District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – Akris Inc. has agreed to pay over $1.8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.

As detailed in the settlement agreement, Akris admitted that, in March 2021, it applied for a second draw PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan under the PPP rules. When it applied, Akris, together with its foreign affiliate, had over 300 employees. On Jan. 8, 2021, the Small Business Association (SBA) announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans.  

The settlement credits Akris for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.  

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive approximately $183,000.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. On May 5, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued guidance that explained that, for purposes of meeting size eligibility requirements (i.e. whether the applicant is a “small business concern” or otherwise falls below the cap on employee headcount) an applicant must count all its employees and the employees of its U.S. and foreign affiliates, absent a waiver of, or an exception to, the affiliation rules. SBA’s guidance also made clear that it would only enforce this rule prospectively, i.e., for applications made on or after May 5, 2020. On Jan. 8, 2021, SBA announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.  

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man and woman have been charged and arrested in connection with a scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts. 

William Shaw, 67, of Boston, was indicted on four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.  

Rosemary Parks, 59, of Hopkinton, was indicted on three counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.  

According to the charging documents, from at least December 2022 through at least March 2025, Shaw allegedly impersonated at least 11 bank customers, and between at least August 2024 through at least October 2024, Parks allegedly impersonated at least eight bank customers. Shaw and Parks allegedly used fake driver’s licenses with the customers’ information but their own photos and presented bank tellers with withdrawal slips that listed the customers’ names and account numbers. While posing as real bank customers, Shaw allegedly withdrew more than $674,000, and Parks allegedly withdrew more than $536,000, from the customers’ accounts in the form of cashier’s checks and cash withdrawals.

In July 2025, six men were charged as part of related investigation into a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two year prison sentence consecutive to any sentence received on the other charges. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Connecticut State Police, the Glocester (RI) Police Department, the Sutton Police Department, the Concord (MA) Police Department, the Dracut Police Department, the Westwood Police Department and the Abington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. 
 

BOSTON – The former owner of two restaurants was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for filing false tax returns. 

Remigijus Mikelenas, 55, of Gilford, N.H., formerly of Canton, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Mikelenas was also ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and more than $100,000 in restitution to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In August 2024, Mikelenas was arrested and charged with three counts of filing false tax returns.

Mikelenas was the owner of a café and a juice bar in Canton. Between approximately 2012 through 2020, Mikelenas deliberately failed to report more than $3.5 million in gross receipts at his businesses to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As a result, Mikelenas avoided paying more than $820,000 in federal income taxes.

During the investigation, Mikelenas told an undercover agent posing as a prospective buyer for the businesses, that he regularly underreported his gross receipts to the IRS and showed the agent a copy of the “real” books that reflected the businesses’ true earnings. During the meeting, Mikelenas asked the agent whether he worked for the IRS, and added, “If I get caught, I’ll be screwed.”
           
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man was convicted on Jan. 16, 2026 following a 4-day trial in federal court in Boston for sex trafficking and transporting a minor to Rhode Island to engage in prostitution.

Tramonte Jamier Queen, 26, was convicted of one count of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transportation of minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. In November 2023, Queen was indicted by a federal grand jury.

“Tramonte Queen preyed on a young, impressionable girl, selling her body for his own benefit. His actions were abhorrent, and we will continue to hold traffickers accountable for exploiting children,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to recover missing and exploited children and ensure that traffickers are brought to justice and punished.”

“Tramonte Jamier Queen callously groomed and manipulated a 16-year-old girl with total disregard for her well-being and sex trafficked her out of his mother’s basement and across state lines,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This case highlights our Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force’s unflinching commitment to pursuing justice for all victims of sex trafficking while sending a message to all offenders –we will find you, bring you to justice, and ensure you are ultimately punished.”

Beginning in January 2022, Queen recruited a 16-year-old girl to engage in prostitution. He directed the victim to take photos of herself, including photos depicting the victim posing provocatively. Queen used these photos to attract sex buyers by posting them in online commercial sex advertisements. Shortly thereafter, Queen directed the victim to earn money for him by having sex with sex buyers. Queen communicated with the sex buyers and arranged for the victim to perform sex acts in the basement of his mother’s Dorchester home. Later, Queen continued trafficking the victim from hotels in Rhode Island. On Feb. 5, 2022, Queen was arrested as he was driving with the 16-year-old victim.

The sex trafficking of a child and transportation charges each carry a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

U.S. Attorney Foley; FBI SAC Docks; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A North Reading man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for possession of child sexual abuse material.

Ralph Hannan III, 68, a Level 2 sex offender, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography. 

According to the charging documents the defendant allegedly possessed child pornography involving a minor under the age of 12.

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman was sentenced on Jan. 16, 2026 in federal court in Worcester for providing a controlled substance in the form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” to an inmate at the federal prison FMC Devens. The inmate was granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution.

Tasha Hammock, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years of probation. The government recommended a sentence of 12 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Hammock pleaded guilty to providing contraband to a federal prison inmate, Raymond Gaines. In March 2025, Hammock and Gaines were charged by criminal complaint. Gaines, an inmate at FMC Devens, was indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate.

In February 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time Gaines committed the alleged offenses charged, he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. In both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston.

On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his federal sentence to five years in prison.  

Hammock admitted that on Aug. 18, 2024, while visiting Gaines in prison, she surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he allegedly pocketed. At the time, Hammock was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 
 

As described in court documents, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.    

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston; and Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Regional Office of DOJ-OIG, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Special Investigative Services Unit at FMC Devens. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.  
 

BOSTON – A Cambridge man has been arrested on state charges and a federal complaint has issued, charging him with forcing a woman to engage in commercial sex throughout multiple states including Massachusetts, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine. 

Daniel Rodriguez, 36, is charged with one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Rodriguez is currently held in state custody and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging document Rodriguez allegedly forced a 27-year-old female to engage in commercial sex throughout Massachusetts as well as in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine. The charging document also alleges that Rodriguez has trafficked multiple women, including one minor, from 2017 until 2026.

It is alleged that Rodriguez began trafficking the victim in 2025. When the victim attempted to leave Rodriguez in early January 2026, Rodriguez allegedly posed as a sex buyer in an attempt to locate her and then required her to return to Boston with him. On Jan. 13, 2026, Rodriguez was allegedly transporting the victim from one hotel to another to engage in commercial sex. After allegedly committing a traffic violation, Rodriguez’s car was stopped by law enforcement. It is alleged that as law enforcement approached the vehicle, Rodriguez sped away. He yelled at the victim, blaming her for the traffic stop and led police on a high-speed pursuit, travelling at over 100 mph. Rodriguez crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving his victim behind and injured. Rodriguez is alleged to have sent an accomplice to pick the victim up from the hospital and advertised her for commercial sex within hours of her hospital discharge. Rodriguez was ultimately arrested in Middleboro, Mass. on a state arrest warrant issued out of the Quincy District Court on Jan. 14, 2026.

The federal complaint alleges that Rodriguez trafficked at least three other women, one of them a minor, in 2017, 2018, and 2023. Rodriguez is alleged to have used violence and threats and made good on his promises to track his victims down if they attempted to leave him.    

The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carries with it a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigations; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley and Craig Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition.

Gilbert Morin, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for April 23, 2026. In September 2025, Morin was indicted by a federal grand jury.

On May 30, 2025, police responded to a report of a man with a firearm outside of a downtown nightclub. Upon not finding the individual at the scene, officers drove a short distance away and observed a man appearing to be concealing an item in his hand. When police attempted to stop the individual, later idented as Morin, he led police on a foot chase through the Worcester Common behind City Hall. Upon being apprehended, Morin was found to have possessed a Taurus pistol, loaded with ammunition. Morin was previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. Morin was arrested and charged in state court on May 30, 2025 and has remained in custody since.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; and Paul Saucier, Chief of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
 

BOSTON – A former Barnstable County employee pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to embezzling from a labor union.

Kenneth Mattoon, 67, of West Yarmouth, pleaded guilty to embezzlement of labor union assets. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2026.

Between May 2020 and May 2025, Mattoon embezzled funds from the Barnstable Massachusetts Department of Public Works Employees Local Number 3003 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.  Mattoon was an officer of the labor union at the time.

The charge of embezzlement from a labor union provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Chief Jean Challis, Barnstable Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A South Boston man pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield to participating in a scheme that defrauded a 75-year-old man from Berkshire County, Mass. of approximately $500,000.

Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Feb. 13, 2026. Patel was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 7, 2024 and indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.

In early 2024, an elderly Berkshire County resident received a pop-up message on his computer claiming that his computer was frozen and directing him to call the number provided on the computer screen, purportedly associated with Microsoft. The victim’s call was routed to an individual who identified himself as a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Treasury Department and referred to himself “Sam Wilson.” Wilson told the victim that he was involved in a money laundering scheme and instructed the victim to take out the cash from his bank accounts and send the money to the Treasury Department for safekeeping. Wilson directed the victim to place the cash in a taped box with the victim’s own name and address written on it. Wilson then sent couriers to the victim’s home to collect the boxes of cash. Prior to each collection, Wilson had the victim describe the clothes he would be wearing and provided the victim with a “PIN” passcode the couriers were to recite upon pickup.

On or about Oct. 7, 2024, Patel drove from South Boston to North Adams, Mass., for the purpose of retrieving cash from the victim. On that date, Patel spoke with an individual he believed to be the victim and provided the prearranged passcode, before taking possession of the box of cash and driving away. Patel was immediately apprehended.

The investigation remains ongoing. Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including elder fraud scams, cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams and business email compromise fraud scams – should contact USAMA.CyberTip@usdoj.gov. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 (833–372–8311) Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm EST.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Adams Police Department and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin Brown and Dan Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – An Oregon man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly cyberstalking and making interstate threats against a Massachusetts state prosecutor. According to court records, defendant has history of making death threats.

Lewis Floyd, 40, was indicted for cyberstalking and threatening interstate communications. Floyd will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Floyd was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in December 2025. 

According to court documents, Floyd has been convicted in state court multiple times of making death threats, including most recently in Bristol County Superior Court for allegedly making repeated threats to kill and maim personnel at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Bristol County, Massachusetts. After his release from state prison, it is alleged that Floyd continued to make death threats against a Massachusetts state prosecutor and their family.  

The charge of cyberstalking as a repeat offender provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a scheme to steal $1,355,863 by depositing a forged tax refund check and then laundering the money using cashier’s checks payable to shell companies.

Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 16, 2026. El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6, 2025, and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.

El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, Mass. and owed back taxes for the business. On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group into his business bank account. The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company, based on its 2021 tax return, and the check had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.

In the days after depositing the check, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000 payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.

The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG; and Nicholas Bucciarelli , Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Rigby, Idaho man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to cyberstalking a Massachusetts professor over the course of five months.

Edward John Kay, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking before U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick who scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026. In July 2025, Kay was arrested and charged by criminal complaint.

Kay met the victim in January 2025 when he enrolled in the victim’s online course, which the victim taught at a university’s extension school. After one Zoom meeting with the victim and one virtual class session, Kay became fixated on the victim, dropped the course, and proceeded to harass and intimidate the victim over email and LinkedIn for five months.

• Between January and June of 2025, Kay sent the victim over 80 harassing communications via LinkedIn and email – including at least one anonymous email account. In the communications, Kay expressed his adoration and love for the victim and mentioned the victim’s minor child by name. The communications included: 
• A LinkedIn message, in which Kay stated: “I miss you-truly, deeply- with all of my heart and soul. That day I saw you on Zoom…You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me;”
• An email sent to several of the university’s offices with the victim copied, in which Kay stated: “Dr. [victim’s last name] has been copied on all communications. She knows what is coming.” He added that this was only the “VERY BEGINNING” because “Every day, starting today, will mark a **new action of serious consequence**, taken by me in accordance with divine alignment and institutional justice;” and
• An anonymous email sent to the victim from the email address [victim’s name]consience@protonmail.com, in which Kay professed his love for the victim, encouraged the victim to leave the university and stated, “You are still free. But you are not unreachable.”

In addition, Kay told another university professor about his obsession with the victim and his desire to separate the victim from her husband.

The charge of cyberstalking provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI Salt Lake City and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – The Harvard Club of Boston, a private club that is not formally affiliated with Harvard University, has agreed to pay approximately $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has longstanding guidance identifying businesses that are ineligible for loan programs including “private clubs and businesses which limit the number of memberships for reasons other than capacity” and “restrict patronage for any reason other than capacity.” SBA’s guidance also made clear that this restriction applied specifically to eligibility for PPP loans.  

As detailed in the settlement agreement, The Harvard Club of Boston admits that, on May 4, 2021, it applied for and certified its eligibility for a first draw PPP loan. The Harvard Club of Boston later sought and received forgiveness from SBA of the full amount of its loan. At the time of its application, The Harvard Club of Boston operated as a private membership club that restricted membership to applicants who fit certain eligibility criteria, and therefore, it was ineligible for loans under the PPP program.

The settlement credits The Harvard Club of Boston for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. As part of today’s resolution, Mr. Foster will receive approximately $247,219. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Foster. v. Harvard Club of Boston, No. 25-cv-11530 (D. Mass. 2025).

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Wendell Davis, General Counsel for the Small Businesses Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the case.

BOSTON – A Roxbury man was convicted yesterday in federal court in Boston for engaging in a scheme to cause the Massachusetts RMV to issue a Commercial Learners’ Permit (“CLP”) to an individual by providing that individual with the answers to CLP exam questions. In the state of Massachusetts, you must have a commercial learner’s permit before obtaining a commercial driver’s license.

Frank Castro, 52, was convicted of unlawful production of identification document. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2026. Castro was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024.

On or about Oct. 18, 2021, Castro told an undercover agent that he could help him obtain a CLP in Massachusetts for $3,000. On or about Dec. 10, 2021, Castro explained to the undercover agent that the agent would need to sneak a Bluetooth device into the testing area at the RMV, surreptitiously place the device into his ear, then cover it with headphones used during the exam. Castro explained that he would be connected with the undercover agent via the Bluetooth device such that Castro could hear the audio questions and provide the undercover agent with the correct answers.

On or about Dec. 22, 2021, the undercover agent deposited $3,000 into Castro’s bank account before proceeding to the Danvers RMV to take the CLP exam. The undercover agent connected with Castro using the Bluetooth device and Castro provided the exam answers to the undercover agent in real time during the exam. The undercover agent passed the exam with Castro’s unlawful assistance and received a Massachusetts CLP.

The charge of unlawful production of an identification document provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and David G. Tobin of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Yonkers, N.Y. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a scheme to steal an $810,000 tax refund by impersonating a corporate executive in Connecticut.

Steven Ware, 64, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 40 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Ware was also ordered to pay $322,436.28 in restitution. In July 2025, Ware pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Ware was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2024 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2024.

In December 2023, Ware opened bank accounts in the name of a Connecticut investment company and one of its executives at a credit union in Tyngsborough, Mass. When opening the account, Ware identified himself as the executive – using the executive’s full name, date of birth, Social Security number and other documents.

Shortly after opening the account, Ware returned to the credit union pretending to be the executive and deposited a United States Treasury check payable to the company and the executive for $810,337.

Once the check cleared, a debit card was used to withdraw money from the account to buy goods at various retailers in New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Ware returned to the Tyngsborough credit union several times over the following days and weeks pretending to be the executive and wired more than $634,000 of the stolen funds.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Tyngsborough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty yesterday to a years-long drug conspiracy and a January 2023 armed robbery of a drug distributor, during which the defendant and another individual stole approximately $24,000 in drug trafficking proceeds intended for the purchase of cocaine.

Harvey Rodriguez, a/k/a “Big Opp,” 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of conspiracy interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery). U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for April 27, 2026. In August 2025, Rodriguez was arrested and charged.

Rodriguez was a participant in a multi-year drug conspiracy that took place in the Lynn area and on the North Shore of Massachusetts. As described in the court papers, Rodriguez conspired with numerous other distributors including those he supplied, and others who have been previously charged with federal drug offenses, including Vincent Caruso, a/k/a “Fatz”, Lawrence Michael Nagle, Jr. and Schuyler Oppenheimer, a/k/a “SK”. The drug conspiracy involved the manufacturing of counterfeit prescription pills and the sale of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in Lynn and throughout Massachusetts. Over the course of the investigation, Rodriguez distributed cocaine and methamphetamine to a cooperating witness and confidential informant on four occasions.

Rodriguez also participated in an armed robbery of a drug customer. On Jan. 30, 2023, a drug transaction was scheduled to take place at an apartment in Woburn, during which an associate of Rodriguez was to deliver a kilogram of cocaine in exchange for approximately $24,000. During the transaction, Rodriguez and Claudio Melo entered the apartment and pointed semiautomatic pistols at the drug customer before taking the $24,000 in cash, which was proceeds of drug trafficking activities the drug customer was engaged in. Rodriguez and Melo then forced the drug customer to open a safe in his bedroom, which was empty. Shortly thereafter, both robbers departed with the $24,000 cash.

The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery provides for a maximum penalty of up to 20 years, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to using an interstate facility to transmit information about a child.

Alex Bou, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of use of an interstate facility to transmit information about a child before U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick who scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026. In August 2025, Bou was arrested and charged.

On Aug. 17, 2025, Bou responded to an advertisement posted by undercover law enforcement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex acts. The advertisement contained images of a young female and language purported to be written by a female describing herself as a “flower ready to blossom.” On Aug. 17, 2025, Bou sent a text message to the number listed on the advertisement saying, “U available,” to which an undercover agent posing as the purported minor responded suggesting Aug. 19, 2025.

On Aug. 19, 2025, Bou continued his conversation with the undercover agent. In their conversation, the undercover agent stated that she was a 15-year-old girl available to perform sex acts in exchange for money. Upon being informed that the purported minor was 15 years old, Bou responded with, “Ok are you a virgin?” Bou agreed to pay $175 to have unprotected sex with the purported minor and acknowledged that he was agreeing to have sex with an “underage girl.” Bou obtained her address via text message, and shortly thereafter arrived at the location where he was placed under arrest. 

The charge of using interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor provides for a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig E. Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

This case was brought in collaboration with 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
 

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for assaulting multiple officers during an immigration arrest.

Guido Andres Cuellar Batres, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to eight months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In October 2025, Cuellar pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers engaged in the performance of official duties. Cuellar was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2025.

Cuellar had overstayed his non-immigrant visa by more than four years and, as a result, there was an outstanding immigration warrant for his arrest. At approximately 9:45 a.m. on May 4, 2025, four federal officers – three Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and a Drug Enforcement Administration agent – set up surveillance in a parking lot in Marlborough. There, a vehicle was observed entering the parking lot, with Cuellar in the front passenger seat. The officers – who were wearing outer garments identifying themselves as law enforcement – approached the vehicle and ordered Cuellar, in both English and Spanish, to step out of the car.  Cuellar refused. The officers then instructed Cuellar and the driver to unlock the vehicle, but they did not do so. After being instructed to keep his hands visible, Cuellar reached down such that officers lost sight of his hands – raising concern that he might be reaching for a weapon.  Given this concern and the refusals to comply with orders, the officers broke the rear passenger side window, enabling them to gain entry to the vehicle and unlock the front passenger door.

Upon being removed from the vehicle, Cuellar resisted officer efforts to bring his arms behind his back for handcuffing. As officers continued to attempt to handcuff Cuellar, he tried to bite one of them in the leg, did bite another officer above his wrist and struck that officer in the head multiple times.  

After the officers succeeded in handcuffing Cuellar, he continued to resist. As agents attempted to secure Cuellar in the rear seat of their vehicle, he jumped numerous times to avoid being put in the vehicle. One of the officers entered the opposite side of the vehicle to pull Cuellar into the rear seat. As the officer took hold of Cuellar, he head-butted the officer and spat directly into the officer’s eyes and face.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A former nurse was sentenced yesterday in federal court today in Boston for diverting benzodiazepine medication from a Boston-area hospital.

Ariana Foley, 37, of Needham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service. In November 2025, Foley pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception, and subterfuge.

Beginning in December 2018, Foley worked as a nurse at a Boston-area hospital. On July 16, 2022, Foley worked an overnight shift where she was assigned to an intubated and immobile patient in the intensive care unit. During her shift, Foley checked out a bag of Versed, which is a controlled substance and a benzodiazepine medication. She also checked out three bags of fentanyl, one of which was discarded when it began leaking. None of these medications were scanned into the patient’s medical records. Foley was discovered slumped over on the wall of the patient’s room after an emergency alarm went off. Foley was questioned by hospital administrators and found to have three syringes in her pocket.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations and Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mackenzie Queenin and Meghan Cleary of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A South Dennis, Mass., man was sentenced yesterday for threatening to murder a prominent federal official, their relative and the relative’s spouse.

Michael P. Mahoney, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to two years of supervised release with three months home detention and a $5000 fine. In August 2025, Mahoney pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person. In April 2025, Mahoney was arrested and charged.

On March 28, 2025, the relative of a prominent federal official was having dinner with two other individuals at a location outside of Massachusetts. At approximately 10:15 p.m. the relative received a phone call with “No Caller ID.” Upon answering the phone, the caller, later identified to be Mahoney, confirmed the relative’s full name. Mahoney then started to scream and stated that he was going to murder the relative, their spouse and the federal official –referring to the spouse and federal official by their first names – and said, “Die you f*****g c**t mother f****r.” The relative hung up while Mahoney was yelling. The call lasted approximately 12 seconds. Mahoney then called back immediately, but the relative did not answer.

Call records obtained from the relative’s phone service provider indicated that the originating number for the threatening call, as well as the subsequent unanswered call, belonged to Mahoney. When approached by law enforcement at his South Dennis residence on March 29, 2025, Mahoney refused to answer the door or his phone.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Dennis Police Chief John Brady made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan, Chief of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A member of the Asian Boyz gang was convicted in federal court in Boston following a week-long jury trial of conspiracy to distribute counterfeit pills made with methamphetamine and resembling the prescription medication Adderall.

Isiah Lyons, a/k/a “Tank,” a/k/a “Rozay,” 30, of Lowell, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Senior Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV, scheduled sentencing for April 21, 2026. Lyons was indicted in January 2025 along with his co-conspirators.

In 2021, law enforcement opened an investigation into the Asian Boyz gang to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution of substantial quantities of methamphetamine pills impacting Lowell.

The evidence presented at trial established that Lyons profited from the illegal sale of the methamphetamine pills by brokering deals for bulk quantities of the pills, which he called “oranges” and “adds.” Between December 2022 and February 2023, Lyons joined a conspiracy to sell the pills in 1,000 pill units, which he called “g packs.” Lyons and his co-conspirators sold four “g packs” containing an estimated 4,000 pills and weighing 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine. Unbeknownst to Lyons, one of the pill customers was an undercover agent.

To sell the methamphetamine pills, Lyons partnered with two Asian Boyz gang members who were part of the gang’s extensive drug network. They conspired in person and using encrypted messaging applications like Signal. In his message to one of his fellow co-conspirators, for instance, Lyons told him the price of the pills was $1,250 for the “pacc” – spelled specifically with two “c’s” as a way of acknowledging their common gang affiliation.  Lyons sourced the pills from a co-conspirator he paid $1,000 for the “paccs,” booking $250 profit for each deal he brokered during the conspiracy.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Greg C. Hudon, Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred M. Wyshak, III and David Cutshall of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Revere man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds for drug suppliers based in Central and/or South America and for possessing over 17 kilograms of various controlled substances.

Jason Hunter, 48, was sentenced on Jan. 8, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In May 2025, Hunter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; 500 grams or more of cocaine and other controlled substances; and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, law enforcement received information about large-scale international money laundering organizations that used money brokers in Colombia as liaisons between drug suppliers based in Central and/or South America and their drug customers in the United States. The money brokers arrange contracts with U.S.-based money launderers to conduct pickups of drug proceeds on behalf of the drug suppliers in Latin America. As part of the investigation, undercover investigators posing as money launderers, conducted controlled pickups in connection with contracts offered by the money brokers in cities throughout the United States, including Boston.

Over the course of the investigation, Hunter delivered drug proceeds to undercover investigators on multiple occasions, including on Feb. 28, 2024, when he delivered $140,000 of bulk cash drug proceeds. On April 3, 2024, Hunter was arrested on his way to a money pickup that had been arranged by a broker. At the time of his arrest $100,000 in drug proceeds was seized from Hunter’s possession. A subsequent search of his residence and vehicle resulted in the seizure of over 16 kilograms of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, additional pills containing oxycodone, as well as over a kilogram of cocaine and multiple kilograms of marijuana.

In May 2025, Hunter’s co-defendant, Walter Norton, was convicted by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Norton is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2026.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Ferguson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.  

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

BOSTON – An Ohio man has been arrested and charged in connection with multiple sales of firearms transported from Ohio to Massachusetts.

Ruben Joel Sanchez Jr., 31, was charged with one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Sanchez made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Jan. 9, 2026.  

According to the charging documents, beginning at least as early as June 2025 through January 2026, Sanchez engaged in the business of unlawful trafficking in firearms. In June 2025, Sanchez, who is not licensed to deal in firearms, sold three firearms to an individual in exchange for $4,000. On Jan. 8, 2026, Sanchez was recorded and observed selling four additional firearms to the same individual in return for $8,500. When Sanchez was arrested at the scene, an AR-style pistol equipped with a loaded, 100-round drum; a rifle equipped with a loaded, 100-round drum; a loaded pistol equipped with an extended magazine; and an additional loaded pistol were recovered.

The charge of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000. The charge of unlawful trafficking in firearms provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
    
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc., a corporation doing business in East Freetown, Mass. has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) safety standards in a 2023 incident that led to a worker’s death.

According to court documents, the company utilized a large soil screener for purposes of processing and screening soil and similar substances. The soil screener was approximately 46 feet long and 13 feet high, and weighed approximately 35,880 lbs. The tail conveyor of the soil screener – which weighed approximately 1,500 pounds – could be placed in a vertical closed position or could be opened to an approximate 45° angle. It is alleged that at various occasions in 2022 or 2023, the tail conveyor of the soil screener closed unexpectedly, and the soil screener had suffered a ruptured hydraulic pressure line.  

On Sept. 6, 2023, a company employee was working alongside a co-owner on the tail conveyer of the soil screener, which was in the open position. At the time, there was no equipment in place to prevent the tail conveyer from closing. According to the charging documents, as the employee was seeking to remove a bolt, the tail conveyor closed unexpectedly. The employee held onto the upper frame of the soil screener as the tail conveyer closed into the vertical position, crushing the employee’s head. The employee suffered massive head trauma and was pronounced dead soon thereafter.

For willfully violating an OSHA safety standard, John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc. faces a term of probation of up to five years, a fine of up to $500,000 and restitution payable to the estate of the deceased victim. Sentences are imposed by a federal judge based upon statutory factors.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Jeff Erskine, Regional Administrator of the Department of Labor OSHA Boston Region; and Maia Fisher, Regional Solicitor for Department of Labor Boston Region made the announcement today. Assistance in the investigation was also provided by, OSHA Criminal Investigations Team, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Cambridge, Mass. man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with an ongoing investigation of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Over the course of the past four years, the defendant is alleged to have been responsible for the manufacturing of over 200 kilograms of counterfeit pills.

Schuyler Oppenheimer, a/k/a “SK,” a/k/a “Michael Sylvain,” 35, of Cambridge pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026. In July 2025, Oppenheimer was arrested and charged. He was subsequently was indicted in August 2025.

According to court documents, Oppenheimer is known to be technically skilled in the chemical processes used in the synthesis of fentanyl, the compounding of controlled substances for distribution and the manufacturing of counterfeit pills. Recipes, pill press molds used in the manufacturing process, documents and invoices demonstrating that Oppenheimer purchased numerous pill presses and parts for pill presses from online vendors were seized. Multiple packages shipped from China to Oppenheimer, and various female associates of Oppenheimer, that contained pill press parts, were also seized.

Based on the review of orders and invoices from companies selling powders and other substances used in the pill manufacturing process, since 2019, Oppenheimer obtained over 200 kilograms of these filler powders. According to the recipes recovered during the investigation, when manufactured into counterfeit pills, 200 kilograms of filler powder equates to millions of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Additionally, Oppenheimer communicated directly with an illegal chemical supplier based in China. During this conversation, Oppenheimer inquired about the availability of controlled substances and fentanyl precursor chemicals and sought to purchase kilogram quantities of these substances. Fentanyl precursor chemicals are substances that can be used to synthesize raw fentanyl in a laboratory setting. Oppenheimer sought to synthesize his own fentanyl through the importation of these fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States.

Lastly, Oppenheimer obtained over $40,000 through two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications that were submitted in April 2021. Oppenheimer submitted false statements concerning his income through self-employment for the 2019 tax years and provided false tax return documents substantiating that income.

During the execution of a search warrant on Parker Street in Cambridge on July 18, 2024, over five kilograms of suspected counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine and a loaded firearm were recovered. Based on prior felony convictions, Oppenheimer is prohibited from possessing firearms.   

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a maximum penalty of up to 20 years, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Jennifer B. De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cambridge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A New Jersey biostatistician was charged today in federal court in Boston with allegedly earning more than $450,000 by trading on the material non-public information of a Massachusetts company.

Hong Wang, 59, of East Brunswick, N.J., was charged in an indictment with three counts of securities fraud.  Wang was arrested this morning at his home and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, Wang was a biostatistician who worked as a consultant for a Massachusetts pharmaceutical company (Company A). In 2023, during the course of his work for Company A, Wang allegedly obtained material non-public information about the fact that in December 2023, Company A planned to publicly announce positive test results concerning one of its cancer-treating drugs (the December Disclosure).  

While in possession of this material non-public information, and in violation of his fiduciary duties to Company A, Wang allegedly bought shares of Company A in advance of the December Disclosure. Over a roughly 22-day period, Wang allegedly purchased more than 150,000 shares across several different brokerage account he controlled. Wang allegedly sold 20,000 shares after Company A made the December Disclosure and held the remainder of the shares. It is alleged that Wang earned more than $450,000 trading in the securities of Company A based on its material non-public information.

The charges of securities fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil complaint against Wang alleging violations of the securities laws.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was sentenced on Jan. 7, 2026 in federal court in Boston for drug possession and distribution charges.

Star Sirikhom, 39, of R.I., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to two years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025, Sirikhom pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 along with five alleged co-conspirators.

In 2019, an investigation began into a Colombia-based money laundering organization that was laundering drug proceeds on behalf of multiple drug trafficking organizations. During surveillance of a residence identified as a possible drug stash location, multiple people were observed entering the location with weighted bags or boxes and exiting with large trash bags, weighted bags, and five-gallon buckets which were placed in vehicles before departing the residence.

In June 2021, Sirikhom was observed entering the stash house carrying a black backpack and exiting six minutes later with the same black backpack, which appeared to be weighted. During a subsequent traffic stop of Sirikhom’s vehicle, the backpack was seized from the trunk and found to contain over six kilograms of orange pills containing methamphetamine.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.  

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

BOSTON – A Plymouth, Mass. man has been arrested and charged with allegedly sexually exploiting two minor victims from the Philippines.

Robert Meserve, 38, is charged by criminal complaint with two counts of sexual exploitation of children. Meserve was arrested this morning in New Jersey and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to charging documents, in June 2025, law enforcement in Bergen County, New Jersey were notified of an individual – allegedly later identified as Meserve – engaging in communications, negotiating payment and directing the sexual abuse of children by their trusted adults on live streams, which Meserve screen recorded. It is alleged that an initial forensic examination of Meserve’s devices revealed files consistent with child sexual abuse material and numerous communications and corresponding payments, which detail the sexual abuse of these two minors in the Philippines – ages six and eight – including a non-verbal minor with disabilities.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Newark, NJ, the United States Marshals Service, the Bergen County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Plymouth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, of the Major Crimes Unit and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – Federal authorities in Boston seized two internet domains and two cryptocurrency accounts that were allegedly used for the illegal importation of machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) from China. MCDs commonly known as “switches” or “sears” are parts designed to convert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic machineguns. Possession of these items and their importation from certain countries, including China, are prohibited under the National Firearms Act (NFA). In addition, during the course of this investigation, 3,093 machine gun conversion devices (switches and auto sears) were seized along with 282 firearms; 124 silencers; and over 12,000 rounds of ammunition.

According to the court documents, beginning in 2023 and continuing through 2025, federal authorities began targeting multiple websites, businesses and individuals selling, offering for sale, importing and exporting machinegun conversion devices. Through undercover purchases from the website domains and MCD vendors promoting the sale of NFA-prohibited items – it was confirmed that the domains were being used to sell MCDs. Cryptocurrency accounts used by the MCD vendors to facilitate their sales were also later identified.

To conceal the alleged illegal importation, the contraband items sold from the domains were allegedly smuggled inside air cargo shipments from China to government-controlled mailboxes in the United States. The MCDs were packaged with other goods and were never properly declared with United States Customs.  

It is further alleged that the website domains trafficked counterfeit goods and unlawfully used the Glock, Inc. trademark by offering purported “Glock” switches for sale. In reality however, Glock, Inc. has never manufactured switches.

Federal authorities ultimately established probable cause to seize for forfeiture the internet domains and funds within the cryptocurrency wallets which were used in connection with the scheme to import MCDs. Visitors to the websites will now be directed to a landing page indicating that the domain has been seized:

To date, the operation led by the District of Massachusetts targeting MCD vendors, has led to the seizure of approximately 360 internet domains and over 3,000 MCDs, 282 firearms, 124 silencers, over 12,000 rounds ammunition and approximately 125 investigative referrals.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Boston Field Office and National Targeting Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annapurna Balakrishna of the Asset Recovery Unit and Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit obtained the seizure warrants in this case.

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

 

BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action to recover 200,000.039646 USDT (Tether), alleged to be proceeds of an online investment fraud scheme. The cryptocurrency currently has an estimated value of approximately $200,000.

In April 2025, an investigation began into a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme that targeted a Massachusetts resident. In such fraud schemes, often called “pig-butchering” schemes, scammers obtain funds from victims using manipulative tactics. The scammer establishes a level of trust with a victim in online communications and then entices the victim into investing in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. Often the victim is enticed to make additional payments before realizing they are a victim of fraud. The victim’s funds are stolen by the criminal, or criminals, ultimately causing the victim financial and emotional harm. Perpetrators behind these cryptocurrency investment schemes are often located overseas.  

As alleged in court documents, a Massachusetts resident matched with an individual on Tinder who went by the name “Nino Martin.” Martin suggested they leave Tinder and communicate via WhatsApp. He told the victim that he was a financial advisor and could help the victim make money by trading cryptocurrency. The victim then followed instructions to create an account and transfer funds to a trading platform that law enforcement believes was fraudulent. Individuals from the suspected fraudulent trading platform then contacted the victim with instructions on how to evade restrictions on the legitimate account from which the victim had transferred funds, as the prior transfers had been flagged as suspicious. The victim then continued to transfer funds to the suspected fraudulent trading platform. The victim transferred approximately $504,353 to the suspected fraudulent trading platform prior to contacting law enforcement.    

Some victim funds were then traced to a cryptocurrency account, which was seized in June 2025.

It is a violation of federal law to use wire communications as part of a scheme to defraud or to obtain money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses. It is also a violation of federal law to conduct a financial transaction knowing that the transaction is designed to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of criminal proceeds. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims.

This is one of several civil forfeiture actions the U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed seeking to forfeit cryptocurrency traced to fraud schemes targeting Massachusetts victims.

Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams and business email compromise fraud scams – should contact USAMA.CyberTip@usdoj.gov.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Lyons of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture action.

The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint and criminal charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Walpole man was convicted yesterday by federal jury in Boston for his role in a 2018 scheme to smuggle gold, platinum and other precious metals into the United States from Colombia and to launder money.

Thomas Cataloni, 46, was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States and one count of international money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2026. The defendant was charged in November 2022.

In 2018, Cataloni and his co-conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts in Colombia to pay for gold and platinum to be smuggled into the United States without being declared at U.S. customs. To facilitate the smuggling, the gold and platinum were melted in Colombia and formed to look like crude, unfinished jewelry such as chains, keychains and purse straps. The supposed jewelry was then worn by individuals who flew from Colombia into the United States without declaring the gold and platinum.

Two of Cataloni’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

The charges of money laundering conspiracy and international money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the amount involved, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs & Border Protection; Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; and the Canton and Walpole Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Sullivan and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Maine man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.  

Kirk Wilson, 46, of Maine, was sentenced on Jan. 7, 2026 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Indira Talwani to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2025, Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Wilson was charged in March 2024.  

Shortly after 1 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2023, Wilson was found unconscious inside a vehicle that was stopped on the side of a road in Littleton. During a subsequent search of the vehicle and his person, Wilson was found with a Taurus International 22-caliber handgun with eight rounds of ammunition in a magazine inside his pocket. Wilson is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions which include: a 2008 conviction for assaulting a pregnant person; a 2018 conviction for trafficking fentanyl powder and/or methamphetamine and alprazolam; and a 2023 conviction for unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs and unlawful possession of fentanyl powder.  

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Littleton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The operator of numerous sober homes in Massachusetts, who also operated insulation companies receiving funds through the Mass Save Program, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his involvement in four different fraud schemes involving sober homes in the Greater Boston area, the Mass Save Program, mortgage lenders and a federal loan program that assisted businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Daniel Cleggett, 39, of Kingston, formerly of Braintree and Quincy, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Cleggett was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,856,329 and forfeit $1,544,185. In December 2024, Cleggett pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a mortgage lending business (mortgage fraud conspiracy); 25 counts of wire fraud; six counts of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering); and three counts of making false statements to a mortgage lending business. Cleggett was arrested and charged in March 2023 along with co-conspirator Nicholas Espinosa.

Espinosa pleaded guilty to his role in the fraud schemes on Oct. 3, 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2026.

Cleggett was the founder of the sober home business A Vision From God LLC (AVFG). Established in November 2016, AVFG owned and operated sober homes in Boston, Wakefield, Quincy and Weymouth under trade names including Brady’s Place, Lakeshore Retreat and Lambert House. Espinosa managed the day-to-day affairs of Cleggett’s sober home business.

Cleggett, Espinosa and a sober home client entered into a conspiracy to defraud a New York-based family trust that was paying for the client’s room and board at Brady’s Place, located in Quincy. Specifically, Cleggett and Espinosa overcharged the family trust for room and board by up to $12,500 per month by submitting false and fraudulent invoices to the family trust. Cleggett and Espinosa would then issue “refund” checks to the client in furtherance of the fraud scheme.

From approximately October 2019 to December 2021, Cleggett personally, and through straw purchasers including Espinosa, purchased the three residential properties in Weymouth and Boston to use as sober homes. Cleggett, Espinosa and others submitted false information and fraudulent documentation including falsely representing that the three properties were intended to be purchased as primary residences when in reality, each was intended to be a sober home.

In addition to the sober home business, Cleggett operated numerous insulation contracting companies that participated in the Mass Save Program: Green Save Energy Corporation; Environmental Construction Objective Inc. (ECO); Green Giants, LLC; and Insulation Situation, LLC.

Mass Save is a Massachusetts public/private partnership sponsored by gas and electric utility companies that fund energy conservation projects and improvements via energy efficiency funds charged to Massachusetts residents’ utility bills.

Specifically, Green Save and ECO received millions of dollars for residential insulation work from a lead vendor company under the Mass Save program. From 2018 through mid-2021, Green Save and ECO fraudulently billed the vendor company for required permits that were not actually obtained. Green Save and ECO were ultimately terminated from participating in the lead vendor company’s program in June 2021, and Cleggett was banned from participating in the Mass Save program. In response to this, Cleggett, Espinosa and other co-conspirators formed Insulation Situation and Green Giants to enter as new lead vendors with the same company under straw owners. As a result, Cleggett obtained a total of $945,473 in payments from the company to Green Giants and Insulation Situation, despite him being banned from participating in the Mass Save program.

Additionally, on April 1, 2020, Cleggett submitted three Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications to the Small Business Administration for AVFG, the Daniel Cleggett Sole Proprietorship and Green Save. Cleggett obtained a total of $792,106 in EIDL loans and advances. In the applications, Cleggett falsely denied involvement in illegal activity despite his involvement in the sober home wire fraud scheme and the mortgage fraud scheme involving one of his Weymouth sober homes. Cleggett’s Sole Proprietorship EIDL application was false because the Daniel Cleggett Sole Proprietorship did not exist. Despite certifying that EIDL proceeds would only be used for “working capital” for the entity seeking the loan, Cleggett used tens of thousands of dollars from the funds to pay for personal expenses including EZ-Pass bills, gym membership fees, pet expenses, airline tickets, car rentals, vacation trips to Yellowstone, Montana and Aruba and thousands of dollars in hotel resort stays for Cleggett and his girlfriend – which included spa fees as well as a wine and caviar dinner, among other expenses. Cleggett also used Green Save EIDL funds for $37,997 in wedding expenses.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Kingston, Randolph and Quincy Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Boston area man pleaded guilty today to his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

Anthony Centeio, a/k/a “Wheezy,” 37 of Boston and Rehoboth, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of more of cocaine, cocaine base and methamphetamine; and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2026 Centeio was among 22 defendants charged in May 2023.

Centeio was identified as a leader of Cameron Street, a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston that uses violence and threats of violence to preserve, protect and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear and enhance its reputation. Members of Cameron Street have tattoos or wear clothing signifying their membership in the gang. Members post videos or use social media applications to promote Cameron Street, celebrate murders and other violent crimes committed by the gang as well as to denigrate rivals, in particular NOB (Norton, Onley and Barry Streets), known more generally as Wendover. Cameron Street members possess, carry and use firearms to murder and assault gang rivals as well as protect narcotics and drug proceeds.

As part of his role in the Cameron Street enterprise, Centeio and another Cameron Street member, Daronde Bethea, a/k/a “Freeze,” committed an attempted murder with a firearm of an NOB/Wendover gang member in Dorchester in June 2018. Bethea was sentenced to nearly 24 years in prison for his role in Cameron Street, including the attempted murder in June 2024:

Between February 2021 and March 2022, law enforcement recorded controlled purchases of a firearm from Centeio, as well as purchases of over 500 grams of cocaine and cocaine base from Centeio directly or through his cousin and co-defendant Michael Lopes. Lopes was sentenced to more than four years in prison in May 2024:

During an April 2022 search of Centeio’s home in Rehoboth, $25,760 in cash, a Glock .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 21 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, clothing and jewelry associated with Cameron Street was recovered. Centeio was encountered at Lopes’ residence in Pawtucket, where hundreds of grams of cocaine, cocaine base and methamphetamine, packaging materials for street level sales and cash were seized:

The charge of RICO conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, cocaine base and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Jared A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

The remaining defendants named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – The former owner of JMS Contracting, a general contracting business based in South Boston and Quincy, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for concealing business income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

John Michael Sacco, 54, formerly of Quincy, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. Sacco was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $3,059,887.

Sacco managed construction projects under the name JMS Contracting. From 2014 through 2021, Sacco received over $9 million from JMS’s customers. Rather than depositing JMS’s gross receipts into business bank accounts, Sacco cashed most checks from customers, used proceeds to purchase supplies and pay subcontractors in cash and retained remaining cash to pay personal expenses. Sacco failed to issue required tax forms to subcontractors and failed to file required forms with the IRS with respect to amounts that JMS paid to its subcontractors. By not reporting JMS’s actual receipts on tax returns that he filed for certain years and by filing no tax returns in other years, Sacco underreported his personal income tax obligations, causing a loss to the IRS of over $3 million.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A former accounting and real estate executive in Sudbury pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to a multi-year scheme to cheat the Internal Revenue Service by getting paid more than $1.6 million in compensation and fringe benefits under the table, all while lying to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about his income to avoid paying restitution he owed to victims of an earlier fraud scheme.

Stephen L. Hochberg, 77, of Marlborough, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to obstruction of justice. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for April 6, 2026. Hochberg was charged in December 2025.

Hochberg and Charles D. Katz agreed in as early as 2014 to cheat the IRS. They agreed that Hochberg, who served as the Director of Corporate Services at Katz’s accounting firm and as Chief Operating Officer at Katz’s real estate firm, would be paid significant compensation off the books so that Hochberg would have tax-free income and so that Katz’s firms – CD Katz LLC and Gebsco Realty Corporation – would owe less employment taxes. Over time, Katz paid Hochberg’s family, provided rent-free housing to Hochberg’s ex-wife, paid college tuition for his children and paid personal expenses that Hochberg and his ex-wife charged on corporate credit cards.

All told, Katz paid Hochberg at least $1,668,487 in unreported income and avoided taxes of at least $835,105.

In 2008, Hochberg was convicted of eight counts of wire fraud and nine counts of securities fraud, for which he was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,791,500 to his victims. In addition to his and Katz’s tax scheme, Hochberg lied to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about his income from Katz’s firms and obstructed the collection of restitution Hochberg owed to victims.

Katz was charged and agreed to plead guilty in October 2025. The Court accepted his plea and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 2, 2026.

The charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, restitution and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the case. 

BOSTON – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his involvement in a scheme to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. The scheme involved the dispatchment of skilled information technology (IT) workers who, using stolen identities of U.S. persons, posed as domestic workers to obtain remote IT jobs with U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 companies and a defense contractor.

Zhenxing “Danny” Wang, 39, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 14, 2026. In June 2025, Zhenxing Wang was indicted by a federal grand jury along with nine co-conspirators, including eight overseas operatives.

In response to U.S. and U.N. sanctions, the DPRK government dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers around the world, who falsified and stole identities of U.S. persons and posed as domestic workers to obtain remote IT jobs with U.S. companies and generate revenue for DPRK WMD programs. The DPRK IT workers’ scheme involved the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and third-party enablers in the United States and abroad. According to the court documents, the IT workers employed under this scheme also gained access to sensitive employer data and source code, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies.

According to the indictment, from approximately 2021 through October 2024, Zhenxing Wang and his alleged co-conspirators perpetuated a massive fraud scheme resulting in the transmission of false and misleading information to dozens of U.S. companies, financial institutions, and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Specifically,  Zhenxing Wang and his alleged  co-conspirators compromised the identities of more than 80 U.S. persons; fraudulently obtained remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 companies; received laptops and other hardware from U.S. companies; accessed, without authorization, the internal systems of these U.S. companies, including sensitive employer data and source code; generated at least $5 million in revenue for the overseas IT workers; and caused U.S. victim companies to incur legal fees, computer network remediation costs and other damages and losses of at least $3 million.  

The overseas IT workers were assisted in this scheme by Zhenxing Wang, Kejia Wang and at least four other identified U.S. facilitators. Kejia Wang pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme in September 2025.

Zhenxing Wang and other U.S. facilitators received and/or hosted laptops belonging to U.S. victim companies at their residences to deceive the U.S. companies into believing the IT workers were in the United States. Zhenxing Wang and his alleged co-conspirators facilitated remote access to the computers for the overseas IT workers through illicit means, including downloading software to the computers without authorization from the U.S. companies, connecting the U.S. companies’ computers to internet-connected KVM switches, and creating shell companies with corresponding websites and financial accounts, including Hopana Tech LLC, Tony WKJ LLC and Independent Lab LLC, to make it appear as though the overseas IT workers were affiliated with legitimate U.S. businesses. These facilitators also allegedly established accounts at U.S. financial institutions and online money transfer services to receive money from victimized U.S. companies, much of which was subsequently transferred to overseas co-conspirators. In exchange for their services, Zhenxing Wang and Kejia Wang collected at least $700,000 in fees.  

This investigation is the culmination of a multi-year investigation by federal law enforcement agencies and is one of several charged as part of the Justice Department’s initiative, DPRK: Domestic Enabler. Under the initiative, Department prosecutors and agents continue to prioritize high-impact, strategic, and unified enforcement and disruption operations targeting DPRK’s illicit revenue generation efforts through remote IT workers and the U.S.-based individuals who enable them.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt North Korea’s illicit financial activities, including for certain information related to individuals who are sent outside of North Korea to work to generate money for the North Korean government or who facilitate the activities of such North Korean nationals.

The charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Chistopher S. Delzotto, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Vegas Division; John E. Helsing, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office; and Kevin Murphy, Acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey, Deputy Chief of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI New York, Newark and San Diego Field Offices; HSI Newark Field Office; United States Postal Inspection Service’s San Diego Field Office; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of California.

\The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A Wakefield, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources intended for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Mateo Ventura, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper to 50 months in prison, to be followed by seven years of supervised release. In October 2025, Ventura pleaded guilty to one count of concealment of financing of terrorism. Ventura was charged by complaint in June 2023 and was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023.

Ventura provided multiple gift cards to an individual he believed was an ISIS supporter, with the intention that they be sold on the dark web for a little less than face value, and with the profits being used to support ISIS. Ventura stated that he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war on kuffar,” (disbelievers), and believed the money was being used to purchase ammunition and explosives. Ventura also expressed his desire to fight alongside ISIS overseas and purchased plane tickets in order to travel to the Middle East and join ISIS. In total between January and May 2023, Ventura made donations totaling $705.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney John A. Eisenberg for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case. Valuable assistance was provided by Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
 

BOSTON – An associate of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug conspiracy charges.

Mark Linnehan, 26, of West Roxbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for April 7, 2026.

Linnehan was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H-Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.

The investigation of H Block began in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. Since the start of the investigation in 2021, law enforcement attributed 12 incidents of gunfire to growing tensions involving H Block gang associates. Six H Block members and associates were arrested and charged with drug dealing in Boston and the surrounding communities. Four additional H Block members and associates were already in state custody at the time of the arrests. Additional drugs and four firearms were seized during the subsequent arrests.

From 2022 through 2023, Linnehan, a long-time H Block gang associate, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, in particular, fentanyl and cocaine. According to court filings, Linnehan was a supplier of fentanyl to his co-conspirators and also engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer.

According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Linnehan is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Ted E., Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Reading, Mass. man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to trafficking in wildlife parts from endangered and protected species.

Adam Bied, 40, has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, specifically, illegally imported wildlife parts, and two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in wildlife. The wildlife that Bied unlawfully imported and conspired to import was protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for April 2, 2026.  Bied was charged by an Information in June 2024.

Beginning in least January 2018 and continuing until at least June 2021, Bied bought, sold and traded in wildlife parts and products from threatened and endangered species knowing that many of the transactions violated U.S. laws and regulations, including the ESA and the Lacey Act.  Bied also knowingly failed to declare the wildlife to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) upon importation into the United States.

Specifically, Bied placed orders with individuals in Cameroon and Indonesia who were in the businesses of killing and acquiring wildlife, including endangered and protected species.  Bied purchased the wildlife parts from two individuals, received the parts in the United States unlawfully, and then resold or traded the wildlife to customers in the United States. Bied neither sought nor obtained the necessary USFWS import/export licenses or CITES permits before importing these items, nor did he declare the wildlife to the USFWS upon import as required.  Instead, Bied and his co-conspirators took steps to conceal the wildlife parts from U.S. authorities by falsely labeling them as “decorative masks” and “rodents,” among other things.  Bied unlawfully imported skulls from the following wildlife species, among others: baboon, chimpanzee, pangolin, orangutan and leopard.

Bied also consented to the civil forfeiture of over 100 wildlife parts from endangered, threatened, or protected species seized by the USFWS in July 2021 from Bied’s residence, storage unit and vehicle.

The wildlife parts identified in the civil forfeiture complaint include:

• Orangutan skulls
• Tiger skulls
• Leopard skin, skulls and a claw
• Jaguar skin and skull
• African lion skulls
• Polar bear skull
• Narwhal tusk
• Otter skeleton
• Harp seal skull
• Pangolin skull
• South American fur seal skull
• Elephant seal skull
• Babirusa skulls
• Mandrillus skulls
• Wallaby skull
• Jackal skull

Federal wildlife statutes and regulations prohibit international and illegal trade in vulnerable wildlife species. The ESA, the Lacey Act and CITES, as well as the accompanying regulations, prohibit the import, export, possession, transport, purchase and sale of protected species. The restrictions apply to live and dead wildlife specimens, as well as the skins, parts and products made in whole or in part from listed species. Additional documents are also required for wildlife protected by the CITES treaty, which regulates trade in endangered or threatened species through permit requirements.

The lawful importation of vulnerable wildlife species requires a CITES permit. The lawful importation of any foreign species requires a USFWS wildlife declaration. Individuals are also required to have a USFWS import/export license to import wildlife for commercial purposes.

The charges of conspiracy as well as the charges under the Lacey Act each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Preston Fant, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement. This case was worked jointly with the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Casey and Carol E. Head are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.

BOSTON – A Lynn man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston in connection with an investigation into drug conspiracy.

Meliek Bennett, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In August 2025, Meliek Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was arrested and charged in May 2025 along with his brother Maurice Bennett.

Maurice Bennett was identified as a member of the Bloods street gang in Lynn with prior convictions for carrying firearms and other violent crimes. During the investigation, numerous text messages between Maurice and his brother Meliek were intercepted, wherein they coordinated the distribution of drugs including cocaine, prescription medication, counterfeit pills and marijuana. The brothers discussed sharing drug customers, sharing drug supplies, paying Meliek Bennett’s drug debts and making a trip to New Hampshire to sell controlled substances together.

In September 2024, during a recorded conversation, Meliek Bennett described intending to use a silenced pistol to shoot up the residence of a drug supplier and potentially murdering the drug supplier to whom he owed a drug debt – after the supplier had beaten up Meliek Bennett. Shortly thereafter, a search warrant was executed at Meliek Bennett’s residence in Lynn, where fentanyl tablets, oxycodone, gabapentin and marijuana, as well as a .22 caliber pistol with a threaded barrel and ammunition were discovered.  

On Nov. 3, 2025, Maurice Bennett was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in August 2025.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lynn Police and Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An Illinois man has been charged in federal court in Boston with phishing the Snapchat access codes of nearly 600 women in an effort to hack their Snapchat accounts and steal nude photos, which he kept, sold, or traded on the internet.  

Kyle Svara, 26, of Oswego, Ill., is charged with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and false statements related to child pornography. The defendant will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Feb. 4, 2026.

According to the charging documents, from at least May 2020 to February 2021, Svara used social engineering and other resources to collect victim emails, phone numbers and/or Snapchat usernames. He allegedly used those means of identification to access victim Snapchat accounts, which prompted Snap Inc. to send account security codes to victims. Using anonymized phone numbers, Svara allegedly posed as a representative of Snap Inc. and texted more than 4,500 victims requesting those Snapchat access codes. When approximately 570 women provided those codes, it is alleged that Svara accessed the Snapchat accounts of at least 59 women without permission and downloaded their nude or semi-nude images. It is alleged that once he had the stolen images, Svara sold or traded on them on internet forums or in transactions with others who had hired him to hack the Snapchat accounts. Svara allegedly advertised on internet forums like Reddit that he could “get into girls snap accounts” for others and provide content “for you or trade.”

As further detailed in the charging documents, one of Svara’s co-conspirators was Steve Waithe, a former Track and Field Coach at Northeastern University who allegedly hired and paid Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of women Waithe coached or had other relationships with. In November 2023, Waithe was convicted in federal court in Boston of 12 counts of wire fraud; one count of cyberstalking; one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud; and one count of computer fraud, aiding and abetting. In March 2024, Waithe was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

In addition to the women Waithe and others allegedly hired Svara to hack, it is alleged that Svara also targeted women who resided in or around the area of Plainfield, Ill. or who were students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this case or have any relevant information related to this case are requested to please fill out the attached form to be contacted by a member of law enforcement: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/snaphackvictims

The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of no less than two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss from the offense. The charges of computer fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago and the Oswego Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Yonelin Manuel Baez Soto, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to one year and one day in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. In May 2025, Baez Soto pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Baez Soto was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.

In November 2020, Baez Soto was removed from the United States after being convicted of a felony narcotics offense in Essex Superior Court. Additionally, prior to his removal, Baez Soto was also convicted of multiple counts of misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Sometime after his November 2020 removal, Baez Soto illegally reentered the United States without permission. 

Also in May 2025, Baez Soto was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and other offenses. That case is currently pending in federal court in Boston. Baez Soto is subject to deportation upon completion of all imposed sentences.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Dominican national in state custody at Souza-Baronowski Correction Center in Lancaster, Mass., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Carlos Alexander Martinez-Jimenez, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Feb. 9, 2026. In December 2025, Martinez-Jimenez, who is currently serving a state prison sentence, was indicted by a federal grand jury.

In February 2017, Martinez-Jimenez was convicted of Furnishing a False Name or Social Security Number as well as Identity Fraud in Fall River District Court, for which he was sentenced to 134 days in state prison. He was subsequently removed from the United States in April 2017 after serving his sentence.

On Jan. 31, 2024, Martinez-Jimenez was convicted of Trafficking 18 grams or more (Less Than 36 grams) of Heroin/Morphine/Opium/Fentanyl in Essex Superior Court. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half to five years in state prison and is currently serving that sentence.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Zachary Stendig of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – The Department of Justice, alongside our law enforcement partners, has been actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the mass shooting at Brown University and the homicide of an MIT professor in Brookline, Mass. The investigation into these horrific acts remains ongoing.

As part of the investigation on Dec. 18, 2025, investigators executed a federal search warrant at a storage facility used by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the Portuguese national responsible for the senseless murders. During the search of the storage facility, the FBI recovered an electronic device containing a series of short videos made by Neves Valente after the shootings.

Today, the Department of Justice is releasing the transcripts of these videos, which have been translated from Portuguese to English. In these videos, Neves Valente admitted that he had been planning the Brown University shooting for a long time. Although Neves Valente stated that Brown University was his intended target, based on initial review of the evidence collected, he did not provide a motive for targeting students at Brown University or the professor at MIT. Neves Valente showed no remorse during the recordings; on the contrary, he exposed his true nature when he blamed innocent, unarmed children for their deaths at his hand and grumbled about a self-inflicted injury he suffered when he shot the MIT professor at close range. Our investigation into the motives behind Neves Valente’s heinous acts will continue.

Based on the evidence seized and analyzed to date, authorities do not believe there are any ongoing public safety threats associated with the shootings. Additional updates will be provided as further information is developed and following appropriate victim notification.

BOSTON – Ajinomoto Cambrooke, Inc. (Cambrooke), a company headquartered in Ayer, Mass., has agreed to pay $1,360,819.04 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP, which the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administered.  The PPP provided for loans in two “draws”—first draw loans became available in March 2020. Businesses were required to certify on their loan applications that they met certain size standards based on, for example, the number of employees they employed.  On May 5, 2020, the SBA issued guidance that, for purposes of assessing whether the borrower met the size standards for a first draw loan, an applicant must count all of its employees, as well as the employees of its U.S. and foreign affiliates, absent an exception.

As detailed in the settlement agreement, Cambrooke admitted that, on or about May 15, 2020, it applied for a first draw PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan under the PPP rules. When it applied, Cambrooke, together with its Japanese parent company, exceeded the applicable size standards for eligibility.  Cambrooke later sought and received forgiveness from the SBA of the full amount of that loan. 

The settlement credits Cambrooke for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters. 

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  The relator will receive 10% of the settlement amount under today’s settlement.  The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Verity Investigations, LLC v. Ajinomoto Cambrooke, Inc., No. 25-cv-10220-RGS (D. Mass.). 

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the case. 
 

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and stealing both a U.S. Treasury tax refund check and a check from a New York law firm.

Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud; one count of theft of government funds; two counts of bank fraud; and two counts of money laundering. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2026. In June 2025, Smith-Matthews was arrested and charged by criminal complaint as part of a federal crackdown on stolen U.S. Treasury checks. He was later indicted in September 2025.

In 2021, Smith-Matthews fraudulently obtained two PPP loans by falsely claiming business income of $128,000, when he made less than half that amount and did not actually have a business. Additionally, in 2024, Smith-Matthews obtained and deposited a U.S. Treasury tax refund check for $150,000 that had been altered and forged to be payable to a defunct clothing company that Smith-Matthews owned. In fact, the U.S. Treasury check had been issued to a married couple in North Carolina as a refund on their 2023 income taxes. After depositing the check, Smith-Matthews laundered the proceeds using cashier’s checks made payable to a purported roofing company. In 2024, Smith-Matthews obtained and deposited a $232,000 check stolen from a New York firm. Like the U.S. Treasury check, the law firm check had been altered and forged to be payable to Smith-Matthews’ defunct company.

The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Christopher J. Gust, Assistant Special Agent in charge of the U.S. Dept. of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Northeast Field Division; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A West Roxbury man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for drug distribution offenses involving fentanyl.

Santo Leandro Duverge Tejeda, a/k/a “La Niña,” 29, was indicted on two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendant will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a future date. Duverge Tejeda was previously arrested and charged by complaint on Nov. 20, 2025.

According to the charging documents, the defendant distributed fentanyl on four separate occasions in Watertown and Waltham. On the day of his arrest, he allegedly possessed over 400 grams of fentanyl intended for distribution.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew A. Caffrey, III of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. 

BOSTON – A Roslindale man has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged fentanyl distribution conspiracy, following a series of controlled purchases in Brookline and Boston.

Shaquylle Burden, 31, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Burden was arrested on Dec. 11, 2025 and remains in federal custody. A co-defendant, Kerry Charlotin, a/k/a “KG,” 36, of Rockland, was also arrested in South Carolina and remains in federal custody. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Charlotin is currently on federal supervised release for a 2020 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to the charging documents, the defendants trafficked fentanyl in and around the greater Boston area since at least June 2025. It is alleged that, on separate dates in October and December of 2025, Burden and Charlotin sold or arranged the sale of fentanyl during repeated controlled purchases. One firearm was also allegedly located at Burden’s residence at the time of his arrest.

The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Columbia Field Office in South Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.