepting bribes and conspiring with inmates to smuggle narcotics and other contraband into the U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta (“USP-Atlanta”) using an elaborate scheme through which visitors introduced contraband into the prison through a secret hole in the visitation area. Shackelford was immediately taken into federal custody upon entry of the jury’s verdict on April 2.

“Instead of fulfilling his duty to safeguard a federal prison, Shackelford took bribes from inmates to facilitate their smuggling of large quantities of methamphetamine and other contraband for distribution to other inmates,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Shackelford betrayed his oath, chose to be a corrupt tool of the inmates in his charge, and potentially endangered the safety and security of his fellow officers and prisoners through his brazen conduct.”

“Correctional facilities depend on the integrity of those entrusted to safeguard them,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “By abusing his position to smuggle drugs and other contraband into USP-Atlanta, Shackelford undermined the safety and security of the institution, his fellow officers, and the inmates in their custody. The FBI remains committed to rooting out corruption at every level and holding accountable those who violate the public’s trust.”

“The Correctional Officer’s acts compromised the safety and security of the federal prison. The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General is committed to rooting out corruption and bringing perpetrators to justice,” stated Eric Fehlman, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Southeast Region.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From approximately June 2018 through February 2019, Shackelford conspired with federal inmates Patrick Kirkman, Mitchell Arms, James Hughes, and others to smuggle prohibited items and narcotics, including methamphetamine and marijuana, into USP-Atlanta, a then medium-security federal prison.

Shackelford was a federal correctional officer and plumbing supervisor at USP-Atlanta who managed a crew of inmate plumbers, including Hughes. As part of the scheme, Shackelford informed Hughes about a hidden room and “voided area” that adjoined the prison visitation area. With Shackelford’s assistance, Hughes and another inmate, under the guise of making plumbing repairs, used a sledgehammer and power drill to create large passageways into the hidden room and voided area. From that space, they created a small hole under a sink in the restroom of the visitation area. They then concealed the passageway with a metal plate. During weekend visitation, some of the inmates’ associates brought tightly wrapped packages containing contraband to the prison and pushed them through the hole under the restroom sink into the “voided area.” On a nearly weekly basis between June 2018 and February 2019, Hughes and another inmate retrieved the contraband from the voided area, using their plumbing cart and tools as cover to move the contraband across USP-Atlanta.

Shackelford further helped the inmates by allowing them to hide the contraband in the “plumbing shop,” including in the ceiling of an empty staff office that was next to Shackelford’s. For safety and security reasons, inmates were not supposed to have access to such offices. However, Shackelford unlocked the adjacent office for Hughes so often that it came to be known as “Jamie’s office.” Shackelford also helped escort his inmate co-conspirators through checkpoints to deliver contraband packages to the cellblocks.

In exchange for permitting inmates to smuggle and distribute contraband, Shackelford received $5,000 and pain pills from Hughes, and Hughes and the inmate plumbing crew completed Shackelford’s plumbing assignments for him.

Kirkman and Arms, both of whom were serving sentences for federal drug trafficking crimes, were among the inmates at USP-Atlanta who received the contraband, including narcotics, through the scheme. While the operation was ongoing, Kirkman paid Hughes nearly $20,000 via Cash App to smuggle in the contraband and provided the cash for Shackelford’s $5,000 bribe. Hughes learned from Kirkman, Arms, and others when the packages had been smuggled through the visitor’s bathroom.

In February 2019, prison officials discovered a batch of contraband hidden in the ceiling of the plumbing office. Specifically, officials found roughly two dozen packages containing over a pound of 100% pure methamphetamine, over a kilogram of marijuana, synthetic marijuana or “spice,” tobacco, and several cell phones. This was one of the largest contraband recoveries in the history of USP-Atlanta.

Shackelford’s inmate co-conspirators pleaded guilty in connection with this prison bribery and contraband smuggling scheme:

• Patrick Kirkman, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, pled guilty to federal bribery on February 11, 2026.
• Mitchell Arms, 45, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty to possessing, obtaining, or attempting to obtain a prohibited object in federal prison, namely, methamphetamine, on June 18, 2024.
• James Hughes, 48, of Etowah, Tennessee, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to provide and possess prohibited objects in a federal prison, including methamphetamine, marijuana, and cellular phones, on October 7, 2023.

Sentencing for Patrick Shackelford, 51, of Senoia, Georgia, is scheduled for July 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II. Shackelford faces a mandatory minimum of ten years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Garrett L. Bradford are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA –Jitesh Patel, M.D., Advanced Urology, Inc., and affiliated companies (collectively “Advanced Urology”) will pay $14 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act by billing federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for a series of urological and diagnostic procedures that were not performed or were medically unnecessary.                                                                                                                   

“Physicians commit fraud when they seek payment for medically unnecessary procedures or bill for services they never performed,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will not tolerate abuse of patients or misuse of government funds, and we will enforce the False Claims Act to hold wrongdoers accountable.”

“This action underscores our commitment to safeguarding federal health care programs from fraud and abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Allegations of upcoding and medically unnecessary procedures undermine the integrity of Medicare and other government programs. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that providers who submit false claims are held accountable.”

“The settlement underscores the FBI’s commitment to investigating complex healthcare fraud schemes that prioritize profit over patient care,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “Submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs is a serious violation of the law, and we will continue to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

“This settlement demonstrates the VA OIG’s tireless commitment to protecting veterans’ healthcare programs from fraudulent billing,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the VA Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the US Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this investigation.”

“Fraud against the Medicaid program is stealing from Georgia taxpayers – plain and simple,” said Jim Mooney, Deputy Attorney General of Georgia’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division. “Performing unnecessary procedures takes limited resources away from those who truly need them. This office will ensure that Medicaid providers treat their patients and Georgia taxpayers with respect and not as a scheme to get rich.”

"This settlement should serve as a strong deterrent to healthcare practitioners who abandon their Hippocratic Oath while seeking to exploit and defraud TRICARE, which provides critical healthcare services to those who defend our nation, retirees, and their families,” said Jason Sargenski, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of healthcare providers who defraud the U.S. Government, and will seek justice on behalf of our men and women in uniform.”

The government’s investigation began after a former Advanced Urology employee filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Advanced Urology performed unnecessary procedures. A former Advanced Urology physician filed a second whistleblower complaint alleging that the practice billed government healthcare programs for procedures and tests that were not performed or were medically unnecessary.

The whistleblowers alleged, among other things, that Advanced Urology’s organization was designed to maximize revenue for Dr. Patel and others by performing medically unnecessary procedures and tests, by engaging in the following practices, among others:

• Implanting permanent Sacral Nerve Stimulator devices in patients without first determining whether the patients would benefit from the device.
• Performing numerous unnecessary Cystoscopy and Retrograde Pyelogram procedures, which involved placing a patient under anesthesia and inserting a small scope through the patient’s urethra and into the bladder.
• Performing an Electromyography test on almost every new patient at Advanced Urology even though it is rarely used in urology practices. This test involved transmitting electrical signals through an electrode attached to the patient’s genitalia.
• Ordering thousands of unnecessary ultrasound tests, including duplex ultrasounds and retroperitoneal ultrasounds.

The whistleblowers also alleged that Advanced Urology billed for a procedure known as Direct Visual Internal Urethrotomy (“DVIU”) that it never performed. The DVIU procedure involves using a scope to dilate a patient’s urethra and a knife to cut tissue inside the urethra. Allegedly, Advanced Urology performed a less complicated dilation of the urethra but billed government healthcare programs for DVIU to obtain more payment than it was owed.

The whistleblowers alleged that Advanced Urology and Dr. Patel’s conduct resulted in the submission of false claims to federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, in violation of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729, et seq., and the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act, O.C.G.A. §§ 49-4-168.1, et seq.

This civil settlement resolves two lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act: United States and State of Georgia ex rel. Lorraine Perumal-Szramel v. Advanced Urology, Inc. et al., No. 1:18-cv-4482-SCJ, and United States and State of Georgia ex rel. Himanshu Aggarwal, M.D. v. Jitesh V. Patel et al., No. 1:19-cv-2844-WMR. 

Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may bring suit for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. The Relators will collectively receive $2,940,000 from the settlement.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General; and the Defense Health Agency. 

The investigation and resolution of this matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. Nugent and Andres Sandoval and Georgia Assistant Attorney General James Champlin.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Shikino Quantavius Reid has been arraigned on federal charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after Reid allegedly discharged a firearm in a Decatur neighborhood last summer. Reid was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 24, 2026.                                                                                                                 

“Shikino Reid’s dangerous and violent alleged actions put himself and others at serious risk of injury or death,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue our efforts to prevent and punish gun crime in our community by prosecuting unlawfully armed felons.”

“Repeat offenders pose a serious threat to public safety,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd. “ATF is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On July 23, 2025, Shikino Quantavius Reid allegedly attempted to start an altercation at his neighbor’s residence in Decatur, Georgia by discharging two firearms into the air. After Reid returned to his vehicle, the neighbor’s associates drew their own firearms and fired at Reid, striking him in the arm as well as a house across the street.

Reid is a multi-convicted violent repeat offender, having been convicted of Attempted Burglary, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Battery, as well as being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Shikino Quantavius Reid, 31, of Decatur, Georgia, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III. Reid will remain in federal custody through the conclusion of his case.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Bircoll is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into an agreement with 42 Georgia state licensing boards (“Georgia Boards”) to resolve allegations that the Georgia Boards failed to recognize the out-of-state professional licenses of servicemembers and their spouses, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”).

This settlement is the first of its kind and will provide up to $3 million in compensation to servicemembers and military spouses whose applications for licensure were improperly denied or delayed. The settlement also requires the Georgia Boards to adopt new policies that comply with the SCRA and provide a streamlined application process for servicemembers and military spouses who are already licensed in another state.

“The agreement we are announcing today allows servicemembers and their spouses to focus on what is most important when military service sends them to Georgia,” said Theodore S. Hertzberg, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.  “Federal law requires every state to recognize hard-earned professional licenses when our warfighters must uproot their families in service to our country. This settlement ensures that servicemembers and military spouses can work in their chosen and trained professions free from bureaucratic hurdles, unnecessary costs, and burdensome waits. I am proud that my office, alongside the Justice Department and the two other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Georgia, worked together with our state partners in the Secretary of State’s office, the Attorney General’s office, and the Governor’s office to make it easier for our brave fighting men and women to call Georgia home.”

“Members of the military and their families already make great sacrifices to defend our nation – they should not have to sacrifice their professional careers or financial well-being because the military requires them to move,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This groundbreaking settlement ensures that servicemembers and their spouses stationed in Georgia can have their out-of-state licenses recognized without facing unnecessary hurdles. Licensing authorities in other states should take note of this settlement and ensure they comply with the SCRA.”

“As a U.S. Army veteran and reservist, it is a particular honor to announce that our servicemembers are guaranteed the full protections of the SCRA,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes of the Middle District of Georgia. “I am grateful for our strong partnership with state officials in reaching this resolution, which ensures that servicemembers and their spouses with professional licenses can relocate to Georgia and continue their careers and lives here more smoothly.”

“This settlement will provide monetary relief to military spouses whose professional employment opportunities have been limited because of the state of Georgia’s unnecessary delays and red tape,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret “Meg” Heap of the Southern District of Georgia. “More importantly, this settlement clears a path now and in the future for military spouses to pursue continued employment when they move with their servicemember to our community. We are grateful for the work of our staff in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, and to the staffers in the Northern and Middle Districts and the Civil Rights Division for their tireless, detailed work on reaching this settlement. All of our communities are stronger today because of their efforts.”

An investigation led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle District of Georgia and the Southern District of Georgia, and the DOJ Civil Rights Division uncovered multiple complaints from servicemembers and military spouses regarding the Georgia Boards’ previous refusal to recognize out-of-state professional licenses. As a result, servicemembers’ spouses were unable to work in their professional fields or earn money for their families after relocating to Georgia on military orders. One military spouse, for example, had to drive to a neighboring state to work because the Georgia Board did not recognize her professional license as required by federal law.

Since January 2023, the SCRA has required state licensing authorities to recognize the out-of-state professional licenses of servicemembers and military spouses who relocate to a new state due to military orders. The law is intended to remove barriers to employment and improve the financial readiness of military families. Many military spouses work in fields that require licenses and must move across state lines every two to three years due to their spouses’ military orders. The SCRA provides that if a servicemember or military spouse holds a covered license, the new state must recognize the license as valid and may not impose requirements beyond those set forth in the statute.

The United States estimates that up to 5,000 servicemembers and military spouses may be entitled to compensation under this settlement. The professions covered by this settlement include teachers, nurses, electricians, plumbers, cosmetologists, barbers, opticians, massage therapists, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, pharmacists, social workers, and many more.

The investigation and resolution of this matter were led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Fallica and Aileen Bell Hughes of the Northern District of Georgia in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia and attorneys from the DOJ Civil Rights Division.

Any servicemember or military spouse who applied for a professional license from one of the Georgia Boards after January 2023 and who may have been wrongfully denied rights guaranteed by the SCRA should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia at USAGAN.CivilRights@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-4626.

The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $487 million in monetary relief for over 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Traon Turk, an armed felon and drug dealer who led police on a car chase in Marietta, Georgia, has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison following his convictions for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

“Just weeks after his release from state prison, Turk picked up where he left off, trafficking deadly drugs while armed with a loaded pistol and attempting to outrun the police,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thankfully, solid collaboration between law enforcement agencies produced a federal prosecution, removing this repeat offender from our community for several years.”

“Our partnership with the Cobb County Police Department has been critical in moving this case forward and ensuring accountability. Today’s sentencing makes it clear that armed drug dealers will be held responsible, and we will continue to pursue anyone who threatens the safety of our communities,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On April 4, 2020, the Cobb County Police Department observed an SUV that reportedly had been involved in a drive-by shooting days earlier. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver, Turk, fled at a high rate of speed, bailed out of the moving car, and left his five passengers behind. While running from the police, Turk dropped a loaded .40 caliber pistol that officers quickly recovered. 

About an hour later, the police found Turk hiding in an abandoned vehicle and arrested him. Officers then found a bag of 24 pills containing methamphetamine in his pants pocket. He was also carrying a phone that was replete with evidence of drug dealing activity. In the SUV Turk had been driving, law enforcement located a larger bag of ecstasy pills containing methamphetamine, numerous pieces of pills matching the pills recovered from Turk’s pocket, counterfeit Percocet pills containing methamphetamine, counterfeit Xanax pills, and individually packaged bags of marijuana.

Turk had been previously convicted of numerous felonies in Cobb County, including violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act, possession of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, obstruction of law enforcement officers, and theft by receiving stolen property.

Traon Turk, 31, of Austell, Georgia, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to serve seven years, eight months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. A federal jury convicted Turk on November 17, 2025, of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Turk had previously pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025, to possessing a firearm unlawfully.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Cobb County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Hwang, Michael Herskowitz, Laurel Milam, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters prosecuted the case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Atlanta – Pablo Soria-Porras, Sergio Solano-Sanchez, Eduardo Benitez-Jacinto, and Jesus Diaz Iniguez, who are all illegal aliens from Mexico, face federal charges after law enforcement seized approximately 44 pounds of methamphetamine and two firearms in drug trafficking operations in and around Douglasville and South Fayetteville, Georgia this week. 

“The swift prosecutions of these illegal aliens send the strong message that we will work together with law enforcement partners to take deadly drugs off the street and prosecute drug traffickers who are illegally present in our country to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.

“These arrests are the result of coordinated and collaborative law enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting the flow of methamphetamine and illegal firearms,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “We remain committed to protecting our communities and ensuring those responsible are held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On February 25, 2026, Porras and Jacinto allegedly sold over two pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover DEA agent in a Lithia Springs, Georgia parking lot. Agents then identified a residence in Douglasville, Georgia where Porras, Jacinto, and Sanchez allegedly received methamphetamine from Mexico and processed the narcotics for distribution in the Atlanta area. During a search of the residence on March 24, 2026, agents arrested Jacinto and Sanchez and seized approximately 33 pounds of methamphetamine and a large sum of U.S. currency.

One day before the seizure in Douglasville, agents observed Iniguez drive off after allegedly attempting to conduct a suspected drug transaction with an individual in South Fayetteville, Georgia. Shortly thereafter, a Georgia State Patrol trooper stopped Iniguez’s vehicle and found approximately 11 pounds of methamphetamine inside. After taking Iniguez into custody, DEA agents searched a residence in McDonough, Georgia and seized two firearms that Iniguez allegedly possessed there.

Sergio Solano-Sanchez, 26, of Mexico, and Eduardo Benitez-Jacinto, 25, of Mexico, appeared in federal court on March 25, 2026, on a criminal complaint charging them with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Jesus Diaz Iniguez, 29, of Mexico, appeared in federal court yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The three men remain in federal custody pending further proceedings. Pablo Soria-Porras, 23, of Mexico, is currently a fugitive. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Porras, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant United States Attorneys Johnny Baer and Daniel Grill are prosecuting the cases.

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.

These prosecutions are also 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Lee Milton Reeves, a multi-convicted felon who threatened employees and police officers at gunpoint in the bathroom of a Riverdale, Georgia restaurant, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

“This case shows precisely why convicted felons are prohibited from possessing guns,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Had Reeves pulled the trigger, this case could have ended in tragedy. My office will never stop working towards making Georgia safe by removing armed felons from the community.”

“The sentence imposed today sends a clear message to convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms: ATF’s top priority remains keeping our communities safe,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd. “ATF will continue working with our law enforcement partners to target individuals who unlawfully possess firearms.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On March 17, 2024, officers from the Riverdale Police Department responded to an emergency call about a man with a gun at a fast-food restaurant. Once there, officers found Reeves holed up in a bathroom, where Reeves pointed at gun at them. Subsequent investigation revealed that, the day before, Reeves had fired that same gun inside a trailer where a mother and daughter lived.

On March 26, 2026, Lee Milton Reeves, 40, of Mechanicsville, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Reeves pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on December 17, 2025.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Riverdale Police Department and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Stanley Yi Zheng, Matthew Kelly, and Tommy Shad English have been charged with conspiring to commit smuggling and export control violations. The three defendants are alleged to have sought millions of dollars’ worth of export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company for illegal shipment to China through Thailand.                                                                                                                

“Keeping sensitive tech from falling into the wrong hands is a matter of utmost importance to our national security and U.S. competitiveness,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office is proud to ensure that any bad actor who seeks to profit from endangering our security will face justice in an American courtroom.”

“Protecting sensitive defense technology from diversion to foreign adversaries is a top priority,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Advanced computing technologies, like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), play a critical role in military artificial intelligence and national defense capabilities. When individuals attempt to illegally acquire or export this technology for profit, they are putting national security and our warfighters at risk. DCIS will continue working with our U.S. and international partners to identify these networks, disrupt their operations, and hold those responsible accountable.”

“The smuggling of advanced technology like these computer chips represents a direct threat to U.S. national security,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “The individuals charged in this case attempted to bypass U.S. export laws to send sensitive technology to adversaries. The FBI will continue working with our partners to prevent the illegal diversion of critical technologies and hold those responsible accountable.”

“Safeguarding America’s advanced technology is critical to our national security and public safety,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “This case highlights the importance of strong partnerships between federal law enforcement, industry, and our international counterparts. By working together, we were able to disrupt a sophisticated scheme to illegally export sensitive U.S. artificial intelligence technology. HSI remains committed to protecting the integrity of our supply chains and ensuring that critical innovations do not fall into the hands of those who would threaten our security.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the criminal complaints, and other information presented in court: In or about May 2023, Zheng, Kelly, and English began conspiring together to obtain computer servers with export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company (“Company-1”) and ship them to Thailand with an ultimate destination of China, in violation of U.S. law. In doing so, the three defendants used the names of Thailand-based companies as the purported purchasers of the computer servers when in fact the co-conspirators intended for the U.S.-origin AI chips to be diverted to China.

In October 2023, English, purporting to act on behalf of a Thailand-based company, ordered 750 computer servers for approximately $170 million from Company-1. Of the 750 computer servers, 600 contained a computer chip that was controlled on the U.S. Commerce Control List and required a license for export to China. In placing that order, English signed an “Advanced Computing Certification,” certifying that the computer servers were not destined for China or any other country subject to heightened export requirements.

In January 2024, English transferred over $20 million to Company-1 as partial payment for the October 2023 order. In January 2024, when discussing via email an upcoming compliance review for the October 2023 order, English asked Company-1 to add Zheng and Kelly to the email thread, which prompted a response from Company-1 noting, among other things, that Zheng’s company was based in China and that it was “odd” that no one from the Thailand-based company was in the list of carbon copy recipients. Company-1 also commented that “China is an embargoed country restricted by the US government. US companies are restricted from selling to businesses or end users headquartered in China.”

In early February 2024, additional review of the October 2023 order was conducted by the California-based manufacturer of the computer chips that would be inside 600 of the servers English had ordered (“Company-2”). Company-2’s efforts to verify the end user of the computer chips in Thailand were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the October 2023 purchase was not completed.

While the October 2023 deal lost momentum, in April 2024, English, purporting to act on behalf of a second Thailand-based company, sought to order from Company-1 another 500 computer servers that contained an export-controlled computer chip. In doing so, English signed an End User Certification stating that the Thailand-based company was the end user for the purchase. This deal, like the October 2023 deal, ultimately was unsuccessful.

Text messages obtained through the investigation illustrated aspects of the conspiracy and revealed that Zheng, English, and Kelly discussed, among other things, “fake” corporate niceties to help complete the computer chip purchases, the value of the computer chips in China, and recruitment of others to participate in the scheme.

For example, in June 2023, in a group chat with Zheng and English titled “GPU Partnership,” Kelly stated: “They just need more details about your company, customers, revenue, etc.” and “I know you mention you [English] are better than CDW but they have a nice website, company decks, quarterly earning reports, etc that are all public information.” English replied: “I’m not breaking my back. I fake these weeks ago.”

Later, in July 2023, in the same group chat, Zheng sent a message discussing the market value of Company-2’s computer chips in China, showing that Zheng, English, and Kelly were all aware that the ultimate destination for the computer chips would be China.

Subsequently, in March 2024, Kelly messaged Zheng a draft solicitation message for Kelly to send to others. The message stated, among other things: “[I am] [c]urrently working on distributing GPU systems with [Company-2] chips for supercomputing[.] . . . We . . . have a few customers in China but it’s a banned country for distribution. It’s a lucrative business right now – millions of dollars in profits per order – so we are looking for partners. One you can find customers that need GPUs for their supercomputer solutions or two they act as a pass through partner for customers in China. Let me know if you are interested in discussing?”

Approximately 28 minutes after sending the draft solicitation message to Zheng, Kelly received feedback from Zheng. Zheng stated, among other things: “DO NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT CHINA.” Zheng explained that the portions of Kelly’s message that referenced China needed to be removed because: “We will draw attention[] from US government for embargo[] violation.” In response, Kelly noted that similar information had been told to other individuals. Zheng replied: “We just talk about it, no one can hold it as evidence[] against us.”

Stanley Yi Zheng, 56, of Hong Kong, China, was arrested on March 22, 2026, and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa J. Cisneros, of the Northern District of California, on March 23, 2026, for his initial appearance. The Government has moved for Zheng to be remanded to federal custody and held without bail pending trial.

Matthew Kelly, 49, of Hopewell Junction, New York, and Tommy Shad English, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, surrendered to federal authorities on March 25, 2026. Their initial appearances will be held in the District of New Jersey and Northern District of Georgia later today.

The criminal complaints were issued in the Northern District of Georgia on March 20, 2026. The charges contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Brett Ruff of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Stanley Yi Zheng, Matthew Kelly, and Tommy Shad English have been charged with conspiring to commit smuggling and export control violations. The three defendants are alleged to have sought millions of dollars’ worth of export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company for illegal shipment to China through Thailand.

“The cutting-edge AI chips the defendants allegedly schemed to export to China represent the best of American ingenuity and years of strategic investment in maintaining our technological leadership,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “NSD is committed to protecting U.S. innovation and ensuring that those who violate U.S. export controls face serious consequences.”

“Zheng, Kelly, and English allegedly conspired to sell millions of dollars’ worth of American-made AI computer chips to buyers in China, in clear violation of U.S. export controls,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “As our foreign adversaries escalate their efforts to dominate the field of artificial intelligence, we are seeing them employ increasingly brazen schemes to illegally acquire valuable U.S. technology. Enforcing export controls is critical to our work safeguarding America’s economic and national security, and the FBI will continue working with our partners to protect our nation’s innovation and hold accountable those seeking to profit by supplying hostile nation states.”

“Keeping sensitive tech from falling into the wrong hands is a matter of utmost importance to our national security and U.S. competitiveness,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia. “My office is proud to ensure that any bad actor who seeks to profit from endangering our security will face justice in an American courtroom.”

“Protecting sensitive defense technology from diversion to foreign adversaries is a top priority,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Advanced computing technologies, like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), play a critical role in military artificial intelligence and national defense capabilities. When individuals attempt to illegally acquire or export this technology for profit, they are putting national security and our warfighters at risk. DCIS will continue working with our U.S. and international partners to identify these networks, disrupt their operations, and hold those responsible accountable.”

“Safeguarding America’s advanced technology is critical to our national security and public safety,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “This case highlights the importance of strong partnerships between federal law enforcement, industry, and our international counterparts. By working together, we were able to disrupt a sophisticated scheme to illegally export sensitive U.S. artificial intelligence technology. HSI remains committed to protecting the integrity of our supply chains and ensuring that critical innovations do not fall into the hands of those who would threaten our security.”

According to the criminal complaints and other information presented in court: In or about May 2023, Zheng, Kelly, and English began conspiring together to obtain computer servers with export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company (Company-1) and ship them to Thailand with an ultimate destination of China, in violation of U.S. law. In doing so, the three defendants used the names of Thailand-based companies as the purported purchasers of the computer servers when in fact the co-conspirators intended for the U.S.-origin AI chips to be diverted to China.

In Oct. 2023, English, purporting to act on behalf of a Thailand-based company, ordered 750 computer servers for approximately $170 million from Company-1. Of the 750 computer servers, 600 contained a computer chip that was controlled on the U.S. Commerce Control List and required a license for export to China. In placing that order, English signed an “Advanced Computing Certification,” certifying that the computer servers were not destined for China or any other country subject to heightened export requirements.

In Jan. 2024, English transferred over $20 million to Company-1 as partial payment for the Oct. 2023 order. In Jan. 2024, when discussing via email an upcoming compliance review for the Oct. 2023 order, English asked Company-1 to add Zheng and Kelly to the email thread, which prompted a response from Company-1 noting, among other things, that Zheng’s company was based in China and that it was “odd” that no one from the Thailand-based company was in the list of carbon copy recipients. Company-1 also commented that “China is an embargoed country restricted by the US government. US companies are restricted from selling to businesses or end users headquartered in China.”

In early Feb. 2024, additional review of the Oct. 2023 order was conducted by the California-based manufacturer of the computer chips that would be inside 600 of the servers English had ordered (Company-2). Company-2’s efforts to verify the end user of the computer chips in Thailand were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the Oct. 2023 purchase was not completed.

While the Oct. 2023 deal lost momentum, in April 2024, English, purporting to act on behalf of a second Thailand-based company, sought to order from Company-1 another 500 computer servers that contained an export-controlled computer chip. In doing so, English signed an End User Certification stating that the Thailand-based company was the end user for the purchase. This deal, like the Oct. 2023 deal, ultimately was unsuccessful.

Text messages obtained through the investigation illustrated aspects of the conspiracy and revealed that Zheng, English, and Kelly discussed, among other things, “fake” corporate niceties to help complete the computer chip purchases, the value of the computer chips in China, and recruitment of others to participate in the scheme.

For example, in June 2023, in a group chat with Zheng and English titled “GPU Partnership,” Kelly stated: “They just need more details about your company, customers, revenue, etc.” and “I know you mention you [English] are better than CDW but they have a nice website, company decks, quarterly earning reports, etc that are all public information.” English replied: “I’m not breaking my back. I fake these weeks ago.”

Later, in July 2023, in the same group chat, Zheng sent a message discussing the market value of Company-2’s computer chips in China, showing that Zheng, English, and Kelly were all aware that the ultimate destination for the computer chips would be China.

Subsequently, in March 2024, Kelly messaged Zheng a draft solicitation message for Kelly to send to others. The message stated, among other things: “[I am] [c]urrently working on distributing GPU systems with [Company-2] chips for supercomputing[.] . . . We . . . have a few customers in China but it’s a banned country for distribution. It’s a lucrative business right now – millions of dollars in profits per order – so we are looking for partners. One you can find customers that need GPUs for their supercomputer solutions or two they act as a pass through partner for customers in China. Let me know if you are interested in discussing?”

Approximately 28 minutes after sending the draft solicitation message to Zheng, Kelly received feedback from Zheng. Zheng stated, among other things: “DO NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT CHINA.” Zheng explained that the portions of Kelly’s message that referenced China needed to be removed because: “We will draw attention[] from US government for embargo[] violation.” In response, Kelly noted that similar information had been told to other individuals. Zheng replied: “We just talk about it, no one can hold it as evidence[] against us.”

Stanley Yi Zheng, 56, of Hong Kong, China, was arrested on March 22, 2026, and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa J. Cisneros, of the Northern District of California, on March 23, 2026, for his initial appearance. The Government has moved for Zheng to be remanded to federal custody and held without bail pending trial.

Matthew Kelly, 49, of Hopewell Junction, New York, and Tommy Shad English, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, surrendered to federal authorities on March 25, 2026. Their initial appearances will be held in the District of New Jersey and Northern District of Georgia today.

The criminal complaints were issued in the Northern District of Georgia on March 20, 2026. The charges contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Brett Ruff of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

ATLANTA – A federal jury has convicted Brittany Hudson of all 30 counts in an indictment that charged her with stealing nearly $10 million from Amazon based on fraud, laundering the fraudulent proceeds from that scheme, lying to a franchising company while on pretrial release, and forging the signature of former Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. on fake court documents.

“Hudson and her literal partner in crime brazenly stole nearly $10 million from Amazon through a fraud scheme involving fake vendors and invoices,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “A federal jury put an end to Hudson’s insatiable greed by returning a guilty verdict on 30 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery.”

“The level of greed on the part of the perpetrators in this case was staggering,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Donovan of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “Leveraging personal relationships, she stole millions from Amazon and was so confident she wouldn’t be caught, she even forged the signature of a federal judge with the intent of defrauding a second company. Thanks to the diligent work of our agents and the prosecution team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, her days of defrauding others have come to an end.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Brittany Hudson owned a business, Legend Express LLC, which contracted with Amazon to deliver packages. Hudson was in a romantic relationship with Kayricka Wortham a/k/a Kayricka Dupree a/k/a Kayricka Young, who worked as an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia. In her position, Wortham supervised others and had the authority to approve new Amazon vendors and the payment of vendor invoices.

From about January 2022 to June 2022, Hudson and Wortham defrauded Amazon out of nearly $10 million based on a scheme involving bogus vendors and invoices. Wortham provided fake vendor information to unknowing subordinates and asked them to input the information into Amazon’s vendor system. Once the information was entered, Wortham and another co-conspirator at Amazon approved the fake vendors, enabling the vendors to submit invoices. 

Hudson and Wortham then submitted fictitious invoices, falsely representing that the phony vendors had provided goods and services to Amazon. Wortham approved the invoices, causing Amazon to transfer approximately $9.4 million to bank accounts controlled by Hudson, Wortham, and co-conspirators. Hudson and Wortham purchased expensive real estate and luxury cars with Amazon’s money, including a nearly $1 million home in Smyrna, Georgia, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Dodge Durango, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera, and a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle.

In September 2022, Hudson and Wortham were charged in federal court with defrauding Amazon. In January 2023, while on bond, they lied to a potential business partner, claiming that their Amazon-related criminal charges had been dismissed. To support that lie, the two emailed fake court documents that purported to dismiss the charges and contained the forged signatures of Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., who has since retired, and Cobb County Magistrate Judge Norman L. Barnett, who was then one of the prosecutors on the case. Hudson also emailed doctored bank statements and personal financial statements that fraudulently inflated the balances in her and Wortham’s accounts.

On March 13, 2026, a jury convicted Hudson of 30 counts, including two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 17 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, nine counts of money laundering, and one count of forgery of the signature of a federal judge. The jury also found that money seized from Hudson’s bank account and Hudson’s residence in Smyrna, Georgia, were forfeitable as fraudulent proceeds of the Amazon scheme. 

On June 27, 2023, Kayricka Wortham, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $9,469,731.45 in restitution to Amazon. More than $3 million in fraudulent proceeds seized from multiple bank accounts, the Smyrna home, and the vehicles purchased with fraudulent proceeds were forfeited. Wortham was convicted of the Amazon fraud charge on November 30, 2022, after she pleaded guilty. On October 6, 2025, she pleaded guilty to forgery of the signature of a federal judge. She is scheduled to be sentenced on the forgery charge on March 25, 2026, at 10 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown.

Sentencing for Brittany Hudson, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for June 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., before Judge Brown.

This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Angela Adams are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Eijroghene Okuma, a former investment advisor, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud after defrauding an elderly client out of nearly $10 million over a three-year period.                                                                                                               

“This was the ultimate act of financial betrayal,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Instead of abiding by his fiduciary obligations, Okuma exploited an elderly man’s trust and stole millions. We will aggressively prosecute investment professionals who scheme to steal clients’ funds, rather than protect their financial interests.”

“Eijroghene Okuma abused a position of trust to carry out a calculated scheme that stole millions from an elderly victim,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “The FBI is committed to protecting older Americans from financial exploitation and will continue working with our partners to ensure criminals who target seniors are held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between 2010 and May 2023, Okuma was a financial and investment advisor with Edward Jones. In that capacity, Okuma had complete access to the Edward Jones brokerage accounts of an elderly client (“Victim-1”), who was born in 1944. 

Okuma’s fraudulent scheme began in February 2022 after his appointment to administer the estate of Victim-1’s sister. Beginning in March 2022, Okuma began embezzling from Victim-1 by falsely representing that the sister’s estate needed funds. Victim-1 permitted Okuma to transfer $500,000 from one of Victim-1’s brokerage accounts to a bank account purportedly held for the estate, but Okuma ultimately transferred the money to a bank account in the name of his wife’s company without Victim-1’s knowledge. Similarly, in June 2022, Okuma stole approximately $400,000 by transferring funds he deceived Victim-1 into paying.

After embezzling nearly $1 million from Victim-1, Okuma set up fraudulent accounts to steal millions more. In early February 2023, Okuma opened an unauthorized Vanguard brokerage account in the name of a revocable trust, which Okuma was involved in creating in Victim-1’s name, as well as using Victim-1’s personal identifying information and a fraudulent email account that Okuma created. Victim-1 had no knowledge of the Vanguard account until Okuma’s scheme was uncovered more than two years later. On the same day that Okuma opened the fraudulent Vanguard account, he added himself as a custodian to a bank account in Victim-1’s name, which gave him full authority to withdraw funds without Victim-1’s approval.

Approximately two weeks later, Okuma began transferring funds from Victim-1’s brokerage accounts to the fraudulent Vanguard account. By the end of February 2023, Okuma had transferred approximately $9 million of Victim-1’s funds to the Vanguard account without Victim-1’s knowledge. Between August 2023 and March 2025, Okuma embezzled approximately $9 million of Victim-1’s funds from the Vanguard account by writing checks to bank accounts controlled by him or his wife and electronic transfers.

Okuma used the stolen money to build a $5.2 million residence in Vinings, Georgia, join a beach club and purchase a fractional share of a beach house for approximately $1.4 million, and donate approximately $340,000 to his church.

Sentencing for Eijroghene Okuma, 43, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, is scheduled for June 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty.

On January 30, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a settled action against Okuma relating to the above scheme in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. On February 18, 2026, a final judgment was entered against Okuma under which he agreed to pay more than $13 million, including more than $1 million in prejudgment interest and a $3 million civil penalty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with valuable assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting the case.

For more information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help older Americans and to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. The Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Kwamaine Jerell Ford has been charged with targeting professional athletes through a phishing scam and thereafter engaging in a fraud and sex trafficking scheme. In 2019, in the Northern District of Georgia, Ford was convicted of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft for perpetrating similar phishing attacks and spending nearly $325,000 by using his victims’ stolen financial information.  

“While serving time for stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his lifestyle, Ford allegedly engaged in the same conduct again,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Disturbingly, the indictment alleges that Ford went even further and used a fraudulent online persona to traffic a young woman and coerce her to produce hidden camera videos of commercial sex acts with unknowing individuals.”

“Kwamaine Ford clearly did not learn from his prior conviction for a similar scheme. This time, he allegedly escalated his criminal activity—stealing identities and money while also moving into coercion and sex trafficking,” said FBI Georgia Acting Special Agent in Charge Peter Ellis. “The FBI’s dedicated agents remain committed to staying ahead of schemes like this and protecting the public from individuals who exploit and harm others for personal gain.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: beginning in at least November 2020, while in the Federal Bureau of Prisons custody, Ford allegedly obtained login credentials for Apple accounts belonging to NBA and NFL players through a two-pronged approach. First, Ford allegedly posed online as a well-known adult film star and offered to send sexually explicit videos to the athletes. At the same time, Ford spoofed legitimate Apple customer service accounts, posed as an Apple customer support representative, and requested, via text messages, that the victims send their username, password, and/or Multi-Factor Authentication codes in order to access the videos that his fraudulent adult film star persona was purportedly trying to send the victims. Through this phishing scheme, dozens of victims were allegedly tricked into providing their login credentials to Ford. After gaining control of the victims’ Apple accounts, Ford allegedly obtained credit and debit card information belonging to victims and used that information to pay for thousands of dollars in personal spending.

Additionally, in May 2021, Ford allegedly posed as the adult film star and recruited, tricked, and coerced a female victim into engaging in commercial sex acts with the professional athletes based on false promises that the film star would advance the victim’s modeling career. Ford advertised the victim to the athletes, coordinated the victim’s travel to the athletes, and negotiated payments from the athletes for the purpose of purchasing sex with the victim. Ford used additional fraudulent personas to threaten the victim and maintain her continued involvement in commercial sex acts with the athletes. Using false personas, Ford obtained a financial cut from the commercial sex acts, many of which Ford allegedly coerced his victim into filming without the athletes’ knowledge or consent.

On March 13, 2026, Kwamaine Jerell Ford, 34, of Buford, Georgia appeared in federal court and pled not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of computer fraud, one count of access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of sex trafficking. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered that Ford be held without bail pending trial.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bernita B. Malloy and Phyllis Clerk are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Cooper investigated the case prior to the indictment.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Mikellen Clements, Kemith Calvin, and Laytayah Gross have been charged with firearms trafficking and conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Clements has also been charged with 42 counts of making false statements during firearms purchases and aiding and abetting the same.                                                                                                                 

“These defendants allegedly coordinated dozens of fraudulent gun purchases in Georgia and directly or indirectly put guns in the hands of out-of-state criminals,” said U.S Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The Department of Justice is committed to fighting violent crime across the country and will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute the gun traffickers who facilitate it.”

“This case highlights the critical partnership between federal and local law enforcement agencies. Together, we are working tirelessly to dismantle trafficking networks that threaten the safety of our neighborhoods,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From at least May 2023 continuing through August 2024, the defendants allegedly conspired to straw purchase firearms in Georgia and trafficked the firearms to the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area. As part of the conspiracy, at least 68 firearms were straw purchased from federally licensed dealers in the Northern District of Georgia. At least 15 of those firearms have been recovered by police in the Maryland/D.C. area. Several of the firearms were recovered in connection with suspected drug trafficking activities, and multiple firearms are also under investigation in connection with drive-by shootings.

In May 2025, one of the Micro Draco pistols allegedly straw purchased at Clements’s direction was recovered from a juvenile at a Maryland high school. The weapon was loaded with 17 rounds in the magazine at the time.

On March 5, 2026 and March 10, 2026, respectively, Laytayah Gross, a/k/a Tayah, 27, and Kemith Calvin, a/k/a Black, 28, appeared in federal court and pleaded not guilty to firearms trafficking and conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Mikellen Clements, a/k/a Snee, 27, is currently detained in Washington, D.C. on local charges, and will be arraigned before a federal magistrate judge on a later date.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cathelynn Tio and Matthew S. Carrico are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, a convicted felon, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, an illegal alien from Mexico, face federal charges after law enforcement seized at least 30 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and two loaded firearms in drug trafficking operations in Norcross, Georgia this week. 

“The defendants conducted their alleged narcotics trafficking in public with no fear of being caught,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “These arrests and charges send yet another strong message to the methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers operating in our communities:  we work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to take your deadly drugs off the street and prosecute you in federal court.”

“Fentanyl and methamphetamine destroy lives, and those who traffic these drugs while carrying firearms put entire communities at risk,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Through the DEA’s Fentanyl Free America Campaign, we will continue to pursue and dismantle the networks responsible for distributing these deadly substances.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:  On the afternoon of March 11, 2026, DEA agents observed Benjamin Alberto Lozoya allegedly sell over four pounds of methamphetamine to an individual in a Norcross, Georgia parking lot. Agents then followed Lozoya to a trailer residence a short distance away. While watching the area, agents observed Lozoya exit a nearby shed, walk to another suspected drug transaction, and deliver approximately $11,000 in cash to a waiting vehicle. Agents quickly arrested Lozoya and found a stolen loaded handgun in his pocket and approximately six pounds of methamphetamine in his backpack.  Agents searched the shed and found over 18 pounds of fentanyl in the form of purple bricks, as well as about 25 pounds of a white crystalline substance that was consistent in appearance with methamphetamine.

The investigation revealed that Lozoya was previously convicted in DeKalb County Superior Court in April 2023 of drug distribution, possessing a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, and evidence tampering.

That same afternoon, DEA agents observed Arturo Carreno-Rivera allegedly conduct a suspected drug transaction with an individual at a Norcross gas station. A short time later, a Georgia State Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop of Carreno-Rivera’s car on Buford Highway in Norcross. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement found over a pound of fentanyl. DEA agents subsequently executed a search warrant atCarreno-Rivera’s Norcross residence, where they located an additional 11 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded semi-automatic handgun. 

The investigation revealed that Carreno-Rivera is a Mexican national with no legal status in the United States.

Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, 27, of Chamblee, Georgia, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, 45, of Mexico, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath earlier today on criminal complaints charging them with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine (Lozoya) and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl (Carreno-Rivera).

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Gwinnett County Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III, Johnny Baer, and Bernard Eyth are prosecuting the cases.

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

These prosecutions are also 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Former mail recovery clerk Daniqua Clark has pleaded guilty to stealing cash, gift cards, and other items from the mail while working at the Atlanta Mail Recovery Center and fraudulently obtaining two pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and former mail recovery clerk Deneeka Ferguson has pleaded guilty to participating in the mail theft scheme.   

“Clark abused the public’s trust by stealing thousands of dollars of items from the mail and obtaining two fraudulent PPP loans for a non-existent business while serving as a federal employee,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and hold accountable government employees who compromise their integrity and violate the public’s trust for their own personal gain.”

“This guilty plea sends a strong message to any U.S. Postal Service employee who decides to violate the public’s trust in this manner," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who steals U.S. Mail and attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2023 and 2024, Daniqua Clark and Deneeka Ferguson worked as mail recovery clerks at the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the official “lost and found” department for undeliverable and non-returnable mail for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Between May 2023 and February 2024, Clark worked with Ferguson to steal items from the mail at the Mail Recovery Center. Clark and Ferguson exchanged text messages identifying specific items from the mail to steal and discussing how to steal and conceal the theft of those items, including U.S. currency.

During an interview with law enforcement agents on November 19, 2024, Clark admitted to stealing items from the mail both on her own and with Ferguson. Searches of Clark’s U.S. Postal Service locker and personal car led to the recovery of various stolen items, including gift cards, fragrances, and a pill container in the name of an unknown individual. In an interview with law enforcement agents on February 18, 2025, Ferguson admitted to helping Clark steal mail and receiving stolen mail from Clark in exchange for her help.

The investigation further revealed that Clark fraudulently obtained two PPP loans, totaling $36,402, for a non-existent business. To support her application for the loans, Clark submitted a fake income tax document. The funds from the loans were deposited in the same Atlanta-based bank account into which Clark received her salary from the USPS. Clark used those funds for personal expenses, not payroll expenses as required for PPP loans.   

Daniqua Clark, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit mail theft, one count of mail theft, and two counts of wire fraud. Deneeka Ferguson, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia pleaded guilty to five counts of obstruction of mail. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for June 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Robinson Jr. is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the Department’s resources in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Keith Wolf, a registered sex offender who spent nearly a decade in state prison for child molestation and sexual exploitation of children, has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing a large collection of child sex abuse material. A law enforcement investigation revealed that Wolf started to build that collection and distribute images from it shortly after his release from state custody.                                                                                                                 

“Wolf is a predator with an appetite for innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “His decision to re-engage in exploitation shows his irrepressible depravity, disrespect for the law, and danger to the community. Thankfully, the Court’s sentence ensures Wolf’s removal from society for a decade. In the interim, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to protect children by using every asset available to hunt and punish these offenders.”

“Once is too many times for child exploitation. As repeat offender, Wolf has demonstrated his inability or willingness to reform. Removing him from our community is the best way to enhance the safety of our children,” said Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman, “We appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta for their continued support in holding criminals responsible for their actions.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2023, Google sent multiple cyber tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to a Google user who had disseminated child sex abuse material to other users through Google chat. NCMEC notified the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office because the Google user had accessed the internet from an address in Cumming, Georgia. 

The Sheriff’s Office identified the offending Google user as Keith Wolf, who had previously been convicted of child molestation in 2012 and sexual exploitation of children in 2016. Wolf was released from state prison in August 2023, just a few weeks before Google began sending its tips to NCMEC. 

Deputies executed a search warrant at Wolf’s residence and recovered Wolf’s cell phone. A review of that device revealed hundreds of images and dozens of videos of depicting sexual abuse of prepubescent children, including infants and toddlers.

Keith Matthew Wolf, 36, of Cumming, Georgia, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, and $19,000 in restitution.  Wolf pleaded guilty to possession of child sex abuse material on September 16, 2025.        

This case was investigated by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

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

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. – Thirteen members of a prison-based methamphetamine distribution ring have been convicted and sentenced. Before they were identified by federal agents, state inmates Edward Kelvin Pope, David Wilson, and Kevin Josue Campos Rivera coordinated with Jose Santos Isaola Cisneros, a federal inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Atlanta, to distribute methamphetamine to couriers and customers throughout north Georgia. At the time of the offense, Pope, also known as “Paw Paw,” was a 68-year-old felon serving life imprisonment plus 70 years for armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.                                                                                                                

“From behind prison walls, these defendants egregiously continued to violate the law by coordinating the distribution of massive amounts of methamphetamine throughout north Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The prison sentences imposed in this case without the possibility of parole follow a multiyear, closely coordinated partnership among federal, state, and local law enforcement to protect our communities from the spread of deadly drugs.”

“Methamphetamine continues to fuel addiction, violence, and instability in our communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Field Division. “These defendants believed they could orchestrate a drug trafficking organization from inside a correctional facility, but the sentences show that law enforcement will pursue traffickers wherever they operate. DEA will continue working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle networks responsible for distributing dangerous drugs.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service, in conjunction with our partners at the DEA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and state agencies, will never stop in our efforts to bring criminals to justice,” said Chief Deputy John B. Stevens, U.S. Marshals Service, Northern District of Georgia.  “It doesn’t matter if you are already in custody, if you continue to violate the laws of the United States, we will come for you, and you will be held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The investigation began in November 2020 when law enforcement learned that Pope and Wilson were using couriers outside of Central State Prison in Macon, Georgia, to distribute methamphetamine to customers in and around the metro Atlanta area. Agents identified other inmates involved in the methamphetamine ring, including Isaola, a federal inmate, and Campos Rivera, a fellow state inmate at Central State Prison. The investigation also identified Marcelo Ibarra, a distributor who sold kilogram quantities of methamphetamine on behalf of Isaola to various customers.  

The investigation established that the organization repeatedly distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in north Georgia, including:

• On April 30, 2021, Pope, Wilson, and Isaola supplied Ibarra with approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine that Ibarra distributed at a gas station in Cartersville, Georgia.
• On June 14, 2021, Wilson and Campos Rivera conspired with Luis Cisneros Ruiz to sell approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine that Cisneros Ruiz distributed in a restaurant parking lot in Stockbridge, Georgia. Two weeks later, agents searched Cisneros Ruiz’s residence in Stockbridge, Georgia, where they found an active methamphetamine conversion lab and seized more than 3,000 kilograms of methamphetamine.
• On August 11, 2021, Wilson and Campos Rivera conspired with Carlos Ruben Ramirez Romero to supply approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine to a drug customer who was actually an undercover DEA agent. Agents later searched Ramirez’s apartment in Norcross, Georgia, and located approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, $49,000 in bulk U.S. currency, and a rifle.

The following defendants were sentenced in this case:

• Jose Santos Isaola Cisneros, 35, of Hampton, Georgia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Ramon Rodriguez, Jr., 46, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by twenty years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
• Carlos Ruben Ramirez Romero, 41, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to 19 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• David Wilson, 53, of Carrolton, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 years, and four months in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Kevin Josue Campos Rivera, 27, of Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Gustavo Omar Martinez, 37, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
• Luis Cisneros Ruiz, 27, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to 12 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.      
• Edward Kelvin Pope, 72, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced to serve ten years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Marcelo Ibarra, 33, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years six months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Julio Estuardo Mijangos Chinchilla, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to six years five months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Kelyn Roxana Ortiz Flores, 36, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, after pleading guilty to assault of a federal agent and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Max Donald Whitlock, 55, of Nicholson, Georgia, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Oscar Valdez Samaniego, 45, of Rex, Georgia, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Cartersville Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel B. Milam and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua May prosecuted this case.

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

These prosecutions are also 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Kevin Martinez appeared in federal court earlier today on charges related to his alleged distribution of significant quantities of fentanyl in the metro-Atlanta area. Martinez allegedly operated under the direction of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel.

“Martinez allegedly worked on behalf of a terrorist drug cartel, flooding our communities with massive quantities of lethal fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of the tireless and courageous work of law enforcement, Martinez is in federal custody, and the cartel’s deadly drugs are off the street.”

“This arrest demonstrates DEA’s unwavering commitment to combating the fentanyl crisis,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The distribution of fentanyl poses an extreme danger to our communities, and we will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle those responsible. Through the Fentanyl Free America Initiative, DEA is intensifying efforts nationwide to keep this deadly drug off our streets and protect the American public.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:  A DEA investigation revealed that Martinez was allegedly distributing large quantities of fentanyl in metro-Atlanta. The fentanyl was uniquely stamped with a “Pacman” symbol eating an “LV” symbol. Agents seized six pounds of this stamped fentanyl during traffic stops in Fulton County, Georgia and Henry County, Georgia on February 4, 2026, and February 18, 2026.

On March 6, 2026, agents executed a federal search warrant at Martinez’s apartment in Doraville, Georgia. During the search, agents located approximately 44 pounds of fentanyl concealed in car batteries, as well as six firearms and a money counter.  The DEA investigation revealed that Martinez allegedly has ties to the Mexico-based La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel.

Kevin Martinez, 20, of Doraville, Georgia, appeared before a federal magistrate judge earlier today on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. 

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Fulton County Police Department, and the Henry County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric White and Sandy Strippoli are prosecuting the case.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Martin Armando Gonzalez-Martinez, an illegal alien working directly with Mexico-based drug traffickers, appeared in federal court on charges related to his alleged distribution of purple fentanyl in the Atlanta area.  

“Fentanyl is so extremely dangerous that just a couple milligrams can be lethal,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office proudly partners with law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute individuals who, while illegally present in our country, traffic this deadly drug, which is responsible for killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.”

“Fentanyl traffickers continue to push dangerous and deceptive products into our communities, and the distribution of kilograms of purple fentanyl represents a significant threat to public safety,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These federal charges reflect our unwavering commitment to protect the public and disrupt the criminal organizations responsible for this deadly trade. As part of the DEA’s Fentanyl Free America initiative, we will continue working with our law enforcement partners to stop fentanyl at every level of distribution.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Gonzalez-Martinez is an illegal alien who entered the United States by illegally crossing the southwest border several years ago. Gonzalez-Martinez then allegedly began to distribute drugs, including fentanyl, in the Atlanta area.

On March 4, 2026, Gonzalez-Martinez allegedly attempted to sell approximately four kilograms of fentanyl in the parking lot of a business in Morrow, Georgia. When a customer arrived, Gonzalez-Martinez displayed the drugs in his backpack. As Gonzalez-Martinez returned to his car, DEA agents arrested him and searched his backpack, which was full of suspected fentanyl. 

Last week, Martin Armando Gonzalez-Martinez, 22, of Oaxaca, Mexico appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. LaGrone is prosecuting the case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Quincy Adam Rogers, who was on pretrial release for federal drug trafficking charges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, faces new federal charges related to his alleged distribution of fentanyl and cocaine in Atlanta.

“Dealing drugs while on bond in another case demonstrates shocking disrespect for the law,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Rogers’s alleged conduct evinces complete disregard for the consequences of his actions, which are severe. Because of the lethal danger posed by fentanyl and cocaine, trafficking the amounts alleged in this case is punishable by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”

“This case underscores the persistent threat fentanyl traffickers pose,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Even while facing federal charges, this defendant continued to distribute a drug that kills Americans every day. The DEA’s Fentanyl-Free America Initiative is focused on ensuring that those who continue to endanger lives, especially repeat offenders, face swift and serious consequences.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and the criminal complaint filed in federal court:  Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex in Atlanta on February 5, 2026. The agents observed Quincy Adam Rogers with a drawstring bag near a vehicle. Later, agents saw Rogers place a duffle bag in the trunk of a different vehicle that had just arrived. After both vehicles left the complex, DeKalb County Police Department (DCPD) stopped the second vehicle as it was traveling on Interstate 85 in Braselton, Georgia.

While searching that vehicle, officers found bags like those that Rogers had been carrying. In the bags, DCPD Officers discovered approximately 825 grams of suspected fentanyl powder and five kilograms of cocaine, along with a kilogram press. A kilogram press is used to form drugs into uniform bricks for transportation and distribution. The wholesale street value of the seized drugs was well over $100,000. DEA agents subsequently arrested Rogers.

At the time of the drug seizures, Rogers was on federal pretrial release for drug trafficking charges pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Quincy Adam Rogers, 39 of Brookhaven, Georgia, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on March 5, 2026, on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Brookhaven Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney John DeGenova is prosecuting the case.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Jamarcus Mosley pled guilty this week to charges of computer fraud, extortion, and cyberstalking after tricking hundreds of young victims into giving him control to their social media accounts, accessing their private images and videos, and threatening to release those items if they did not comply with his demands, including sending him sexually explicit material.   

“Mosley is the dangerous online stranger who every parent fears,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “By exploiting the trust of teens and young adults, Mosley hacked into their accounts to steal intimate and sexually suggestive images and extort them over a three-year period. This cruel, calculated scheme is the latest reminder that everyone must exercise great care with whom they interact online.”

“This case highlights the serious and devastating impact cyber exploitation can have on victims, especially young people,” said Kennesaw Police Chief Bill Westenberger. “Mosley deliberately manipulated and extorted individuals during what should have been one of the safest and most secure times of their lives. It is deeply disturbing that someone would believe they could carry out such calculated and predatory acts without consequence.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between at least April 2022 and May 2025, Mosley devised a scheme to hijack Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media accounts belonging to hundreds of young victims, including accounts belonging to minors. Mosely used different methods to take over the victims’ accounts, including pretending to be friends with the victims. After gaining control over their accounts, he threatened to release victims’ nude images and videos, including sexually explicit images and videos, as well as lock victims out of their accounts if they did not provide him with complete access to their social media accounts, send him sexually explicit videos, or send him money.

For example, in April 2022, Mosley used Instagram to contact a 20-year-old woman residing in Kennesaw, Georgia (Victim-1), by using an account that purportedly belonged to a high school friend (Victim-2). Pretending to be Victim-2, Mosley asked Victim-1 for assistance in recovering their “his” Snapchat account, and Victim-1 provided a “recovery passcode” for her Snapchat account in response. Mosley used that information to take over the account and access Victim-1’s private nude images and videos. Mosley also sent a message to Victim-1 containing two nude images and a sexually explicit video of her and threatened that “I got 65 videos and [a] picture of you about to get posted.”

Mosley sometimes taunted victims about hacking their accounts. In December 2022, Mosley toyed with an 18-year-old Florida woman (Victim-3) asking “Should I post these?”, referring to nude images of her that he had stolen after hacking her Snapchat account. After Victim-3 failed to heed Mosley’s demands to send him more nude photos, he posted the stolen nude images of Victim-3 publicly.

In another instance, Mosely tricked a 17-year-old Illinois victim (Victim-4) into sharing her “My Eyes Only” passcode, which allowed Mosley to take full control of her Snapchat account. Mosley then demanded that Victim-4 create a new Snapchat account to chat with him, or he would post everything in Victim-4’s “My Eyes Only” folder. Although Victim-4 created the new account, Mosley was angry that she would not use it and continued to threaten her. Mosley continued to threaten Victim-4 and used her real Snapchat account to communicate with Victim-3’s 13-year-old sister, telling her he knew where she lived by sending an image of a Snapchat map with her location. 

Sentencing for Jamarcus Mosley, 22, of Mobile, Alabama, is scheduled for May 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown.

This case is being investigated by the Kennesaw Police Department with valuable assistance from the United States Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Felecia Ingram has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for stealing over $4 million in gift cards from The Home Depot.

“While employed at The Home Depot, the defendant abused the trust placed in her and stole a staggering $4 million from the company,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “She engaged in a calculated scheme that involved entering false gift card orders, which she later deleted to cover her tracks. She has now been sentenced to federal prison to pay for her deceit.”

“Exploiting her position for personal gain, this criminal thought she could use her knowledge of her employer’s business practices to conceal a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme,” said Robert Donovan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “Thanks to the tireless work of our agents, cooperation from the Home Depot, and the skill of the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she will spend the next three years in prison paying for her crimes.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Starting in 2008, Felecia Ingram was a gift card sales associate for The Home Depot. From March 2020 through July 2021, when fewer employers were working onsite due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her facility access credentials to steal over 8,000 physical gift cards from The Home Depot Store Support Center. 

After stealing the cards, Ingram used her network access credentials to activate the stolen gift cards by creating false orders for them. The false orders made it appear that the cards were sent to corporate events and used for legitimate business purposes. Ingram later deleted the false orders in the system to conceal her thefts. She then made millions by selling the stolen gift cards on the black market. Ingram used the money primarily to fund an extravagant gambling lifestyle.

The Home Depot uncovered the fraud after its gift card team identified a discrepancy in the gift card ledger balances. The investigation determined that, in less than a year and a half, Ingram had stolen approximately 8,325 cards with a total value of $4,085,043.

Felecia Ingram, 53, of Covington, Georgia, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to three years, one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Ingram was also ordered to pay restitution to The Home Depot in the amount of $3,946,776. Ingram was convicted of access device fraud on May 1, 2025, after she pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. The Home Depot provided valuable assistance and cooperation during the criminal investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen H. McClain prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Three illegal aliens from Mexico, Sergio Cortes-Nieto, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, appeared in federal court today and yesterday on charges related to their alleged operation of an Atlanta-area methamphetamine conversation laboratory. In addition, Cortes Raquel was arraigned on a previously unsealed indictment that charged him with a separate 2024 incident where he allegedly trafficked over 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a load of celery. 

“These illegal aliens, including a fugitive from justice charged with trafficking more than a ton of methamphetamine that agents removed from the streets in a record-breaking seizure, were allegedly audaciously operating a drug lab in the backyard of a suburban home,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “To ensure that the cartels never secure a foothold in North Georgia, even as they try to imbed themselves in our neighborhoods, we will continue to aggressively prosecute the criminals responsible for manufacturing and distributing this poison.”

“This lab was operating in a backyard, in close proximity to families and children,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “That level of disregard for human life is unacceptable. Our priority remains protecting the public from the devastating impact of illegal drug manufacturing.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:  On February 20, 2026, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at a Brookhaven residence. In the backyard, agents found Cortes Raquel and Larumbe Dominguez allegedly operating a methamphetamine conversation laboratory concealed under a tent. Cortes Raquel attempted to run away but was quickly apprehended. Agents seized approximately 100 pounds ofliquid methamphetamine mixed and concealed in concrete and an additional 50 liters of liquid methamphetamine solution. Cortes-Nieto, who was also allegedly converting methamphetamine at the residence, was arrested earlier in the day at a nearby storage facility.

The investigation further revealed that Cortes-Nieto, Larumbe Dominguez, and Cortes Raquel are citizens of Mexico and illegally present in the United States. 

Sergio Cortes-Nieto, 53, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, 31, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, 39, all of Mexico, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on a criminal complaint that charged them with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cortes Raquel was also arraigned on an indictment that charged him with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charges in the indictment related to the DEA’s August 8, 2024 record-breaking seizure of 2,370 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in boxes of celery at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia. Cortes Raquel allegedly coordinated the delivery of those drugs.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint and indictment only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz are prosecuting the cases.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Abelardo Avila Gomez, an illegal alien who was previously deported from the United States, appeared in federal court to face charges related to his alleged trafficking of 37 pounds of fentanyl from a Brookhaven apartment.     

“Avila Gomez allegedly trafficked a staggering amount of deadly fentanyl stored in his metro Atlanta apartment,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Diligent efforts by our law enforcement partners stopped this illegal alien and removed his lethal stash from our streets.”

“With the seizure of 17.9 kilograms of fentanyl, our agents have removed an extraordinary amount of deadly poison from the streets,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Fentanyl is measured in milligrams, not grams and this quantity had the potential to cause catastrophic harm. Through the Fentanyl Free America campaign, DEA and our law enforcement partners are aggressively targeting every level of the supply chain. Our mission is to save lives and protect our communities from those who profit off addiction and death.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and the criminal complaint filed in federal court: On February 19, 2026, DEA Atlanta agents executed a federal search warrant at a Brookhaven apartment, where they located 15 rectangular-shaped “bricks” of fentanyl, weighing a total of approximately 37 pounds. Agents arrested Avila Gomez in the apartment parking lot, who allegedly confirmed that he lived in the apartment, illegally reentered the United States in March 2023, and was involved in the distribution of fentanyl.

The investigation further revealed that Avila Gomez is a citizen and national of Mexico with no legal status in the United States. Immigration records allegedly confirm that Avila Gomez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in November 2014.

Abelardo Avila Gomez, 46, of Acapulco, Mexico, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge earlier today on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal re-entry by a previously removed alien.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Atlanta Police Department, Doraville Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, Dekalb County Police Department, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Clayton County Police Department, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and Sandy Springs Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang is prosecuting the case.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

NEWNAN, Ga. - Wesleigh Gaddy has been sentenced for stealing more than $500,000 from the Troup County Board of Commissioners’ payroll accounts.                                                                                                                 

“Gaddy stole more than half a million taxpayer dollars, misusing and abusing the personal information of dozens of former Troup County employees,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We and our agency partners will hold accountable any public servant who manipulates his or her position for unlawful private benefit.”

“While Wesleigh Gaddy’s crime may not have caused physical harm, it severely impacted the lives of Troup County residents by betraying the public trust,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “The FBI is committed to holding accountable those who steal from the public, and this sentence underscores the seriousness of such actions.”

“Wesleigh Gaddy’s actions represent a serious breach of public trust and a deliberate exploitation of her position for personal gain,” said Chris Hosey, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “This sentence sends a clear message that public corruption and financial crimes will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in partnership with our federal and local partners.”

“Wesleigh Gaddy’s theft of public funds is a grave betrayal of trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “As a public servant, her crime not only impacted hard working employees of the county, but it also undermines the integrity of government. Be assured that IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to ensuring those who disregard the public trust for personal financial gain will be investigated and held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In April 2025, a Troup County deputy sheriff discovered that his employee portal showed several direct deposit payments that he never received and that were made during a period when he did not work for the county. Subsequent review of the county’s payroll data showed that, between May 2023 and April 2025, while Wesleigh Gaddy was Troup County’s Payroll and Benefits Specialist, hundreds of paychecks, totaling more than $550,000, were withdrawn from county accounts in the names of more than 60 former Troup County employees. None of the employees worked for the county at the time of the payments, and all the funds went into accounts controlled by Gaddy. 

Gaddy spent the stolen funds on inventory and staffing for her side business, Cedar Creek Ranch Boutique, which she had planned to expand into a feed store at the time her theft was revealed.  Gaddy also used the funds to pay for three horses, a horse trailer, a horse trainer, expenses for her numerous rodeos, and everyday expenses, such as clothing and dining out.  Also, during the period of her theft, Gaddy and her then-husband purchased a travel camper and a boat.

Multiple Troup County employees provided written statements at Gaddy’s sentencing, explaining the direct impact her actions had on their lives, including causing their tax filings to be incorrect and forcing them to pay taxes on additional income they never received but that Gaddy reported in their names.  These sentiments were echoed by Troup County Manager Eric Mosley and Troup County Human Resources Director Valerie Heard, who testified at Gaddy’s sentencing, telling the Court that Gaddy’s actions not only impacted the victim employees, but all Troup County citizens, who lost faith in their local public officials. 

Since Gaddy’s arrest, Mosley and Heard have fielded phone calls from Troup County citizens upset by Gaddy’s theft of their tax dollars. Mosley and Heard explained that the Troup County Board of Commissioners has been working hard to regain that trust by ensuring that Gaddy’s actions could not be repeated by anyone else in the future.

Wesleigh Gaddy, 36, of Hogansville, Georgia, was sentenced to one year, six months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $558,943.17.  Gaddy was convicted of theft from a program receiving federal funds on October 6, 2025, when she pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bethany L. Rupert prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Osiel Adame-Gomez and Miguel Velazquez-Garcia appeared in federal court to face charges related to their alleged distribution of large quantities of fentanyl.                                                                                                                 

“Fentanyl is a highly lethal weapon of mass destruction that the narco-terrorist cartels have wormed into our country,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute fentanyl traffickers to keep the community safe from this deadly drug threat.”

“This seizure underscores the power of coordinated enforcement efforts,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we are aggressively targeting the sources of fentanyl distribution and the financial infrastructure that sustains it. Every enforcement action brings us closer to a Fentanyl-Free America.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and the criminal complaints filed in federal court:  Earlier this month, DEA special agents learned about an intended sale of fentanyl to take place at a Doraville warehouse facility out of a rented moving truck. On February 5, 2026, agents arrived at the warehouse and spotted Adame-Gomez with a rented moving truck. Agents then saw Adame-Gomez drive the truck to a second location, exit with a black backpack, and walk towards a storage facility. Law enforcement attempted to stop Adame-Gomez after he emerged from the storage facility without the backpack, but he fled. Officers eventually apprehended and arrested him in Dunwoody, Georgia and searched the storage facility. During the search, agents recovered a black backpack containing one kilogram of fentanyl with a value of approximately $30,000.

Four days later, on February 9, 2026, DeKalb County police officers stopped Velazquez-Garcia’s car in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and a police K9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. A search of the car revealed the presence of one kilogram of fentanyl. During subsequent searches of houses associated with Velazquez-Garcia in Stone Mountain and Stonecrest, Georgia, DEA agents seized an additional three kilograms of fentanyl and a large amount of suspected drug proceeds.

Osiel Adame-Gomez, 27, of Loganville, Georgia, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III, on February 9, 2026, on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Miguel Velazquez-Garcia, 26, of Atlanta, Georgia, appeared before Judge Larkins on February 11, 2026, on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Judge Larkins ordered both defendants to remain in federal custody without bail pending trial.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

These cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Gwinnett County Police Department and the DeKalb County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Johnny Baer, Jamie Bircoll, and John DeGenova are prosecuting the cases.

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.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - An indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District of Georgia charging two Honduran nationals with alien smuggling and fraud charges related to the smuggling of an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) and submission of an application to sponsor a UAC. The defendants were residing illegally in the United States at the time the alleged crimes were committed.

“Through coordinated lies and deception, two illegal aliens smuggled a child into our country to facilitate the exploitation of a 15-year-old child by a 30-year-old man,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of unwavering law enforcement dedication, the child has been removed from a predatory situation, and the deceitful duo who trafficked her will be held accountable for their crimes.” 

“This indictment alleges a disturbing scheme where two individuals who were in this country illegally lured a young girl to the United States, gave her a false identity and tried to fraudulently gain custody of her through the Office of Refugee Resettlement,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Government programs designed to afford protection cannot become tools for exploitation – especially of children. The Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Alpha will find those who deceive the government to gain access to vulnerable children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.” 

“Defrauding a program designed to protect vulnerable children and attempting to manipulate the sponsorship process is a serious crime that will not be tolerated,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These programs are intended to ensure the safety and well-being of children in need and must never be misused for personal gain. Working with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will aggressively pursue those who undermine these protections and bring them to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Luis Adolfo Mendoza Fonseca and his sister, Rosmery Yambiel Castillo Fonseca, allegedly encouraged and induced a UAC to come to, enter, and reside in the United States illegally and submitted an application to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under penalty of perjury to sponsor and obtain custody of the UAC after having entered the United States illegally. 

As alleged in the indictment, in the Spring of 2024, Mendoza Fonseca and a then-15-year-old Nicaraguan national, the UAC, met online and began a romantic online relationship.

Thereafter, Mendoza Fonseca encouraged and induced the UAC to travel to the United States, paying for her travel and providing the UAC with the identity of a purported Honduran national to use when she entered the United States. The purpose in using the false identity was to enable Castillo Fonseca to sponsor the UAC. In March 2025, Castillo Fonseca submitted an application to ORR to sponsor the UAC, falsely identifying the UAC as her Honduran cousin. Mendoza Fonseca and Castillo Fonseca both admitted to staff at an HHS-funded care provider that the UAC was not the person identified in the sponsorship application, and that the UAC and Mendoza Fonseca had a romantic online relationship.

Earlier today, Luis Adolfo Mendoza Fonseca, 30, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and his sister, Rosmery Yambiel Castillo Fonseca, 25, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Atlanta and were arraigned on one count of conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States; one count of aiding and abetting the encouragement and inducement of an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain; and one count of aiding and abetting making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement. Both defendants were detained pending further proceedings. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for the conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting charges, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the false statement charge.  An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department of Justice’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 440 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 390 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case. HSI’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking in Washington, D.C., and ORR have provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and JTFA Trial Attorney Aaron Jennen and are prosecuting the case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

An indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District of Georgia charging two Honduran nationals with smuggling an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) into the United States using a stolen identity and then submitting a fraudulent sponsorship application to gain custody of the child. The defendants were residing illegally in the United States at the time the alleged crimes were committed.

“This indictment alleges a disturbing scheme where two individuals who were in this country illegally lured a young girl to the United States, gave her a false identity and tried to fraudulently gain custody of her through the Office of Refugee Resettlement,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Government programs designed to afford protection cannot become tools for exploitation – especially of children. The Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Alpha will find those who deceive the government to gain access to vulnerable children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Through coordinated lies and deception, two illegal aliens smuggled a child into our country to facilitate the exploitation of a 15-year-old child by a 30-year-old man,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “As a result of unwavering law enforcement dedication, the child has been removed from a predatory situation, and the deceitful duo who trafficked her will be held accountable for their crimes.”

“Defrauding a program designed to protect vulnerable children and attempting to manipulate the sponsorship process is a serious crime that will not be tolerated,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These programs are intended to ensure the safety and well-being of children in need and must never be misused for personal gain. Working with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will aggressively pursue those who undermine these protections and bring them to justice.”

According to court documents, Luis Adolfo Mendoza Fonseca, 30, of Raleigh, North Carolina, allegedly met the UAC – a then-15-year-old Nicaraguan girl – online in the spring of 2024 and began a romantic relationship with her. Mendoza Fonseca then encouraged and paid for the child to leave her home in Nicaragua and travel to the United States using the identity of another minor, a purported Honduran national. Rosmery Yamibel Castillo Fonseca, 25, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, coached the child to tell immigration authorities that Castillo Fonseca was her cousin. After the UAC crossed into the United States at the Texas border, Castillo Fonseca submitted a sponsorship application to the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), falsely claiming the child was her Honduran cousin. Both Mendoza Fonseca and Castillo Fonseca ultimately admitted to staff of an HHS-funded care provider that the UAC was not the person identified in the sponsorship application, and that Mendoza Fonseca had a romantic online relationship with the UAC.

Mendoza Fonseca and Castillo Fonseca are charged with one count of conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States, one count of aiding and abetting the encouragement and inducement of an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain, and one count of aiding and abetting making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting the encouragement and inducement of an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for making a false statement.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and HHS-OIG are investigating the case. HSI’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking in Washington, D.C., and ORR provided valuable assistance.

Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) Trial Attorney Aaron Jennen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by JTFA, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 440 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 390 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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 other transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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

ATLANTA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia collected over $35 million in civil and criminal penalties and forfeited nearly $8 million of assets during Fiscal Year 2025, which ended on September 30, 2025.

“These collections and forfeitures underscore my office’s dedication to securing financial justice for victims and the public,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We and our law enforcement partners will aggressively use all available legal means to hold wrongdoers accountable, compensate crime victims, and protect the public fisc by collecting debts owed to the government.”

Defendants who commit certain crimes must pay restitution to the victims of those crimes. Criminal defendants also must pay criminal fines and assessments, which go to the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund. This fund distributes the monies to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. During Fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collected over $17 million in restitution, fines, and/or assessments imposed against defendants in criminal cases.

In affirmative civil enforcement cases, the United States sues individuals and/or corporations to recover government monies lost to fraud or other misconduct, or to collect fines imposed for non-criminal violations of federal law. This office collected over $18 million through affirmative civil enforcement cases.

This office also worked with other Department of Justice components to jointly collect an additional $34 million in civil and criminal cases.         

In addition, this office’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section used civil and criminal forfeiture tools to deprive wrongdoers of their ill-gotten gains and divest them of the property used to facilitate their crimes. Specifically, in Fiscal Year 2025, this office forfeited more than $4.5 million in criminal cases and over $1.5 million in civil forfeiture cases. This office also worked with its federal law enforcement partners to forfeit an additional $1.8 million through nonjudicial forfeiture processes.

The Department of Justice uses forfeited property to compensate crime victims, to share with federal, state and local law enforcement partners and for a variety of other law enforcement purposes. In Fiscal Year 2025, more than $3 million was returned to crime victims and over $5 million was shared with law enforcement agencies.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. - William Eric Cooper has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to produce sexually explicit images. 

“Cooper is a predator who deserves this significant sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through quick and excellent work, our law enforcement partners rescued an exploited child, exposed Cooper’s deviant conduct, and brought a sex offender to justice.”

“William Cooper is a dangerous predator who attempted to exploit a vulnerable child,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Georgia. “Thanks to swift law enforcement action, we ensured that he will face the full consequences of his horrific actions.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: In February 2025, FBI agents in North Carolina rescued a 15-year-old girl who had been abducted and raped. The FBI’s investigation revealed that, prior to her kidnapping, the minor child and Cooper exchanged more than 1,000 text messages in which Cooper discussed plans to meet the girl for sex and encouraged her to create sexually explicit videos of herself to send to him. After arresting Cooper and searching his home in March 2025, agents found more than 250 images and videos depicting child sex abuse on his cell phone. 

At the time of his offense, Cooper was employed by the Georgia National Guard. Following his arrest, he was separated from the military with an Other than Honorable discharge. 

William Eric Cooper, 46, of Adairsville, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II to ten years in federal prison, ten years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Cooper was convicted of attempted enticement of a child on August 25, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.

U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin A. Leipold, III prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. - Jauan Rashun Porter has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for transmitting threats to kill the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. 

 “Threatening to kill the President of the United States is an abhorrent crime that cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Because the Constitution affords no protection to political violence, we will continue to work closely with our federal partners to identify and prosecute criminals who make such threats.”

“When free speech devolves into threats against the President of the United States or any of our protectees, you can expect the United States Secret Service to bring those criminals to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, Robert Donovan.   “We appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as our local law enforcement partners for their assistance in this case.”  

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On July 26, 2025, Porter joined a TikTok livestream about President Trump captioned “Alligator Alcatraz,” commenting: “So there’s only one way to make America great and that is putting a bullet in between Trump’s eyes.”

Over the next few minutes, Porter further stated:

• “I’m gonna kill Donald Trump. I’m gonna put a 7.62 bullet inside his forehead.”
• “I’m gonna watch him bleed out and I’m gonna watch him die.”
• “It’ll be on the news . . . his rally is coming up pretty soon and I’m going there and I’m going to put a bullet in his head.”
• “I’mma load up a rifle [and] sit inside . . . an abandoned building . . . and when he approaches the rally . . . I’m gonna put one . . . if not the face then . . . in his chest.”

When asked by the livestream host about federal agents coming to his door, Porter stated, “I’m gonna kill them too . . . and then kill myself[.]”

During the investigation, U.S. Secret Service agents, Floyd County police officers, and State of Georgia probation officers conducted searches of Porter’s apartment and found two pipes, pistol ammunition, and Tannerite (an explosive). They did not locate a gun.

Porter has multiple prior felony convictions in Floyd County, including for terroristic threats and acts in 2018 and 2019, influencing a witness in 2019, and unlawful act of violence in a penal institution in 2023. He is currently on probation for a 2023 conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and battery domestic violence.

Jauan Rashun Porter, 30, of Rome, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II to three years and five months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Porter was convicted on October 7, 2025, after he pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threats. Porter was detained in this case on August 8, 2025. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. The Floyd County Police Department, Floyd County District Attorney’s Office, and Troup County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. - Mario Merriweather, a repeat offender with a 30-year criminal history, has been sentenced to federal prison for robbing a fast-food restaurant in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and forcing restaurant staff into a walk-in freezer.

“Undeterred by multiple stints in state prison, Merriweather repeatedly terrorized victims who were simply trying to go about their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “His most recent attack on a Burger King restaurant has resulted in a significant sentence that demonstrates that criminals who try to ‘have it their way’ by robbing citizens in this District will be held accountable and removed from the community.”

“No one should ever be terrorized physically or emotionally, like the victims in these violent armed robberies were,” said Mitchell Jackson, Special Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Georgia’s Cartersville office. “The FBI is proud to work with our local law enforcement partners in helping to convict these repeat offenders at the federal level, where they face stiffer penalties and no opportunity for parole.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On October 26, 2023, Merriweather entered a Burger King restaurant just two miles south of the Tennessee-Georgia state line and brandished what appeared to be a pistol. He ordered one employee to empty the register and ordered all the employees into a walk-in freezer. One employee used his foot to stop the freezer from locking, and another employee immediately called 911. 

One of the employees who escaped from the freezer was lawfully armed and chased Merriweather outside. When Merriweather turned and pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the employee, the employee fired two shots at Merriweather but did not hit him. Merriweather fled but passed out next to his vehicle. Responding officers found Merriweather flat on his back in the road near an air pistol and also recovered a Burger King bag stuffed with cash. 

Merriweather has a long history of prior robberies, including convictions for robbing a Wendy’s and a Burger King in 2001, robbing two people in 2005, and robbing two banks in 2013. 

Merriweather was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II to 11 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Merriweather was convicted on charges of interference with interstate commerce by robbery on August 14, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin A. Leipold, III prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Valentina Forero Álvarez has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Forero Álvarez led a sophisticated transnational criminal organization responsible for laundering more than $31 million in illegal narcotics proceeds through the United States financial system.

“Forero Álvarez presided over an international network that exploited our financial system to launder millions of dollars of drug proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Narco-terrorists and their associates who believe they can hide their crimes through complex laundering schemes or residency abroad will be found, brought to the United States, prosecuted, and held accountable.”

“This case demonstrates the relentless commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that threaten the integrity of our financial system and the safety of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “The successful disruption of this sophisticated money laundering network was the result of outstanding collaboration between HSI, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Together, we will continue to pursue those who seek to profit from illegal narcotics and ensure they are brought to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Valentina Forero Álvarez directed a network of couriers who traveled from Colombia and laundered proceeds of illegal narcotics sales through the United States banking system.

As part of the criminal operation, Forero Álvarez instructed non-citizens—primarily from Colombia—to travel to the United States on tourist visas, conduct multiple pickups of bulk cash in cities across the country, and deposit the money into bank accounts held in the names of shell companies or U.S.-based businesses operating in the unregulated currency exchange market.

The couriers, at the direction of Forero Álvarez and her associates, made counter deposits into bank accounts while in Georgia and at least 14 other states, including Michigan, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

During the investigation, agents seized more than $4.8 million of suspected drug money. Agents also determined that accounts opened by Forero Álvarez’s couriers received more than $31 million in cash deposits, including approximately $2.9 million deposited in the Northern District of Georgia.

Valentina Forero Álvarez, 33, of Armenia, Colombia, pleaded guilty on February 9, 2026. She remains in federal custody and will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg at a later date. Her conviction carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to twice the value of the laundered funds, up to three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of property involved in the offense.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Brown and Nicholas L. Evert are prosecuting the case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Dexter L. Sharper, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, was charged today with making false statements to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars of emergency pandemic unemployment assistance payments. 

“While many of his constituents and fellow citizens were losing jobs and desperately needed unemployment assistance during the pandemic, Representative Sharper allegedly pretended to be out of work to collect a share of unemployment benefits for himself,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “When government officials lie to take money, and do it while holding an elected office, it violates the trust of citizens and weakens faith in our elected government.”

“These charges point to some disgraceful conduct at the highest level, which should shock and repulse every citizen”, said Georgia State Inspector General Nigel Lange. “The alleged activities describe a disgusting abuse by an elected official who appeared to trade his integrity for money destined for those in need. Shameful.” 

“Dexter L. Sharper, while serving as an elected member of the Georgia House of Representatives, is alleged to have unlawfully enriched himself by improperly obtaining taxpayer funds from the unemployment insurance program intended to assist American workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “These charges reflect allegations, and the case will be resolved through the judicial process. We will continue our efforts to investigate and pursue accountability for those who are charged with defrauding taxpayers by exploiting Department of Labor programs.”

“Nobody is above the law, including elected officials,” said FBI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Peter Ellis. “Those who violate the public trust and steal from taxpayers to fill their own pockets will be held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2020, in response to the forced closures of businesses and unprecedented economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, the U.S. Congress created special unemployment compensation programs to provide cash assistance to individuals who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Applicants had to provide a certification for every week for which they wished to claim benefits, attesting to whether they were actively seeking work for the week and the reason they were unemployed.

Sharper, while serving as the Georgia State Representative for District 177, which includes portions of Lowndes County, allegedly applied for unemployment assistance benefits for April 2020 through May 2021. In his initial application, he stated that he had only one employer, Dexter Sharper Party Rental, which had employed him for 40 hours per week for over seven years, but had not worked since March 13, 2020. Then, in 38 separate weekly certifications, he stated that had not worked or earned any wages, was actively looking for work, and had not refused any work.

Contrary to those claims, Sharper was allegedly working and earning money from at least two—and sometimes three—jobs each week. He received at least $325 every week from the Georgia General Assembly for his position as Georgia State Representative. Sharper’s party rental business was operating and generating income of up to $2,231 of income per week. And Sharper was also collecting up to an additional $275 per week for work as a musician.

As a result of the allegedly false initial application and 38 subsequent certifications, Sharper collected a total of $13,825 of unemployment assistance benefits to which he was not entitled.

Dexter L. Sharper, 54, of Valdosta, Georgia, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard, on federal charges of making false statements to obtain funds administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Members of the public are reminded that the criminal information only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

Two other Georgia State Representatives were previously charged with similar pandemic unemployment assistance fraud:

• Karen L. Bennett, Georgia State Representative for District 94 until she resigned on January 1, 2026, pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026, to federal charges of making false statements in connection with receiving $13,940 of pandemic unemployment benefits.
• Sharon Henderson, Georgia State Representative for District 113, was federally indicted on December 2, 2025, for theft of government funds and making false statements in connection with receiving $17,811 of pandemic unemployment benefits.

This case is being investigated by the Georgia Office of the State Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Carl Delano Torjagbo, a/k/a Karl Lucius Delano has been sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison and ordered to forfeit millions of dollars in cash and property he obtained from a fraudulent $9.6 million Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan and filing fraudulent tax returns that generated a $3.4 million IRS refund.

“This defendant shamelessly defrauded the government out of $13 million in taxpayer money to fund his lavish lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through aggressive prosecution, my office will continue to ensure that anyone who abuses government relief programs and robs government coffers pays dearly for their crimes.”

“Carl Torjagbo’s fraudulent actions represent one of the largest single instances of PPP loan fraud,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “By fabricating a sham business and lying to steal millions, he blatantly exploited taxpayer dollars meant to help those in need. The FBI will relentlessly pursue criminals like Torjagbo who think they can profit at the public’s expense.”

“Torjagbo’s sentence sends a clear message to criminals that committing tax fraud and defrauding federal programs for personal gain ends with them being held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring that fraudsters face the full consequences of their actions.”

“This sentencing demonstrates the commitment of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to investigate and bring to justice those who victimize the American taxpayer,” said Joel Weaver, TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge. “Fraudulently applying for loans through a federal program meant to assist Americans in need will be met with aggressive investigation and prosecution.  I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their commitment to this goal.”
 

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and information presented at trial and sentencing: On February 13, 2021, Torjagbo submitted individual tax returns to the IRS using different social security numbers and dates of birth. The tax returns falsely stated that Torjagbo paid more than $3 million in tax withholdings and reported bogus losses for Kremkov Industries, Torjagbo’s purported gold mining business in Ghana. The false representations resulted in a U.S. Treasury check being issued to Torjagbo in the amount of $3,366,240.76. 

Just days later, on February 16, 2021, Torjagbo signed a PPP loan application requesting a loan in the amount of $9,554,425. In doing so, Torjagbo falsely certified that Kremkov Industries was in operation on February 15, 2020, had 493 employees who principally resided in the U.S., and had an average monthly payroll of nearly $4 million. To support the application, he submitted phony tax documents and payroll records that identified nearly a dozen celebrities and fictional characters as Kremkov employees, including Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Charlie Brown, Nancy Drew, John Snow, and Emilia Clarke. As a result of Torjagbo’s false and fraudulent representations, a bank transferred $9,554,425 in PPP loan proceeds to Torjagbo’s custody. Torjagbo used those funds to pay personal debts and expenses, purchase a Marietta mansion, and buy luxury items. 

On July 25, 2025, a jury convicted Torjagbo of one count of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of money laundering. 

On January 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown sentenced Carl Delano Torjagbo, a/k/a Karl Lucius Delano, 50, of Marietta, Georgia, to 14 years, seven months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Brown also ordered Torjagbo to pay at least $3,366,240.76 of restitution and to forfeit property and proceeds obtained as a result of the frauds, including:

• a personal money judgment in the amount of $4,615,080.75;
• more than $1.75 million seized from Torjagbo’s bank accounts;
• a Marietta residence purchased for approximately $1.7 million;
• a 2022 BMW M850xi, a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Velar purchased for more than $500,000 collectively; and
• land in Cartersville and Acworth, Georgia purchased for more than $241,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General provided considerable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly K. Connors and Nicholas L. Evert prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA — Lucio Hernandez-Mora and Sandra Bejarano-Garcia, illegal aliens from Mexico, have been sentenced to federal prison for laundering over one million dollars in drug proceeds. Hernandez-Mora was also sentenced for possessing two firearms as an illegal alien.                                                              

“Drug traffickers enrich themselves, and the narco-terrorist cartels that supply them, by spreading poison in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through the newly formed Homeland Security Task Force, the Department of Justice is employing every resource to identify, arrest and prosecute criminals who participate in the deadly drug trade. The sentences imposed on these illegal aliens who were entrusted with enormous amounts of cash and responsible for moving that money for cartel bosses send a strong message that anyone who supports drug trafficking will face significant punishment.”

“This case highlights the importance of targeting the financial infrastructure that supports drug trafficking organizations,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Laundering criminal proceeds allows these organizations to operate, recruit, and expand. Through close coordination with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, the DEA will continue to identify and dismantle the financial networks that enable these dangerous criminal operations.”

“This case underscores the critical importance of interagency collaboration in combating drug-related crimes. The partnership between the DEA and ATF has proven essential in dismantling the financial networks that support drug trafficking. Together, we will ensure that those who exploit our communities for profit face the full force of the law,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On December 9, 2024, Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia delivered $674,905 in bulk-cash drug proceeds to co-conspirators in College Park, Georgia. Then, on February 25, 2025, Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia delivered $480,000 in bulk-cash drug proceeds to co-conspirators in Riverdale, Georgia. 

On April 1, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendants’ residence and located an additional $217,810 in drug proceeds. Agents also found two firearms that Hernandez-Mora purchased unlawfully. The investigation revealed that both Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia are illegal aliens from Mexico.

Earlier today, Sandra Bejarano-Garcia, 42, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert to four years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Bejarano-Garcia was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, after she pleaded guilty on September 30, 2025.

On January 21, 2026, Judge Calvert sentenced Lucio Hernandez-Mora, 45, of Guerrero, Mexico, to three years and ten months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Hernandez-Mora was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and possessing firearms as an illegal alien, after he pleaded guilty on August 27, 2025. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with valuable assistance provided by the Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Hall prosecuted the case.

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

These prosecutions are also 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Arthritis & Rheumatology Center, P.C. (“ARC”) and its owner, Jatin Patel, M.D., will pay $2.18 million to settle allegations that ARC used medical assistants to perform infusion services in violation of Georgia law and submitted claims for those services to Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act.                                                                                                                   

“Physicians who disregard state and federal law by allowing unqualified individuals to perform unauthorized medical services place patients in needless danger,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will hold accountable those who participate in federal healthcare programs but seek to enrich themselves by not following the rules.”

An investigation into Dr. Patel and his practice began when an ARC employee filed a whistleblower complaint alleging ARC improperly used unlicensed medical assistants to infuse powerful chemotherapy medications into ARC’s patients, even though Georgia regulations prohibit such conduct. The Medicare program does not pay for services rendered in violation of state law. Accordingly, the whistleblower alleged that ARC’s conduct resulted in the submission of false claims to Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq.

This civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia by former ARC employee Phillips Allender (the Relator) under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, U.S. ex rel. Allender v. Arthritis & Rheumatology Center, P.C. and Jatin Patel, M.D., No. 1:21-cv-4530-MLB. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may bring suit for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. The Relator will receive $414,200 from the settlement.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Nugent.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Adam Benjamin Hall was arrested and appeared in federal court today on a federal charge of traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to kill then-President of the United States Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 

“Threats against the President are gravely serious and must be treated as such,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Hall’s alleged actions went beyond mere words and included traveling to Georgia with a firearm to murder President Biden. Political violence is never acceptable and must be countered by swift intervention and meaningful consequences.”

“Our highest priority is protecting the President of the United States, and every potential threat is treated with the utmost seriousness,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Donovan of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “Our agents, working in close coordination with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, worked tirelessly to advance this investigation. Hall’s arrest is representative of the effectiveness of our combined efforts to safeguard our nation’s leadership.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on June 27, 2024, Adam Benjamin Hall allegedly drove from Alabama to Atlanta planning to sneak into the presidential debate hosted by CNN that evening so he could kill then-President Biden. A screenshot of a map allegedly found on Hall’s phone contained a location marker indicating that the phone was three blocks from the debate site approximately 28 minutes before the debate’s scheduled start time (when adjusted to local time).

Hall’s phone also allegedly contained a note that Hall termed his “exposé” or “manifesto.” The note was addressed “[t]o all the Palestinian journalists . . . and in remembrance of the ones who lost their lives along the way.” It further stated in part:

• “Hopefully my actions snap you all awake long enough to thoroughly understand the point I will make in this exposé.”
• “Our enemies are not in any other country but our own and Israel’s.”
• “It’s time we overthrow these bastards and threaten to pull a f--king D-Day on Tel Aviv . . . .”
• “On the week of July 4th, forget your f--king barbecues and pool parties. Instead do the patriotic thing by marching on Capitol Hill, the White House, and the Supreme Court armed with whatever you have . . . . Unless the feds shoot first, you must not engage. If they are unwilling to comply after a few hours, then I permit you to march into those buildings and do what is necessary to regain control of our country from the deep state.”

Hall’s manifesto concluded “Free Palestine” next to an emoji of the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority.

Adam Benjamin Hall, 23, of Crane Hill, Alabama, was charged by a criminal complaint on January 26, 2026, with interstate stalking. He was arrested today and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Staci G. Cornelius in federal court. Notwithstanding Hall’s arrest, the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed later.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Atlanta – Jackelyne Marroquin has pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute over 760 pounds of methamphetamine and harboring illegal aliens to facilitate the drug trafficking operation.

“Marroquin harbored illegal aliens to operate a metro-Atlanta drug distribution ring,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of unwavering law enforcement dedication, this insidious trafficking network has been dismantled, and well over a million dollars’ worth of lethal drugs have been removed from our streets. The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will continue to protect the public by ensuring North Georgia is never a haven for criminal cartels.”

“Today’s guilty plea reinforces that DEA will not tolerate drug traffickers,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Those who fuel the drug trade while putting communities and vulnerable individuals at risk will face serious consequences.”

“Jackelyne Marroquin trafficked illicit drugs and utilized illegal aliens in the furtherance of that crime,” said John B. Stevens, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal. “The U.S. Marshals, along with our partners in the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, will never stop our pursuit of criminals. The mission of enhancing public safety is vital, and we are honored that it is our responsibility. No matter how long a criminal runs, we will find them, and they will pay.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In March of 2024, Marroquin rented a home in Stone Mountain, Georgia that was used by a drug trafficking organization to store and distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that the methamphetamine was imported from Mexico in bags of charcoal. During the investigation, agents found buckets of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) at multiple stash houses used by the organization, including the Stone Mountain stash house. MSM is a dietary supplement drug traffickers use to “cut” or mix with methamphetamine to maximize profits. 

On April 2, 2024, the DEA and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Stone Mountain residence. Inside of the residence, law enforcement found approximately 760 pounds of 99 percent pure methamphetamine, with a street value of between $1,450,000 and $1,900,000. Agents discovered that two illegal aliens from Mexico, Jonathan Guzman Esquivel and Alfonso Calderon-Rodriguez, had been living at and trafficking drugs from the residence, the inside of which was sparsely furnished and covered with charcoal dust. The investigation revealed that Marroquin had provided the two illegal aliens with the use of her rented residence as well as money for expenses.

Sentencing for Jackelyne Marroquin, 33, of Carrollton, Georgia, is scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Jonathan Guzman Esquivel, 34, and Alfonso Calderon-Rodriguez, 30, both of Uruapan, Mexico, previously pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and were each sentenced in the fall of 2024 to serve five years and ten months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, with valuable assistance provided by the DeKalb County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Unit and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew LaGrone is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy M. Palumbo.

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.

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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga

ATLANTA – Jacques Jackson, who raped three teenage girls he met on Instagram, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.                                                                                                               

“Our community is safer today because law enforcement agencies from around the country collaborated to put an irrepressible sexual predator in prison for a quarter century,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This case is an important reminder that social media is often an abuser’s preferred means to manipulate, exploit, and victimize unsuspecting children. I urge parents to monitor their kids’ online activity vigilantly.”

“Jacques Jackson’s actions were reprehensible and justice was served,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This predator exploited social media to devastate vulnerable minors, and we will not tolerate such abuse. The FBI, in partnership with local law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue those who prey on our children.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Law enforcement first encountered Jackson in Decatur, Georgia in August 2018, after DeKalb County police officers rescued one of his victims, a 15-year-old girl. Jackson and the minor were at a grocery store when the minor, with the help of a bystander, got the attention of a police officer. Jackson was arrested and confessed to meeting the minor on Instagram, knowing she was 15, blackmailing her to coerce her to meet him out of state, punching her, destroying her cell phone, and having sex with her multiple times. Although officers arrested him then, Jackson was released on bond approximately six months later.

On October 1, 2021, the Elberton, Georgia, Police Department received a report concerning a missing 15-year-old girl. Investigators learned that the missing girl had used her younger brother’s phone to communicate with Jackson. They discovered that Jackson and the minor exchanged sexually explicit videos with each other. On October 5, the minor returned to her family and explained that, after she met Jackson on Instagram, Jackson sent an Uber for the minor and they stayed at a motel where Jackson had sex with her multiple times, knowing she was 15.

Over several months, the FBI tried to find Jackson. In June 2022, agents learned that Jackson was on a Greyhound bus headed west from Atlanta. On June 8, 2022, local law enforcement arrested Jackson at a bus station in Big Spring, Texas. Jackson had a gun and $3,500 cash, and he was accompanied by a runaway child. The child disclosed to investigators that she met Jackson on Instagram and told him she was 16, that they had sex several times at an Atlanta area hotel, and that Jackson recorded a video of them having sex at least once.

The investigation also revealed that Jackson was linked to an unsolved July 2015 forcible rape of a 15-year-old girl in Atlanta. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, DNA samples collected from the victim in 2015 matched a DNA sample taken from Jackson following his arrest in 2018.

On January 23, 2026, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. sentenced Jacques Jackson, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. On May 8, 2025, Jackson pled guilty to one count of interstate transportation of a minor to engage in unlawful sex and two counts of enticing minors to engage in unlawful sex. Jackson has been in custody since his arrest in June 2022.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with valuable assistance from the DeKalb County Police Department, Baton Rouge (LA) Police Department, Big Spring (TX) Police Department, Elberton (GA) Police Department, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise K. Peters prosecuted this case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Atlanta – Juan Carlos Solano Lorenzo and Jorge Luis Ramirez Bibiano, both illegal aliens from Mexico, appeared in federal court earlier today on charges related to their alleged distribution of methamphetamine and illegal possession of a loaded pistol.

“Quick work by our law enforcement partners disrupted this drug trafficking enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Agents seized large quantities of drugs, a firearm, and subsequently arrested the two defendants who are in our country illegally and will face justice here.”

“As part of the DEA’s Fentanyl-Free America initiative, DEA and our state and local partners are united in sending a clear message: trafficking dangerous drugs and carrying firearms will not be tolerated,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These arrests demonstrate our continued commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations and preventing the violence they bring into our communities.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: DEA agents learned that Solano Lorenzo and Ramirez Bibiano were allegedly distributing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the metro-Atlanta area and operating their drug trafficking enterprise out of an apartment near Piedmont Park.

On January 21, 2026, agents executed a federal search warrant at the apartment and located approximately 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, 22 “M30” pills suspected to contain fentanyl, and a loaded firearm that was next to Ramirez Bibiano’s wallet. The investigation further revealed that both Solano Lorenzo and Ramirez Bibiano are citizens of Mexico and illegally present in the United States.

Earlier today, Juan Carlos Solano Lorenzo, 30, of Guerrero, Mexico, appeared before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Jorge Luis Ramirez Bibiano, 28, of Guerrero, Mexico, appeared before Magistrate Judge Vineyard on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

Both defendants have been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime Task Force Narcotics Unit, the Georgia State Patrol, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Atlanta Police Department.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl is prosecuting the case.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.