Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS – WELLINGTON BROWN (“BROWN”), age 53, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 21, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Anna St. John, to providing a false statement to a federal agency, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Sentencing is set for August 27, 2026.

According to court documents, BROWN provided a materially false statement to the Small Business Administration in an application to obtain a government sponsored loan designed to assist small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation revealed BROWN submitted several fraudulent SBA loan and loan forgiveness applications in 2021 and included false and fraudulent tax documents in support of these filings. The investigation confirmed that BROWN is responsible for a total loss of approximately $123,771.79.

The maximum penalty for false statements to a federal agency is five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney, Richard R. Pickens, II, of the financial crimes unit, is in charge of the prosecution.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that on May 13, 2026, BENJAMIN HOLMES, (“HOLMES”) a Bogalusa resident, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance to 240 months imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release.

This sentence came after HOLMES was found guilty by a jury last year, of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of  Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846, one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and an amount of marijuana, in violation of  Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(D), one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 856(a).

According to the evidence at trial, HOLMES utilized his Bogalusa residence to store illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and marijuana, and firearms, in addition to working with others at this location to sell fentanyl and marijuana. During a September 2023 search of this residence, law enforcement officials seized four firearms and over 300 grams of fentanyl. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisiana State Police, and the Bogalusa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stuart Theriot and Lynn E. Schiffman, both of the Narcotics Unit, were in charge of the prosecution.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DWAYNE WEST (“WEST”), age 24, was sentenced on May 21, 2026, to one year of probation and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. 

WEST previously plead guilty to unlawfully delaying, opening and destroying mail in his possession, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1703(a). 

According to court documents, WEST, unlawfully delayed, opened and destroyed mail which had come into his possession while he was employed as a Postal Service employee.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS - KENDRICK WHITE, SR. (“WHITE”) age 43, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 26, 2026, before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion to committing sexual abuse, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2242(3), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, WHITE and three relatives, two of whom were minors, traveled on a commercial cruise ship that departed out of New Orleans on November 18, 2023, and returned on November 22, 2023. Minor Victim, a female born in or around January 2008 (who was fifteen years old at the time), was also a passenger on the cruise. While aboard the vessel, Minor Victim met two of WHITE’s minor-aged relatives.   

While the boat was in international waters, on or about November 22, 2023, WHITE approached Minor Victim and told her that one of his minor-aged relatives was in his cabin and wanted to see Minor Victim. WHITE brought Minor Victim to the cabin and then instructed his minor-aged relative and Minor Victim to engage in sexual intercourse. Both declined. WHITE then brought Minor Victim into the hallway and offered to pay Minor Victim to take his minor-aged relative’s virginity. When Minor Victim refused, WHITE pulled at Minor Victim’s waist band and looked down her pants. Minor Victim pushed WHITE’s hand away, at which point WHITE proceeded to put his hand down Minor Victim’s pants and into her underwear. 

After WHITE pulled his hand out of Minor Victim’s pants, he pushed Minor Victim into the cabin, pulled down Minor Victim’s pants, and ordered his minor-aged relative to take off his pants. WHITE then proceeded to perform a series of sexual acts on Minor Victim and forced Minor Victim to perform various sexual acts on WHITE and WHITE’s minor-aged relative. 

WHITE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years. WHITE also faces a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and can be required to register as a sex offender. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Criminal Division, is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LESHAWN PARKER (“PARKER”) was sentenced by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance on May 13, 2026, to serve a total of 60 months in federal prison, after pleading guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. This 60-month sentence was ordered to be served consecutive to the 37 months sentence that Parker received earlier this year from United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo for the revocation of a previous term of Supervised Release, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

PARKER had previously been convicted by a jury following a 1999 trial, in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base and Cocaine Hydrochloride, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, and for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). Evidence at that trial proved that he was part of a violent street gang known as the Seventh Ward Soldiers. This gang was responsible for several drug related murders and shootings in New Orleans. After being convicted, PARKER was sentenced to life in prison as to the drug conspiracy charge and a consecutive 60-month sentence for the firearm violation. He was also sentenced to serve 60 months of supervised release. 

In 2021 his life sentence for Count 1 was reduced to 220 months pursuant to the First Step Act. His 60-month consecutive sentence was not disturbed. Parker was released from federal custody on December 1, 2021.

In his most recent case, on January 10, 2023, PARKER was arrested by members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) after officers observed him in possession of a firearm. PARKER initially fled on foot from the officers and discarded his firearm over the fence onto the practice field of St. Augustine High School. The incident was captured on the officer’s body worn camera, and the firearm was recovered. PARKER was initially booked on state charges but made bond shortly thereafter.

On May 3, 2024, PARKER was once again arrested by NOPD officers after he refused to pull his car over on a traffic violation. While resisting arrest, officers observed a gun on the floorboard of PARKER’S vehicle. A search incident to arrest revealed that PARKER was also in possession of several rocks of crack cocaine and several hundred dollars in small bills. PARKER admitted to having the intent to distribute the cocaine.

Federal prosecutors adopted both January 10, 2023, and May 3, 2024, state charges and charged PARKER in Federal Court.

This case was investigated by Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (A.T.F.) and members of the New Orleans Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu of the Violent Crime Unit.

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.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOVANTE MATTHEWS, (“MATTHEWS “), age 30, of New Orleans, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance on May 13, 2026 to serve a total of 350 months in federal prison, after being found guilty by a jury of Carjacking, Using a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, Being an Armed Career Criminal, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and being an Armed Career Criminal, due to his three previous convictions for crimes of violence, a fact that enhanced his sentence further.

MATTHEWS was also sentenced to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

At around noon on April 3, 2024, MATTHEWS approached two contractors who were renovating a house in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans. He produced a semi-automatic handgun and put it to the head of one of the victims and demanded his keys and wallet. The victims complied and MATTHEWS drove off in their work truck, a Ford F-350 truck that belonged to a construction company. The victims called 911 and reported the incident. Officers with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) arrived on the scene and  obtained a security camera video from  neighbors. This video showed the perpetrator, who was wearing distinctive clothing, walking up to the truck and the victims, but did not capture the actual robbery. NOPD officers also put out a bulletin on the stolen truck. Approximately one hour and 15 minutes later, two Levee Board police officers observed the truck in the Gentilly neighborhood near Lake Pontchartrain. When they attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed. As the truck sped through the intersection of Franklin Ave. and Mendez Street it collided with an 18-wheel truck, causing a massive crash. JOVANTE MATTHEWS was apprehended inside the stolen truck. He was found wearing the carjacking victim’s jacket and had the victim’s wallet in his back pocket. Police also located a semi-automatic firearm on the driver’s side floorboard of the truck. Officers also noted that MATTHEWS was wearing the same distinctive clothing that the perpetrator was wearing in the surveillance footage just prior to the carjacking. 

To prove that MATTHEWS fit the legal definition of being an Armed Career Criminal, federal prosecutors presented evidence to the jury at a sentencing hearing that MATTHEWS participated in an armed carjacking on May 16, 2022, an armed carjacking on May 18, 2022, and an armed robbery on May 18, 2022.

A review of Matthews criminal history revealed that on June 3, 2023, Matthews pled guilty in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to three counts of simple robbery and to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve five years in custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections for these state convictions but did not serve the full five years as he was arrested on this new federal carjacking charge on April 3, 2024. 

This case was investigated by Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (A.T.F.), members of the New Orleans Police Department, and the Levee Board Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu and Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARVALE WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 20, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 20, 2026, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, for possessing a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. WILLIAMS was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

According to court documents, on March 19, 2024, as part of an ongoing Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation, agents conducted surveillance at an apartment complex in New Orleans East. At that time, special agents observed a white Camry that was previously taken during an armed robbery/carjacking two months earlier. This same white Camry was used the day before in another crime, which FBI agents were also investigating. During the surveillance, the Camry circled around the side of the complex to leave. To prevent it from leaving, an agent blocked the Camry’s exit with his vehicle. Both the driver, Kenneth Jackson, and the passenger, DARVALE WILLIAMS, attempted to flee on foot. Both were apprehended by law enforcement shortly after exiting the vehicle. When WILLIAMS fled from the car, he left behind a loaded Romarm/Cugir Draco 7.62 millimeter rifle in the backseat. The Romarm/Cugir Draco rifle had been reported stolen on December 26, 2022, during a home robbery. Jackson also possessed a stolen firearm.

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.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted out of the Violent Crime Unit by Assistant United States Attorneys Liz Privitera and Sarah Dawkins.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DAVID MOREL (“MOREL”), age 42, of New Orleans, pled guilty on May 19, 2026, to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. MOREL faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a term of supervised release of no less than five (5) years and up to life, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. 

According to the bill of information, beginning at an unknown time, and until on or about October 20, 2025, MOREL was found in possession of images of pre-pubescent child pornography. MOREL’s home was searched by state law enforcement officials and federal agents on October 20, 2025. MOREL was arrested during the execution of the search warrant by Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents, after they found him in possession of electronic devices containing media depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. Through a partnership between state and federal authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office adopted the state charges and is now prosecuting MOREL in federal court. MOREL is currently being held without bail in federal custody. MOREL was previously convicted in federal court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2016 for Possessing Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors and was sentenced to one-hundred twenty (120) months in prison. 

Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for August 25, 2026, before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – COREY TOLIVER, a/k/a “Woog” (“TOLIVER”) age 46, a Texas resident, was sentenced on May 19, 2026, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams or more of cocaine. TOLIVER was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment, eight years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, in April 2025, TOLIVER transported and possessed approximately two (2) kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute them into, and within, the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JEREMIAH MILLS, (“MILLS”), age 28, was sentenced on May 12, 2026, by Chief United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to a four-count indictment. Count One charged MILLS with Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a). Count Two charged MILLS with discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(iii). Count Three charged MILLS with attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a). Count Four charged MILLS with felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

MILLS was sentenced to 240 months as to Counts One, Two, Three and Four. This term of imprisonment consists of 120 months as to each of Counts One, Three and Four, to be served concurrently with each other, and a term of 120 months as to Count Two, to be served consecutively to the term of imprisonment imposed for Counts One, Three and Four. MILLS also received three years of supervised release as to all four counts, with all terms to be served concurrently with each other. He also was ordered to pay a $400 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court records, on July 17, 2025, at approximately 4:32 a.m., MILLS entered the Food Mart convenience store at a gas station located on South Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana. MILLS brandished a firearm, a Brigade BM-F9 Rifle at the employee, and shouted, “if you move, I will kill you.” MILLS then discharged the rifle, firing one round of ammunition into the ceiling. MILLS then pointed the rifle at the employee. and demanded he open the register. The employee then opened the cash register and began dropping money inside a clear garbage bag for MILLS. MILLS then went behind the counter and began removing cigarettes and cigars. MILLS then removed two firearms, a Taurus 357 Magnum Revolver and a Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum Revolver from underneath the counter near the cash register. After obtaining the firearms, MILLS went back to the front door, retrieved his brown book bag, and fled the store towards Washington Avenue.

On July 20, 2025, at around 6:00 a.m., New Orleans police officers (NOPD) responded to a suspicious person incident at the Food Mart. Upon arrival, the same employee explained that the same suspect who committed the armed robbery at the Food Mart on July 17, 2025, had returned to the location, but the employee locked the door before the suspect could enter.

On July 20, 2025, at around 11:00 a.m., an NOPD detective conducting surveillance of MILLS’ New Orleans residence, observed MILLS pick up a package off his porch. The detective immediately recognized the man as MILLS. After obtaining a search warrant for the residence, NOPD conducted a callout over an intercom. After about two hours, MILLS exited the residence and was taken into custody. During a search of the residence, NOPD located the clothes that MILLS wore during the robbery, a brown backpack, cigars, cigarettes, cash, a Brigade BM-F9 Rifle, a Taurus 357 Magnum Revolver, and a Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum Revolver.

MILLS admits that he knowingly possessed the Brigade BM-F9 Rifle, the Taurus 357 Magnum Revolver, and the Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum Revolver, even though he was a convicted felon in Orleans Parish.

United States Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.

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.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TEVIN BORNES (“BORNES”), age 32, was sentenced on May 13, 2026, by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to 160 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

BORNES previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, and quantities of cocaine and cocaine base, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C), possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A)(i), possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(o), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, law enforcement searched BORNES’ apartment on July 31, 2023 and seized 12.5 grams of marijuana, 47.74 grams of pure crystal methamphetamine, 9.75 grams of cocaine base, 137.22 grams of methamphetamine, 14.5 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, and 4 firearms, including: a Glock Model 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, equipped with a machinegun conversion device, a Pioneer Arms Model Sporter, 7.62 millimeter caliber semi-automatic rifle, a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a Del-Ton DTI-15, 5.56 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Kenner Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit oversees the prosecution.

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.

-Updated May 20, 2026

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –YOVANI ALEXANDER CANU-GONZALEZ (“CANU-GONZALEZ”), age 25, a citizen of Guatemala was sentenced on May 13, 2026, by United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, after previously pleading guilty to re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8 United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

CANU-GONZALEZ was sentenced to time served, one-year of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court records, YOVANI ALEXANDER CANU-GONZALEZ reentered the United States on or about July 29, 2024, after having been previously removed on or about May 24, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced today that NERI OSBELI ARGUETA-CHUN (“ARGUETA-CHUN”), age 33, a native of Guatemala, pleaded guilty on May 14, 2026 for illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a) and Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(b)(1). His sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown on September 3, 2026.

According to the charging document, ARGUETA-CHUN, reentered the United States after being previously deported on October 31, 2018. On March 27, 2025, United States Border Patrol agents, performing targeted enforcement operations in Terrytown, Louisiana, determined that ARGUETA-CHUN, a previously deported Guatemalan national, was residing in Terrytown. During the enforcement operation, a Border Patrol Agent approached the driver of a vehicle. After identifying himself as a Border Patrol Agent, the driver, later identified as NERI OSBELI ARGUETA-CHUN, a Guatemalan citizen, admitted to being in the country illegally.

During processing, law enforcement discovered that ARGUETA-CHUN was a native and citizen of Guatemala who had no claim of United States citizenship or lawful immigration status. ARGUETA-CHUN stated he entered the United States unlawfully on or about May 10, 2021, near Laredo, Texas. Additionally, on or about May 9, 2013, ARGUETA-CHUN was arrested for being illegally in the United States after previously being ordered removed by an immigration judge. ARGUETA-CHUN had also been removed from the United States on three prior occasions.

Additionally, on or about September 11, 2018, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, ARGUETA-CHUN, was sentenced for illegal re-entry after deportation. Because of this felony conviction, the defendant’s sentence is subject to a maximum sentence of imprisonment of not more than 10 years, pursuant to Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(b)(1).

ARGUETA-CHUN faces up to two years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. However, because of his prior felony conviction, ARGUETA-CHUN also faces a sentencing enhancement of up to 10 years imprisonment.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. 

-Updated May 20, 2026

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –EMANUEL HARRIS (“HARRIS”), age 41, of Plattenville, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 14, 2026, by United States District Judge Brandon Long, after previously pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

HARRIS was sentenced to 40 months in prison, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court records, HARRIS arrived at New Orleans International Airport (MSY) on September 8, 2023, and checked his suitcase with United Airlines. After screening, the Transportation Security Administration searched HARRIS’s luggage and found a Zatarain’s Pro Boil container with the lid glued shut. Inside the container was a Ziploc bag wrapped in blue tape buried in the Pro Boil powder. The Ziploc bag contained 442.2 grams of methamphetamine, which included 375.8 grams of pure methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne.

NEW ORLEANS – JESSICA PORTWAY, age 42 of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY, age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO, age 25 of Jefferson Parish were sentenced on May 13, 2026 by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, after previously pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy, drug distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

TYLER SALADINO was sentenced to 48 months and three (3) years of supervised release as to Counts 1, 2, and 3. JESSICA PORTWAY was sentenced to thirty-seven (37) months as to Counts 1, 2, and 4 and three (3) years of supervised release. RACHEL PORTWAY was sentenced to time-served, three (3) years of supervised release and a 12-month period of home incarceration as to Counts 1, 2, and 3.

According to court documents, in August 2023, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) investigated an overdose death in Jefferson Parish that revealed SALADINO, RACHEL PORTWAY, JESSICA PORTWAY, and others, conspired to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. As part of the conspiracy, SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY sold pills containing fentanyl to the victim in Jefferson Parish. The investigation further revealed that RACHEL PORTWAY had obtained the pills from JESSICA PORTWAY in the weeks leading up to the transaction and that JESSICA PORTWAY had received the pills from another individual in California.

A search warrant was executed on SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY’S shared residence and additional pills were recovered. Testing by the JPSO Crime Laboratory confirmed the pills contained fentanyl. A search warrant was executed on JESSICA PORTWAY’S residence in LaPlace, Louisiana and law enforcement also recovered 26 doses of LSD, a quantity of methamphetamine, and a quantity of fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Briana Williams and Andre’ Jones of the Narcotics Unit. 

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JACOBO EDUARDO US-REAL (“US-REAL”), age 19, was sentenced on Thursday, May 7, 2026, by United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey, after previously pleading guilty to assaulting a federal officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 111(a)(1), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

US-REAL, who has been detained since his arrest on February 9, 2026, was sentenced to 5 months imprisonment. Once US-REAL has served his sentence, he will be deported.

According to court records, on January 14, 2026, three federal law enforcement officers of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) were conducting targeted enforcement operations in Metairie, Louisiana to apprehend removable aliens. The three ICE ERO officers are referred to herein as Officers 1, 2, and 3. Officer 1 is referred to as “M.O.V.” in the indictment.

While conducting these operations on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, Louisiana, Officer 1 observed a red Nissan Rogue occupied by three males pull into a parking space in the vicinity. Officer 1 observed the three males exit the vehicle and enter a nearby retail store. Officer 1 ran a computer check of the license plate on the Nissan Rogue and learned that the registered owner of the vehicle was the driver with a registration address in Kenner, Louisiana. Through further computer database checks of driver’s identifying information, Officer 1 learned that the driver is a Guatemalan citizen who was previously ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge in 2017.

Suspecting that the Nissan Rogue contained one or more aliens unlawfully present in the United States, the officers conducted a stop to determine the immigration status of the vehicle occupants. As the stop unfolded, the officers noticed the rear passenger side passenger abruptly exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. The officers continued with the stop, with the driver and the front passenger, later identified as US-REAL, remaining in the vehicle. During the stop, US-REAL unlocked the front passenger side door and Officer 2 removed US-REAL from the vehicle. Once out of the vehicle, US-REAL began struggling with Officer 2 in an attempt to flee. Officer 2 placed US-REAL on the ground to detain him. Officer 1 moved from the driver side to the passenger side of the vehicle to assist Officer 2. Officer 1 commanded US-REAL to stop resisting in Spanish, but US-REAL continued, so Officer 1 deployed Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray. Officers 1 and 2 handcuffed US-REAL and placed him inside a government vehicle.

Officer 1 approached the government vehicle in which US-REAL was detained to render aid to US-REAL by using bottled water to decontaminate the irritant effects of the OC on US-REAL’s face. As Officer 1 opened the rear vehicle door and reached into the vehicle and attempted to apply the bottled water to US-REAL’s face, US-REAL bit Officer 1’s left middle finger. US-REAL then used his head to push against Officer 1’s chest to escape. The force of the headbutt pushed Officer 1 backwards, and US-REAL pushed his way out of the government vehicle, he   repeatedly attempted to bite Officer 1 and fled on foot while still in handcuffs and ultimately escaped.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline),  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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Veters and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Kippers of the General Crimes Unit.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ZIHANG ZENG (“ZENG”), age 24, a resident of China, pled guilty on May 13, 2026, before United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, a mixture and substance containing one hundred (100) kilograms or more of a detectable amount of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

According to court documents, on April 14, 2025, DEA Special Agents observed Yilei Zhou pick up Hanjie Wu, a known marijuana distributor, from an airport in Houston, Texas and drive him to a residence in Katy, Texas, where they picked up ZENG, then drove to Denham Springs, Louisiana.  The following day, two other individuals, Wei Bin Chen and Like Chen, left the Denham Springs residence and traveled to a nearby storage facility where they retrieved multiple large trash bags from a storage unit before driving to another storage facility in Slidell, Louisiana.  Zhou and Wu then drove to same facility in Slidell where they all met with an individual identified as Aaron Steele.  Wei Bin and Like Chen then loaded the large trash bags into Steele’s vehicle and all parties left the storage facility.

Forrest County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop of Chen’s vehicle on Interstate 59 headed towards Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  A consensual search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 43.5 kilograms of marijuana.

Mississippi Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop of Steele’s vehicle on Interstate 59 in Picayune, Mississippi.  A consensual search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 22.7 kilograms of marijuana.

Based on the seizures that occurred in Slidell and Mississippi, Livingston Parish officers obtained search warrants for the residence and storage facility in Denham Springs.  When the officers arrived at the residence, ZENG ran from the residence and was arrested. Inside the residence, officers located $1,552.00 in currency, hundreds of rubber bands, a vacuum sealer and a money counter.  From the storage unit, officers seized 38.5 kilograms of marijuana.

On the drug conspiracy count, ZENG faces a minimum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, a maximum term of imprisonment of forty (40) years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, at least four (4) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Forrest County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office, and the Picayune, Mississippi Police Department.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys André Jones and Nolan D. Paige of the Narcotics Unit.

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

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –WALYSTTON HENRIQUE DE SOUZA (“DE SOUZA”), age 32, a native of Brazil, plead guilty and was sentenced on May 7, 2026, for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, DE SOUZA, an illegal alien, was found in St. Tammany Parish on March 31, 2026 by agents of the United States Customs and Border Patrol. DE SOUZA had previously been removed to Brazil by the United States Department of Homeland Security on July 2, 2021.

United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced DE SOUZA to time served, then transferred DE SOUZA into ICE Custody for deportation proceedings, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline),  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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters, of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.

NEW ORLEANS –  JAMES MICHAEL KAFES (“KAFES”), age 57, a resident of Carmel, New York, pleaded guilty today before United States Judge Susie Morgan to Count 8 of an eight-count indictment charging KAFES and a co-conspirator, Josiah David (“David”), with conspiracy to obstruct justice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1503(a) (Count 8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, KAFES and David conspired to obstruct the due administration of justice, namely a federal grand jury investigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana concerning the operation of companies that sought investments to launch a medical reimbursement account program. Specifically, KAFES and David agreed, and arranged, for David to withhold material responsive to a federal grand jury from production and discouraged an owner-investor from meeting with federal investigative authorities.  Additionally, on or about March 27, 2025, KAFES testified falsely while under oath before a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The federal investigation began as a result of a spin-off investment opportunity David and KAFES marketed related to The Total Financial Group (TTFG), a Louisiana business incorporated in 2005 that was located in, Covington, Louisiana, until its operations ceased in 2017.  Denis Joachim incorporated, owned, and operated TTFG.  TTFG and Joachim created and marketed a Medical Reimbursement Account program called “Classic 105,” which had three fundamental parts: monthly administration fees charged to employee-participants and employer-clients for participating in the program, a loan from a lender to employee-participants that would effectively offset the amount of an employee-participant’s monthly fee that the employee-participants never needed to repay, and an insurance policy secured on the life of the employee-participant and payable to the lender at the time of the employee-participant’s death to repay the loan amount.  David, and a company under his control, Provision Corporation, LLC (“Provision”), formed an association with Joachim and TTFG to market Classic 105 to prospective employer-clients and to seek, ultimately unsuccessfully, financial institutions to fund the loan component of Classic 105.

Federal law enforcement authorities executed search warrants at Joachim’s residence and TTFG’s office in Covington, Louisiana in January 2017, effectively shutting down TTFG.  Joachim was charged by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and thereafter pleaded guilty, based on the fraudulent development, marketing, and sale of Classic 105.  Nevertheless, soon after the search warrant, David and KAFES signed a “letter of intent” promising Joachim they would establish a program that would be a successor to Classic 105.  David and Provision then created a successor entity, The Premier Healthcare Solution, LLC (“Premier”), for two purported purposes: to develop and administer a program modeled on and that was a continuation of Classic 105 (the “New 105 Plan”) and to solicit investors to purchase “units” in Premier by representing that investor-owners would profit significantly once the New 105 Plan “launched.”  Premier and David also entered into a consulting agreement with Joachim that agreed to pay Joachim up to $20,000 per month, which they referred to as “royalty payments,” despite Premier having no clients and generating no outside revenue.  In fact, the New 105 Plan never launched.

KAFES was the President of Premier. While David was advertised as merely KAFES’s assistant, in reality he was responsible for its development, operation, and management and was its primary representative.  The New 105 Plan had the same components as Classic 105.  To convince potential and current investor-owners to contribute, David, KAFES, and the entities they oversaw, made numerous false statements and material omissions in their marketing efforts.  Among the false representations David, KAFES, and their entities made were that the New 105 Plan was close to launch, that the New 105 Plan and its underlying intellectual property were “patent protected,” that Premier had already solidified funding for the loan component from financial institutions, and that law firms had vetted the New 105 Plan and found it to be legal and legitimate.  David, KAFES, and their entities also withheld material information from current and prospective investors, including falsely characterizing their relationship with and obligations to Joachim, failing to disclose that DAVID (under his original name, “Dennis Lee”) had multiple felony convictions, suits filed against him for violations of state securities and/or consumer protection laws, public warnings about him issued by multiple state regulator entities, and a stipulated order for a permanent injunction and final judgment entered based on charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission, as well as  understating David’s role in the program.  In total, investor-owners made purchases and contributions totaling over $4,000,000.  David, KAFES, and Premier sent over $550,000 of these funds to Joachim in more than 120 transactions.

KAFES face up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  Sentencing before Judge Morgan has been scheduled for August 27, 2026.  The trial of KAFES’s co-defendants is scheduled to begin on June 8, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration and Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter.    U.S. Attorney Courcelle also recognized the contributions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Criminal Division, is in charge of the prosecution.

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An extradited Honduran national was sentenced today to over four years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle nearly two dozen illegal aliens and kilos of cocaine into the United States.

“The defendant and his co-conspirators attempted to illegally bring aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine into the United States by boat,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His extradition from Honduras and this successful prosecution shows that the drug trade and human smuggling of illegal aliens often go hand in hand.”

“Along with his co-conspirators, Olvin Javier Velasquez- Maldonado conspired to flagrantly violate our federal immigration and controlled substances laws by attempting to illegally bring in more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine to Louisiana,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “These crimes jeopardize and endanger the safety and welfare of our communities, as well as threatening our national security. This sentencing sends a clear message that those who engage in human smuggling and drug trafficking will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable for their actions. I am grateful for our continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners as we combat the scourge of human smuggling and illegal drug trafficking.”

According to court documents, Olvin Javier Velasquez-Maldonado, 40, of Honduras, conspired with at least six others to bring cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Maldonado and others attempted to illegally bring more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a sportfishing vessel co-owned by co-conspirator Carl Allison of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Many of the aliens paid up to $20,000 to Allison or his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States.

During the February 2022 voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble. Allison and others chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore. After the vessel was towed to Jean Lafitte Harbor, a search of the vessel discovered approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment under a mattress in the captain’s sleeping quarters. Maldonado had packaged the cocaine and his fingerprints were found under the packaging. 

Maldonado was extradited to the United States from Honduras on April 9, 2025, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

The HSI Houma, Louisiana Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the HSI Pittsburgh Field Office, HSI Atlanta Field Office and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Maldonado. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training also provided assistance.

The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (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 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 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

An extradited Honduran national was sentenced today to over four years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle nearly two dozen illegal aliens and kilos of cocaine into the United States.

“The defendant and his co-conspirators attempted to illegally bring aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine into the United States by boat,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His extradition from Honduras and this successful prosecution shows that the drug trade and human smuggling of illegal aliens often go hand in hand.”

“Along with his co-conspirators, Olvin Javier Velasquez- Maldonado conspired to flagrantly violate our federal immigration and controlled substances laws by attempting to illegally bring in more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine to Louisiana,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “These crimes jeopardize and endanger the safety and welfare of our communities, as well as threatening our national security. This sentencing sends a clear message that those who engage in human smuggling and drug trafficking will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable for their actions. I am grateful for our continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners as we combat the scourge of human smuggling and illegal drug trafficking.”

According to court documents, Olvin Javier Velasquez-Maldonado, 40, of Honduras, conspired with at least six others to bring cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Maldonado and others attempted to illegally bring more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a sportfishing vessel co-owned by co-conspirator Carl Allison of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Many of the aliens paid up to $20,000 to Allison or his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States.

During the February 2022 voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble. Allison and others chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore. After the vessel was towed to Jean Lafitte Harbor, a search of the vessel discovered approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment under a mattress in the captain’s sleeping quarters. Maldonado had packaged the cocaine and his fingerprints were found under the packaging.  

Maldonado was extradited to the United States from Honduras on April 9, 2025, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

The HSI Houma, Louisiana Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the HSI Pittsburgh Field Office, HSI Atlanta Field Office and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Maldonado. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training also provided assistance.

The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (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 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 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that ARIEL KORNIENKO (“KORNIENKO”), age 43, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced to 9 months of imprisonment and 6 months of home detention, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to distributing animal crush videos, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 48(a)(3).

According to the court documents, KORNIENKO distributed illegal animal crush videos online from on or about October 25, 2023, and continuing through on or about June 7, 2024. Specifically, KORNIENKO distributed obscene and shockingly cruel videos depicting impaling monkeys in the genitals, penetrating them with inanimate objects, lighting them on fire and subjecting them to serious bodily injury and a brutal death.

United States Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Group in conjunction with HSI Wildlife and Environmental Unit.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney and Ethan Eddy of the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section.

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – GARRETT MCCLAIN JR. (“MCCLAIN”), age 24 of Tangipahoa Parish, was sentenced on May 7, 2026 to 37 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), §841(b)(1)(A), and § 841(b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, MCCLAIN, and others, conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. After law enforcement officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by MCCLAIN following his departure from a known drug house, residence, MCCLAIN proceeded to lead officers on a high-speed car chase. Ultimately, he was arrested and a backpack in his possession was found to contain 226 grams of pure methamphetamine, 336 grams of marijuana, and 77 grams of fentanyl.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – BLAKE ANTHONY BACHEMIN (“BACHEMIN”), age 28, of Orleans Parish, pled guilty on May 7, 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 841(b)(1)(C). U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe scheduled sentencing for August 6, 2026. At sentencing, BACHEMIN faces up to twenty years imprisonment followed by at least three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, BACHEMIN had a pending felony arrest warrant for possession of methamphetamine when he was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department near the 500 block of Esplanade Avenue. A search incident to arrest led to the discovery of multiple plastic baggies of methamphetamine on BACHEMIN’s person. BACHEMIN possessed these baggies of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute them in the French Quarter area of New Orleans.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – YUAN BUGGAGE (“BUGGAGE”), age 25, of New Orleans, pled guilty on May 12, 2026 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a six-count indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances, and Gun Control Acts, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

BUGGAGE was charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, Tapentadol and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846.  BUGGAGE was charged in Count 2 with possession with intent to distribute those substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D). In Count 3, BUGGAGE was charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).  BUGGAGE was charged in Count 4 with being a felon in possession of a felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

As to the drug trafficking conspiracy charge in Count 1, BUGGAGE faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the drug distribution charge in Count 2, BUGGAGE faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Count 3, BUGGAGE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the felon in possession charge in Count 4, BUGGAGE faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.  

The sentencing is set for August 13, 2026, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New Orleans Police Department, and St. Bernard Parish Sherrif’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell, I.V., of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.  

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. 

Press release updated for accuracy.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –MAYCOL JAVIER CARCAMO-ANTUNEZ (“CARCAMO-ANTUNEZ”), age 21, a native of Honduras, was charged by bill of information on May 7, 2026, for illegal entry into the United States, and avoidance of examination and inspection by U.S. immigration officials, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1325(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, CARCAMO-ANTUNEZ, an illegal alien, was found in Tangipahoa Parish on April 15, 2026.

If convicted, CARCAMO-ANTUNEZ faces a maximum penalty of 6 months of imprisonment, up to a $5,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a $10 mandatory special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters, of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EZEQUIEL LARA-REYES (“LARA-REYES”), age 27, a native of Honduras, was charged by bill of information on May 7, 2026, for illegal entry into the United States, and avoidance of examination and inspection by U.S. immigration officials, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1325(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, LARA-REYES, an illegal alien, was found in Tangipahoa Parish on April 15, 2026.

If convicted, LARA-REYES faces a maximum penalty of 6 months of imprisonment, up to a $5,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a $10 mandatory special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters, of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.

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SLIDELL, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that DEVIN JUNEAU, (“JUNEAU”), age 40, was charged on April 24, 2026 in a two-count Indictment by a federal grand jury.

In Count One, JUNEAU is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and (e). If convicted, JUNEAU faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years up to 30 years imprisonment, a fine of up to 250,000, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

Count Two charges JUNEAU with coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b). If convicted, JUNEAU faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years up to life imprisonment, a fine of 250,000, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

If convicted of either count, JUNEAU will be required to participate in the Sex Offender Registry and Notification Act (“SORNA.”)

U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit.

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NEW ORLEANS – AMANDA CANGELOSI (“CANGELOSI”), age 40, a resident of New Orleans, LA pleaded guilty on April 23, 2026, to conspiracy to make, and pass, counterfeit United States currency, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, CANGELOSI conspired with others to manufacture counterfeit bills and used the counterfeit bills to pay for goods and services. CANGELOSI and her co-conspirators used genuine $1 bills to create the counterfeit $100 bills in an effort to deceive merchants into believing the currency was a genuine $100 bill. Investigators seized several items CANGELOSI, and her co-conspirators used to create the counterfeit currency.

CANGELOSI faces up to five years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 mandatory special assessment fee. CANGELOSI also may be ordered to pay restitution.

This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiwana Wright of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. 

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JONATHAN BURDEN, 53, from New Orleans, was charged in a recently unsealed indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to the indictment, on or about February 4, 2024, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, BURDEN, knowing that he had been previously convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, was found in possession of two firearms.

BURDEN faces up to fifteen years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.

NEW ORLEANS - On April 21, 2026, AMANDA WILKERSON (“WILKERSON”), age 57, a resident of Marrero, Louisiana, pled guilty to a Bill of Information charging her with one count of failure to pay over payroll/trust fund taxes, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7202, one count of failure to file her individual income tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7203, and one count of providing false statements on a government Cares Act Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan application, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, WILKERSON owned and operated Divine Purpose Home Care LLC (“Divine”), a home healthcare business. Beginning in or about 2017 through December 2024, WILKERSON withheld taxes from her employees’ paychecks, including federal income taxes, Medicare, and social security taxes (commonly referred to as payroll taxes or “trust fund”). WILKERSON then failed to properly report Divine’s trust fund taxes and failed to remit $57,000 to the IRS, which represented the trust fund taxes WILKERSON withheld from her employees’ wages in the third quarter of 2023. In 2023, WILKERSON earned over $1.6 million of income but failed to file her 2023 individual income tax return. Also, in February 2021, WILKERSON made materially false and fraudulent statements to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on her PPP  loan application. In her application, WILKERSON stated that a non-operational business she established in 2016 had annual gross income of $75,639 in 2019. To support her false PPP application, WILKERSON submitted a fraudulent IRS Individual Tax Return, Form 1040, Form Schedule C that falsely reported that the non-operational business had gross income of $75,639. WILKERSON knew that the business was never operational and did not have gross annual earnings of $75,639 and that the IRS Form 1040 Schedule C she submitted in support of the loan application was a false document, resulting in her receipt of a SBA backed PPP loan in the amount of approximately $19,907. In August 2021, WILKERSON applied to the SBA to have the PPP loan she received, forgiven. The SBA approved WILKERSON’s forgiveness application, and WILKERSON was not required to repay the PPP loan she fraudulently received.

WILKERSON faces a possible maximum sentence of 11 years of imprisonment, up to a $600,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $250 mandatory special assessment fee. WILKERSON also may be ordered to pay restitution.

The case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiwana Wright, of the Financial Crimes Unit.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division's prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

NEW ORLEANS – CHELSEY POWELL (“POWELL”), age 34, of Tangipahoa Parish, LA, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2026 before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

According to court records, POWELL made false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining a pandemic-related relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funded by the federal government, in the amount of approximately $19,950.00. She also applied for two other PPP loans that were based upon false information. In total, POWELL agreed to repay the SBA $36,123.52 as restitution for the losses to the government.

POWELL is to be sentenced on August 12, 2026. At that time, she faces up to five years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release for the false statements to the SBA. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee due after conviction.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (a member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee) and the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division's prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.

For more information on the Department of Justice’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.

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NEW ORLEANS – RICHARD JACKSON WHITE, age 46, from Purvis, Mississippi, NICHOLAS JOHN ENGOLIA, age 32, from Slidell, Louisiana, and DUSTIN LEE SEITZ, age 40, from Gulfport, Mississippi, were charged between March 27, 2026 and April 28, 2026, as the result of an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) undercover operation concerning individuals seeking to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.  All three men were previously charged at the time of their apprehension by criminal complaints.

According to one indictment, beginning on or about January 28, 2026, until on or about March 3, 2026, ENGOLIA corresponded online with an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female for the purpose of attempting to persuade the fifteen-year-old to engage in criminal sexual activity.  The correspondence culminated with ENGOLIA traveling by car from Slidell, Louisiana, to Covington, Louisiana, to engage in sexual conduct with someone he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female.  During the correspondence, ENGOLIA attempted to transfer obscene matter to the person he believed to be a minor.  ENGOLIA was charged in a two-count indictment with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b) (Count 1), and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470 (Count 2).

According to a bill of information, on or about February 24, 2026, WHITE travelled from Mississippi to Louisiana for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female.  WHITE has been charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).

According to a bill of information, beginning on or about March 2, 2026, and culminating on or about March 4, 2026, SEITZ travelled from Gulfport, Mississippi, to Mandeville, Louisiana, by car to engage in sexual conduct with an individual SEITZ believed to be a fifteen-year-old female.  SEITZ has been charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).

If convicted, ENGOLIA faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years up to life in prison as to Count 1 and up to ten (10) years in prison as to Count 2.  SEITZ and WHITE each face a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than thirty (30) years.  Each defendant also faces at least five (5) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.  Additionally, each defendant may also be required to register as a sex offender.

U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that indictments and bills of information are merely charges and that the guilt of each defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Anne Flippo is in charge of the prosecution of ENGOLIA, Assistant United States Attorney Tracey Knight is in charge of the prosecution of WHITE, and Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh is in charge of the prosecution of SEITZ.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 23, 2026, DAVID SCOTT (“SCOTT”), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, after SCOTT previously pled guilty to  possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

On August 3, 2023, the New Orleans Police Department conducted surveillance at the East Side Cash and Carry gas station due to increased reports of crime at the location. Officers witnessed a man, later identified as SCOTT, wearing a black hoodie with a large bulge in his waistband. When officers approached and ordered SCOTT to exit the vehicle in which he was seated, they observed, in plain view on the driver’s side, a handgun with a drum magazine containing 23 live rounds. Officers secured the gun and arrested SCOTT. A search incident to arrest revealed 15 packs of Tapentadol, totaling 148 pills, and $1,315 in U.S. currency.

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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that LUCAS TINOCO-TIERES (“TINOCO-TIERES”), age 42, a native of Guatemala, was sentenced on April 29, 2026, for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).

According to court documents, TINOCO-TIERES, a Guatemalan national, was found in St. Tammany Parish on or around February 18, 2025. He had previously been deported to Guatemala on February 23, 2007.

United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced TINOCO-TIERES to 21 months of imprisonment and one year of supervised release. A mandatory special assessment fee of $100 was also ordered.  Upon completing his sentence, the defendant will be deported to Guatemala.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – LARRY G. TURNER, (TURNER), age 52, of Tangipahoa Parish, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barry W Ashe to 168 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney David I Courcelle. TURNER previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); §841(b)(1)(A), and 846.

According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, TURNER and several other individuals, conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, multiple kilograms of fentanyl throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy mainly revolved around TURNER’s residence in Tickfaw, Louisiana. The execution of a federal search warrant at TURNER’s residence led to the recovery of over five (5) kilograms of fentanyl, in counterfeit pill form, along with multiple firearms.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CARLOS ROBERTO GUARDADO-RAMIREZ (“GUARDADO-RAMIREZ”), age 46, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on April 22, 2026 by United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, after previously pleading guilty to re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8 United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. GUARDADO-RAMIREZ was sentenced to time served, one-year of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. He has been detained in federal prison since December 10, 2025.

According to court records, the defendant was found in the United States on December 3, 2025, having reentered the United States without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States after being previously deported on May 4, 2006. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans received information that an individual identified as GUARDADO-RAMIREZ, had been previously removed from the United States and had returned. GUARDADO-RAMIREZ was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Officers in LaPlace, Louisiana on December 3, 2025, in the Eastern District of Louisiana for re-entering the United States after removal.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 29, 2026, LIONEL ANTOINE DUNCAN a/k/a “Headbaby,” age 36 of Thibodaux, LA was found guilty by a jury, after previously being indicted, of conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 841(b)(1)(C) (Count One),and Use of Communications Facility, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b) (Count Four), following a three day trial before United States District Judge Brandon S. Long, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

According to the evidence at trial, DUNCAN, as part of his role in the “Murdagang” drug trafficking organization, supplied local dealers in the Marydale community of Thibodaux, LA with methamphetamine and cocaine until approximately 2024. The investigation into DUNCAN revealed that during the timeframe of the charged conspiracy, he frequently communicated, via telephone, with other members of the drug trafficking organization. A search warrant executed at DUNCAN’s residence in June 2024 resulted in the seizure of DUNCAN’s nine cellular telephones. Information extracted from one of his phones included communications involving methamphetamine between DUNCAN and one of his methamphetamine sources of supply.

As to Count One, DUNCAN faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, at least five (5) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. As to Count Four, DUNCAN faces a term of imprisonment of up to twenty (20) years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and at least three (3) years of supervised release. Each count also carries the payment of a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for July 28, 2026.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thibodaux Police Department, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Stuart M. Theriot and Briana N. Williams, both of the Narcotics Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.

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 more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that ARTHUR ALLEN (“ALLEN”), age 53, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on April 22, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey, to providing a false statement to a federal agency. Sentencing is set for July 28, 2026.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

According to court documents, on or about May 7, 2020, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, ALLEN provided a materially false statement to the Small Business Administration in an application to obtain a government sponsored loan designed to assist small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the application process, ALLEN falsely claimed his bed and breakfast company received gross over $425,000 in gross receipts and revenue in 2019. ALLEN also claimed he deducted and submitted payroll taxes on behalf of his employees in 2019; however, an investigation of bank records revealed the ALLEN business generated no receipts or revenue in 2019 and failed to pay any employees in 2019. Further results of the investigation confirmed that ALLEN is responsible for a total loss of approximately $712,212.84.

The maximum penalty for false statements to a federal agency is five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of one hundred dollars.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney, Richard R. Pickens, II, of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division's prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced today that DALE SANDERS (“SANDERS”), 56, from Kenner, Louisiana, was charged in an eleven-count indictment for access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1029(a)(2), 1029(c)(1)(A)(i), and 1519.

According to the indictment, from approximately April 2020 through April 2024, SANDERS used an unauthorized access device, specifically the debit card for Company A’s bank account and obtained U.S. currency of approximately $343,293.00. SANDERS faces up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ALBERT PAUL WEBER (“WEBER”), age 42, of Harvey, Louisiana, and CYNTRELLE LASH (“LASH”), age 39, of New Orleans, were indicted on April 24, 2026, for their roles in a scheme to impersonate professional athletes and take out loans in their names, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

As alleged in court documents, WEBER, LASH, and their coconspirators impersonated athletes who were on the cusp of being drafted by NBA and NFL teams and paid multimillion dollar contracts. At least as early as 2016, WEBER and LASH stole the identities of the athletes, their family members, and others to defraud businesspeople and lenders who believed they were dealing with the athletes themselves. In total, over the course of several years, WEBER and LASH defrauded these victims into transferring over $3.5 million to WEBER, LASH, and their coconspirators, which they then laundered through multiple bank accounts. In May of 2025, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested WEBER and LASH for one instance of this scheme in which WEBER and LASH were caught using fake identification to sign notarized documents for loans for an athlete. After they were released on bond, WEBER began a new part of the scheme to defraud athletes involving trips overseas for basketball players. When WEBER’s victims confronted him about defrauding them by keeping money he took for trips that never happened, WEBER threatened the victims, demanded more money, and warned them against talking to others about his scheme.

WEBER and LASH were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. WEBER is charged with six counts of aggravated identity theft, and LASH is charged with WEBER in one of those counts. WEBER was also charged with interstate transmission of a threat.

For both the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and the conspiracy to commit money laundering, WEBER and LASH face up to 20 years of imprisonment. Each aggravated identity theft is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any sentence for other charges, followed by up to one year of supervised release. For the interstate transmission of a threat, WEBER faces up to five years in prison per count, followed by up to three years of supervised release. For each charge, WEBER and LASH also face a fine of up to $250,000, or $500,000 in the case of the money laundering charge, or twice the gross gain to the defendants or loss to any party, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely an allegation and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Attorney Courcelle thanked the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for its assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Moses of the Public Integrity Unit and Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS – JONATHAN SUAREZ (“SUAREZ”) , age 30, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 21, 2026 to 118 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Vitter sentenced SUAREZ to eight (8) years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. SUAREZ will also be required to register as a sex offender. Further, Chief Judge Vitter ordered SUAREZ to pay $42,000 in restitution to the victims of his crime.

According to the court documents, beginning in early 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agents investigated the purchase of files depicting the sexual exploitation of children over the internet. The investigation revealed that SUAREZ sent, and attempted to send, money via CashApp to accounts known to be used for the primary purpose of receiving funds in exchange for the transmission of CSAM on at least six occasions between February 2023 and August 2023. On April 10, 2025, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at SUAREZ’s residence, at which time they seized his Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. A forensic review of the phone identified at least 186 images and 853 videos, some as long as over 49 minutes, depicting the sexual victimization of children. The review also determined that SUAREZ downloaded, saved, and maintained his collection of CSAM on multiple dates between February 2023 and April 2025. SUAREZ saved the files in approximately 145 custom-made file folders with representative names describing the content. Some of the child victims depicted in the materials SUAREZ received were children as young as approximately two years old.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Criminal Division, is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 16, 2026, BRANDON JOSEPH (“JOSEPH”), 41, from New Orleans, was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to the indictment, on or about March 2, 2026, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, JOSEPH, knowing that that he had been previously convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, was found in possession of a firearm.

JOSEPH faces up to fifteen years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.

NEW ORLEANS – STEVE BANKS (“BANKS”), age 50, of New Orleans, pled guilty on April 22, 2026 before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, law enforcement searched BANKS’s apartment on October 21, 2024, and seized over 1,200 grams of crack cocaine, items used to manufacture and weigh crack cocaine, over $12,000 in cash, 3 loaded guns, ammunition, and identifying information for BANKS. The guns included: (1) Zastava Model ZPAP85, 5.56 millimeter semi-automatic rifle, fully loaded with live ammunition in a 30 round magazine, (2) a stolen Glock Model 22, 40 millimeter, semi-automatic pistol, with a loaded extended magazine, and (3) Glock Model 17Gen5, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, loaded with a standard magazine.

BANKS pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the Indictment. Count 1 charged BANKS with possession, with intent to distribute, cocaine base, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). Count 2 charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Count 3 charged him with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

For Count 1, BANKS faces at least 10 years up to life years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years up to life of supervised release. For Count 2, he faces up to fifteen (15) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. For Count 3, he faces a minimum of 5 years in prison, up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed on the defendant, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release. As to each count, he also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CARLOS ALBERTO ESCOBAR-LOZA (“ESCOBAR-LOZA”), age 47, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on April 22, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, after previously pleading guilty to illegal re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8 United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. ESCOBAR-LOZA was sentenced to time served, one-year of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100.00 assessment fee. He has been detained in federal prison since January 14, 2026.

According to court records, the defendant was found in the United States on December 26, 2025, having reentered the United States without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States, after being previously deported on July 2, 2012. ESCOBAR-LOZA was found in the Eastern District of Louisiana after being arrested by local law enforcement. Immigration officials subsequently confirmed his identity and determined that he had again unlawfully reentered the United States after having previously been removed.

On multiple occasions beginning in or about 2002, ESCOBAR-LOZA was encountered by U.S. immigration authorities after entering the United States without being admitted or paroled. He was placed in removal proceedings and, on or about October 27, 2003, an Immigration Judge ordered him removed from the United States after he failed to appear for his scheduled hearing.

On multiple occasions between approximately 2005 and 2012, ESCOBAR-LOZA was again encountered by immigration authorities following arrests by local law enforcement. Immigration records reflect that his prior removal order was reinstated, and he was removed from the United States to Honduras on at least three occasions.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit  is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Former Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex deputy LACHAVION CAMPBELL (“CAMPBELL”), federal inmates DARREKA BOYKINS (“BOYKINS”), TARAY BUTLER (“BUTLER”), and GREGORY ROBINSON (“ROBINSON”), and the former dating partner of an inmate, CRYSTAL MORRISON, (“MORRISON”), were charged in a seven-count sealed indictment by a federal grand jury on March 20, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.  The indictment was unsealed today.

According to the indictment, CAMPBELL, BOYKINS, MORRISON, BUTLER, and ROBINSON were charged for their respective roles in a 2024 conspiracy to provide, and possess contraband, including the drug Suboxone and a knife, to federal inmates detained on the federal tier of Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex, as well as providing, and possessing contraband in prison, all of which are violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act. They were also charged with making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment alleged that BOYKINS and CAMPBELL devised a plan in which CAMPBELL would meet with MORRISON to receive contraband purchased by LPCC inmates via Cash App.  MORRISON met CAMPBELL at agreed upon locations within the Eastern District of Louisiana to give CAMPBELL the contraband.  Thereafter, in exchange for payments, CAMPBELL utilized various methods of concealment to bring contraband into LPCC, including placing the contraband in blankets, towels, and mop buckets to avoid detection.  The indictment further alleges the coconspirators used the scheme to smuggle various contraband items, including Suboxone, a knife, electrical tape, legal documents soaked in synthetic marijuana, cell phones, nicotine vape pens, THC vape pens, SIM cards, and an Allen wrench, into LPCC.

Count 1 charges CAMPBELL, BOYKINS, MORRISON, BUTLER, and ROBINSON with conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in prison, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Each defendant faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 2 charges CAMPBELL, BOYKINS, MORRISON, BUTLER, and ROBINSON with providing and possessing contraband in a prison, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§1791(a)(1), 1791(a)(2), (b)(1)(3), and 2. Each defendant faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 3 charges BUTLER with possession of contraband in a prison, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§1791(a)(2) and (b)(1)(3). BUTLER faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 4 charges BOYKINS, BUTLER, and ROBINSON with possession of contraband in a prison, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§1791(a)(2) and (b)(1)(3). Each of these defendants face up to 5 years imprisonment, up to $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 5 charges BOYKINS with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(E) BOYKINS faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 6 charges BOYKINS, BUTLER, and ROBINSON with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(E). Each of these defendants faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release for this count.

Count 7 charges CAMPBELL with making a false statement to an agency of the United States, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). CAMPBELL faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 2 years supervised release, and a mandatory assessment fee of $100.00 for this count.

“Smuggling items into a jail compromises the safety and security of the institution, the inmates, and the employees.  Correctional facilities depend on the integrity of those entrusted to safeguard them. Our office is committed to holding responsible those who betray that trust as well as those who seek to traffic dangerous contraband into a correctional facility.” said U.S. Attorney Courcelle.

As to each charged count against them, CAMPBELL, BOYKINS, MORRISON, BUTLER, and ROBINSON also face payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00

U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.

NEW ORLEANS – DESHAWN JONES (“JONES”), age 44, pleaded guilty on April 21, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, beginning at a time unknown but prior to December 27, 2021, and continuing to on or about November 25, 2024, JONES conspired with others to distribute fentanyl, crack, and cocaine in the Eastern District of Louisiana. On November 25, 2024, JONES possessed, with the intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, 28 grams or more of a mixture containing crack, cocaine, and 2 guns, including a Smith and Wesson, Model 67, .38 special caliber revolver and a DPMS Panther Arms, Model A-15, .223 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

As to the drug trafficking charges, JONES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least 4 years of supervised release. For the firearm charge, JONES faces a maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to each charge, JONES also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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NEW ORLEANS – LANCE ROTOLO, JR. (“ROTOLO”), age 20, a resident of Harvey, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, this investigation began when the Federal Bureau of Investigation learned of an online chat on a social media platform that an online covert employee had with an individual, subsequently determined to be ROTOLO. In the chat, ROTOLO sent images that appeared to constitute child sexual abuse material and made a series of concerning statements.  Thereafter, agents executed a search warrant on ROTOLO’s residence. During the execution of the search warrant, agents seized numerous electronic items, including an iPhone belonging to ROTOLO.

A subsequent forensic review of ROTOLO’s iPhone revealed that ROTOLO used the iPhone on multiple occasions between in or around December 2024 and in or around March 2025, to take approximately three (3) photos and two (2) videos of Victim 1, a minor female, while Victim 1 was unclothed in a bathroom. ROTOLO took the pictures surreptitiously, without Victim 1’s knowledge or authorization.

The review of ROTOLO’s iPhone also determined that between January 2025 and February 2025, ROTOLO met Victim 2, a minor female, though a social media service. ROTOLO pretended to be a minor-aged male. During their correspondence, at ROTOLO’s request, ROTOLO and Victim 2 engaged in sexually explicit conduct via video calls. On numerous dates, ROTOLO demanded that Victim 2 engage and continue to engage in sexually explicit conduct while on video calls with him, at least some of which he recorded without Victim 2’s consent. When Victim 2 expressed reluctance and explained to ROTOLO that Victim 2 had previously been the victim of sexual assault, which ROTOLO was “making [] worse,” ROTOLO threatened Victim 2 by stating he would send sexually explicit photos and videos he had obtained of Victim 2 to Victim 2’s social media friends and contacts. ROTOLO’s iPhone also contained evidence that between December 2024 and January 2025, ROTOLO engaged in a similar extortionate scheme to obtain sexually explicit depictions of Victim 3, a minor female born in February 2010.

Finally, ROTOLO’s iPhone revealed that ROTOLO knowingly used his cellular phone to search for, download, save, and distribute at least fifty (50) images and twenty-three (23) videos depicting the sexual victimization of children on numerous dates between November 2024 and April 2025. Some of the children depicted in the digital files were as young as approximately less than one (1) year old at the time the child sexual abuse material was created.

ROTOLO faces a mandatory minimum of ten (10) years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment. ROTOLO further faces at least five years, and up to a lifetime, of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine. He may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Fallon has been scheduled for July 23, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Criminal Division, is in charge of the prosecution.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNELIUS BROWN (“BROWN”), age 36, pleaded guilty on April 16, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to possession with intent to distribute controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, BROWN was charged along with co-defendants in a multi-count superseding indictment with narcotics trafficking and firearms violations.  According to the superseding indictment, from late 2022 until May of 2023, the men distributed fentanyl throughout the New Orleans area and possessed marijuana, cocaine, and fentanyl.  Moreover, loaded firearms were found nearby the controlled substances located throughout this investigation, indicating the firearms were being utilized to further the drug trafficking crimes.

BROWN will be sentenced on August 5, 2026, and faces the following penalties:

Count 2 - Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances 21 U.S.C § § 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). A mandatory minimum of five (5) years imprisonment up to forty (40) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of not more than $5,000,000.00, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

Count 4 - Felon in Possession of a Firearm18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). A maximum of fifteen (15) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –EMON CHENEAU, a/k/a “Smiley” (“CHENEAU”), age 22, DEVIN BROWN, a/k/a “YD”, a/k/a “YDtheillest” (“BROWN”), age 27, KENAN BREAUD, a/k/a “Tank” (“BREAUD”), age 20, KELAN GENNINGS (“GENNINGS”), age 24, and KRISHAWN SIMMS (“SIMMS”), age 22, were indicted on February 26, 2026 in a 15-count indictment for violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act, the Federal Gun Control Act, and committing bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.  The indictment was unsealed on April 17, 2026.

All five defendants are charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana, in Count 2 with conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in Count 3 with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in Count 4 with using or maintaining a drug premises, and in Count 11 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

CHENEAU, GENNINGS, and SIMMS are additionally charged in Count 5 with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.  GENNINGS is charged in Count 6, BROWN is charged in Counts 7 and 10, and CHENEAU is charged in Count 9 with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  CHENEAU is charged with an additional count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Count 8.  GENNINGS is also charged in Counts 12 through 15 with bank fraud.

According to the indictment, since at least 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana and to possess firearms in furtherance of that drug-trafficking conspiracy.  Between July and September of 2025, the defendants used and maintained a drug premises in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, and in September of 2025, all five men possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The indictment also alleges that BROWN and CHENEAU possessed Anderson Manufacturing Model AM-15 pistols and that GENNINGS possessed a Romarm/Cugir Model Micro Draco pistol after being previously convicted of felony offenses.  BROWN was previously convicted of simple robbery, and CHENEAU was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and psilocybin, and illegal carrying of a weapon with a controlled substance. GENNINGS had previously been convicted of offenses including illegal possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and aggravated assault with a firearm.

In addition to the federal firearms and drug-trafficking violations, the indictment also alleges that all five men conspired to commit bank fraud.  The conspiracy involved acquiring stolen checks, re-printing or otherwise altering them to make them payable to individuals or companies other than the intended recipient, soliciting bank accounts into which to deposit the fraudulent checks, and then withdrawing money from the proceeds of the checks before the financial institutions discovered the fraud.

The indictment further alleges that in April of 2025, GENNINGS deposited or caused to be deposited four fraudulent checks, including a fraudulent check in the amount of $150,000.

As to the charges of conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, the defendants face up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and at least two years of supervised release up to a life term of supervised release.

As to the charge of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

As to the charge of using or maintaining a drug premises, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison, up to a $500,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

As to the charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, CHENEAU, BROWN, and GENNINGS eachface per count up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

As to the charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, the defendants each face per count a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.

As to the charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, the defendants each face up to 30 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss of the scheme, and up to five years of supervised release.  GENNINGS faces the same penalties as to each of the four counts of bank fraud against him.

Each of the 15 counts also requires payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit and Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

On April 7, the Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.