District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2025 for distributing thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, including to a member of the Asian Boyz gang.

Scott Fournier, a/k/a “S.G.,” 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In June 2025, Fournier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine; two counts of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine; two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine; and three counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, a long-term investigation identified that Asian Boyz gang members and associates had access to a plentiful supply of dangerous, homemade pills pressed with varying doses of methamphetamine and caffeine designed to resemble pharmaceutical-grade Adderall.

Between March 2, 2023 and May 12, 2023, Fournier supplied an Asian Boyz gang member with more than 2,000 methamphetamine pills to be used in street deals. Fournier’s fingerprints were identified on one of the bags containing the pills.

The investigation subsequently traced Fournier’s supply operation to a storage unit in Tyngsborough. Security video recordings from the facility showed Fournier routinely accessing the storage unit, including at the times in which he delivered methamphetamine pills to the Asian Boyz gang member. During a search of the storage unit in October 2023, 13,464 counterfeit “Adderall” pills containing methamphetamine were found – with a combined weight of over four kilograms – as well as other types of pills. Upon being approached by law enforcement, following the search of his storage unit, Fournier was found in possession of a bag that contained an additional 1,684 counterfeit “Adderall” pills made with methamphetamine.      

Additionally, over the course of five separate occasions between April 2024 and October 2024, Fournier sold approximately 8,000 counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine – with a combined weight of over two kilograms – in recorded deals to a cooperating witness.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Superintendent Gregory C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, 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 also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.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 Lowell man was arrested and charged on Oct. 1, 2025 for allegedly distributing cocaine base (crack cocaine).

Marc Sanchez, 31, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The defendant made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Oct. 1, 2025 and remains detained in federal custody.

According to court filings, Sanchez was allegedly dealing crack cocaine out of his residence in a large apartment complex in Lowell. Specifically, it is alleged that on Sept. 17, 2025, a cooperating witness arranged to meet Sanchez at his apartment to purchase an ounce and a half of crack cocaine. It is also alleged that at the time of meeting Sanchez was observed meeting with an unknown drug supplier in a car outside his apartment building to acquire powder cocaine. Sanchez then allegedly returned to his apartment with the cooperating witness, where Sanchez “cooked” the powder cocaine into crack cocaine, separated and weighed the substance, and then sold it to the cooperating witness. It is further alleged that Sanchez used phone numbers and cars registered in other people’s names to deal crack cocaine. According to court documents, there are at least four outstanding arrest warrants for Sanchez in connection with open criminal cases in Derry District Court in New Hampshire, and in Boston, Lawrence and Lowell District Courts in Massachusetts.

The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime 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, Boston Division; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Greg C. Hudon, Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Salem (Mass.) Police Departments and the Manchester, New Hampshire Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III 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 (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The 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 Lexington, Mass. attorney was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2025 in federal court in Boston for defrauding multiple Massachusetts victims, including two relatives.

David Smerling, 75, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of $3,534,316 and forfeiture.  In June 2025, Smerling pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Smerling was sentenced in connection with three separate schemes. Between January 2016 and May 2020, Smerling worked as a bookkeeper for three Massachusetts companies and embezzled more than $2.8 million from the companies and their owners. He did so by transferring funds first to a bank account owned by one of the victims that Smerling controlled before moving the money to bank accounts in his own name, or directly from the companies’ accounts to bank accounts in his own name. Smerling concealed his scheme by changing the mailing address on victims’ bank statements to his home address and refusing to share the online banking password for the victims’ accounts. In April 2020, a victim discovered Smerling had transferred $350,000 from one of the companies to himself without authorization. After these funds were returned, Smerling changed the banking passwords and again transferred $350,000 from the company to himself.  

Between May 2020 and August 2021, Smerling embezzled more than $475,000 from a trust established for the benefit of a relative with special needs for which Smerling served as the trustee. Smerling transferred trust funds to bank accounts he controlled before sending the funds to bank accounts in his wife’s name or using the funds to pay for personal expenses. He concealed his scheme by making lulling payments to the beneficiary so he would not discover the trust had been depleted.  

Between May 2023 and April 2025, Smerling embezzled more than $175,000 from a relative with dementia for whom Smerling served as the financial power of attorney, including while he was on pretrial release after his January 2025 arrest in this matter. Smerling transferred funds from the victim’s accounts to accounts he controlled, used a credit card in the victim’s name for personal purchases and took out a loan in the victim’s name. To conceal this scheme, Smerling misrepresented the purpose of the transfers to the financial institutions in which the victim’s accounts were held.  

U.S. 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 Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An Indian national, residing in New York, pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2025 in federal court in Boston to participating as the “robber” in staged armed robberies in furtherance of a visa fraud conspiracy.  

Tanveer Sidhu, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Court Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2026.

Beginning in March 2023, Sidhu and co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least nine convenience/liquor stores and fast-food restaurants across the United States – including at least five in Massachusetts. The purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the store clerks to claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.  

During the staged robberies, Sidhu, acting as the “robber,” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped to a nearby getaway car before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” were paid to participate in the scheme. For example, one purported victim paid $20,000 to participate as a victim in one of the staged armed robberies. In turn, the co-conspirator who organized the scheme paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery and paid Sidhu for his assistance.

At least two purported victim co-conspirators submitted U Visa applications based on being victims of the staged armed robberies.

The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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 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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington; FBI’s New York and Seattle Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hingham, Marshfield, Randolph, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in New Bedford was sentenced on Oct. 1, 2025 in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Manuel Ruiz Luis, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick to six 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 June 2025, Ruiz Luis pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In May 2025, Ruiz Luis was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Ruiz Luis was first deported from the United States to Guatemala in April 1996 and reentered the United States illegally sometime thereafter. Ruiz Luis was removed from the United States a second time on March 28, 2012. Sometime after his March 2012 removal, Ruiz Luis illegally reentered the United States without permission.

Prior to his 2012 removal, Ruiz Luis had multiple criminal convictions including one charge of operating under the influence and four separate charges of operating a motor vehicle without a license.

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 Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Guatemalan man pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2025 in federal court in Boston to assaulting multiple officers during an immigration arrest.

Guido Andres Cuellar Batres, 24, pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers engaged in the performance of official duties. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Jan. 12, 2026. 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.

The charge of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers engaged in the performance of official duties provides for a sentence of up to eight 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; Patricia H. Hyde, 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 is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 22, 2025 in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Leonardo Hernandez-Blanco, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served (approximately 10 months) followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. Hernandez-Blanco was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2020.

Hernandez-Blanco was deported from the United States to Mexico on July 23, 2010 and on Feb. 11, 2020. Sometime after each of removal, Hernandez-Blanco illegally reentered the United States without permission.

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 Chelsea Police Chief Keith E. Houghton made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Waltham pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 1, 2025 in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Kevin Elizar Reyes-Andres, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (approximately three months). The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. Reyes-Andres was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025.

Reyes-Andres was deported from the United States to Guatemala on Feb. 27, 2019. Sometime after his February 2019 removal, Reyes-Andres illegally reentered the United States without permission. On May 19, 2025, he was arrested by immigration authorities in Waltham. On that date, a car stop was initiated. Reyes-Andres fled and was later observed getting into another vehicle, attempting to flee again on foot before being apprehended.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Chelsea, Mass. has been charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Esteban Chavez-Gonzalez, 35, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Chavez-Gonzalez was arrested on Oct. 30, 2025 in Gray, Maine and extradited to the District of Massachusetts. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Nov. 6, 2025, the defendant was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond and special conditions.

Chavez-Gonzalez was deported from the United States in April of 2013. According to the charging documents, at some point he unlawfully reentered the U.S. and, on Nov. 8, 2020, was arrested for a sexual assault for which he was convicted in 2022. Chavez-Gonzalez is a registered sex offender.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year 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. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights 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 – Four Dominican nationals have been extradited to the United States for their alleged roles in connection with a transnational “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. In total, the investigation identified over 400 victims with an average age of 84, including at least 50 in Massachusetts, and more than $5 million in losses.

Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, 33; Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez, a/k/a “Paflow,” 33; Edward Jose Puello Garcia, 45; and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, 26, were arrested in August 2025 in the Dominican Republic and extradited on Sept. 30, 2025. They appeared in federal court in Boston on Oct. 1, 2025 and were detained pending trial. The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

According to the charging documents, the defendants, allegedly led by Castanos Garcia, ran a sophisticated “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren and other close family members were in trouble and needed money. Once the defendants obtained the money, they allegedly laundered their illicit proceeds back to the Dominican Republic.

Castanos Garcia allegedly oversaw call centers in the Dominican Republic, where he employed co-conspirators who spoke English and carried out what are commonly known as “grandparent scams.” These scams would begin with an “Opener” employee, who would call victims and pretend to be a grandchild who was in an accident. Then, a “Closer” would allegedly follow up with another call, pretending to be the grandchild’s attorney, asking for a sum of money to pay for the grandchild’s attorney’s fees. Castanos Garcia allegedly ran these call center locations with the help of several managers, including Cruz Rodriguez and Puello Garcia, who allegedly supervised, instructed and paid the employees.

As alleged in the indictment, callers for Castanos Garcia’s call centers would instruct elderly victims to provide cash to “runners” in the United States, including Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon. Most often, the callers would instruct victims to give the packages with cash to rideshare drivers who were ordered to the victim’s house by a runner. The runners would then allegedly have the unsuspecting rideshare drivers deliver the packages to the runners at nearby locations. In some cases, the callers would allegedly direct the victims to ship packages of cash to specified addresses via mail or commercial carriers.

Often times, the call center would allegedly call victims again and ask for additional funds for their grandchildren, sometimes two or three additional times. For example, callers would allegedly claim that there had been a “mix up” or that a “pregnant women’s baby was lost in the crash.”

At times, co-conspirators would allegedly order unwitting rideshare drivers to drive the elderly victims to the bank to withdraw additional funds.

It is further alleged that, at the direction of Castanos Garcia’s and others, the runners would engage in financial transactions with the victims’ money, including depositing cash into bank accounts and delivering it to co-conspirators in New York and elsewhere. Operators of the scheme relied on money launderers in the United States and the Dominican Republic to transmit proceeds from victims in the United States to Castanos Garcia and others in the Dominican Republic.

Members of the public who believe they may be victims of this case, or other elder fraud scams, should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Suspected fraud can also be reported on the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center.

The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and 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 loss to the victim. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, 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; and Kevin Neal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs; the Dominican National Police; División Especial de Investigación del Crimen Organizado Internacional (DEICROI); Central de Investigaciones Criminales (DICRIM); and the Ministerio Publico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

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

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ADDENDUM

Defendant

Alleged Role

Charges

Status

Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud

Money Laundering Conspiracy.

Luis German Santos

Burgos, a/k/a “Mambo Flow,” 32, of the Dominican Republic and Dorchester, Mass.

BOSTON – A Quincy man was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2025 in federal court in Boston for falsely claiming to sell repossessed vehicles as a law enforcement officer. Defendant claimed to be a Boston Police Detective, Massachusetts State Police Trooper and County Sheriff.

Recardo S. Beale, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 90 days in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Beale was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $199,885.00. In May 2025, Beale pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud.

Beale was an Officer for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department from approximately April 2021 to November 2021. Between approximately October 2023 and February 2024, Beale claimed to six individuals that as a law enforcement officer, he had access to repossessed vehicles that he could sell at a low price.

At various times, Beale identified himself to these individuals as a Sheriff, a Boston Police Detective and/or a Massachusetts State Police Trooper. Beale did not, in fact, hold any of these positions when he made such representations. In reliance on Beale’s false representations, the individuals gave tens of thousands of dollars to Beale for purported repossessed vehicles. Among the vehicles that Beale falsely promised to sell were a BMW, an Audi and a Mercedes. Beale never delivered any such vehicles as Beale did not have any such repossessed vehicles available for sale. On separate occasions, Beale met with two separate individuals at the Suffolk County House of Correction purportedly to show them repossessed vehicles. During one such meeting on Nov. 17, 2023, Beale met with an individual inside a secure area of the House of Correction. Surveillance video showed Beale wearing a Suffolk County Correction Officer Academy hoodie, blue tactical pants like those worn by jail guards and black boots also similar to those worn by jail guards. Beale did not show any vehicles to the individual on Nov. 17, 2023, claiming that a fictious captain was also involved in the sale, and not available.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Merck and John Mulcahy of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.   

BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2025 to providing a controlled substance in the form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” to a federal 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, 43, a former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, pleaded guilty to providing contraband to a prison inmate. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Jan. 16, 2026. In March 2025, Hammock and her co-conspirator Raymond Gaines were charged by criminal complaint. Gaines, a federal inmate at FMC Devens, was indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate, and his case remains pending.

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 current 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.    

The charges of providing a prohibited object to a prison inmate, and receiving a prohibited object by a prison inmate, each carry a penalty of up to 10 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; 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 is prosecuting the case.  

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

BOSTON – A former Sergeant with the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) was sentenced on Oct. 14, 2025 in federal court in Boston for orchestrating a series of bribery and extortion schemes to give false passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants, including individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test.

Gary Cederquist, 60, of Stoughton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to six years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Cederquist was also ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $30,000, restitution in the amount of $18,300, and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $18,300. In May 2025, Cederquist was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of extortion, six counts of honest services mail fraud, three counts of conspiracy to falsify records, 19 counts of falsification of records and 17 counts of false statements. Cederquist was acquitted of one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, two counts of extortion, three counts of falsification of records and three counts of false statements.

In January 2024, Cederquist was charged in a 74-count indictment along with three other MSP troopers and two civilians:  

• Former Trooper Calvin Butner, 65, of Halifax;
• Former Trooper Perry Mendes, 65, of Wareham;
• Former Trooper Joel Rogers, 56, of Bridgewater;
• Scott Camara, 44, of Rehoboth; and
• Eric Mathison, 48, of Boston.

Cederquist was in charge of MSP’s CDL Unit, of which former Troopers Butner, Mendes and Rogers were members. Class A CDLs are required to drive combination vehicles (e.g., tractor-trailers, oil tankers). Class B CDLs are required to drive heavy single vehicles (e.g., box trucks, school buses). Test requirements for CDLs are established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Members of MSP’s CDL Unit are responsible for administering CDL skills tests. The CDL skills test is a demanding, in-person test that consists of three segments: Vehicle Inspection; Basic Control Skills; and the Road Test. Test scores reported by members of MSP’s CDL Unit are material to whether applicants meet federal requirements for, and therefore whether the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is permitted to issue applicants, CDLs. In Massachusetts, the pass rate was 48% in 2019, 44% in 2020, 41% in 2021 and 41% in 2022.

Between in on or about February 2019 and January 2023, Cederquist and his co-conspirators arranged to give passing scores to at least three dozen applicants regardless of whether or not they had actually passed or, in some cases, had even taken the CDL skills test, including in some instances in exchange for bribes.

Cederquist and his co-conspirators used the code word “golden handshake” or “golden” to identify applicants who received special treatment and were to be given passing scores on their skills tests regardless of performance. In text message conversations, Cederquist and his co-conspirators described a number of “golden” applicants as performing poorly on their skills tests. However, all of the applicants received passing scores.

Among the CDL applicants to whom Cederquist gave preferential treatment were six MSP Troopers who Cederquist falsely reported as having passed a Class A skills test. In reality, however, the Troopers did not take a real CDL skills test. For four of the Trooper applicants, Cederquist conspired with his friend Camara, who worked for a truck-driving school in Brockton, to accomplish this offense.

Cederquist also conspired with his friend Mathison, who worked for a water company that employed drivers who needed CDLs, to give passing scores to certain applicants affiliated with the water company. In exchange for the passing scores, Cederquist accepted bribes – for years – of free inventory from the water company, such as cases of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, cases of bottled Arizona Iced Tea, coffee and tea products and boxes of Twizzlers and Swedish Fish, all of which Mathison delivered to an office trailer at the CDL test site in Stoughton. Cederquist sent Mathison a text describing one applicant as “an idiot,” who had “no idea what he’s doing,” and “should have failed about 10 times already.” Cederquist then texted Mathison that Mathison’s boss “owes big time.”

In exchange for using his official position to give preferential treatment to certain CDL applicants, Cederquist accepted a variety of bribes including inventory from Mathison’s water company valued at $8,300; a $750 granite post and mailbox; a new driveway valued at over $10,000; and a snowblower valued at nearly $2,000. Cederquist described one such applicant as “horrible,” and “brain dead,” but gave him a passing score anyway in exchange for the snowblower.

All CDL recipients identified as not qualified during the course of this investigation have been reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.  

In August 2025, former Trooper Calvin Butner, a co-defendant, was sentenced to three months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first three months in home confinement. In August 2025, former Trooper Perry Mendes, also a co-defendant, was sentenced to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first two months on home confinement. In September 2025, civilian co-defendant Eric Mathison was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2025, Scott Camara was sentenced to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Elise Chawaga, Principal Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Los Angeles man who formerly resided in Randolph, Mass. was sentenced on Oct. 1, 2025 in federal court in Boston for submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of multiple companies he owns and controls.  

Rindal Pierre-Canel, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun to two years’ probation. In June 2025, Pierre-Canel pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. The defendant was arrested and charged in January 2025.  

Between March 2021 and May 2021, Pierre-Canel submitted three fraudulent applications seeking and receiving over $50,000 in PPP funds. Two of the applications were submitted in Pierre-Canel’s own name and the third application was submitted using the stolen personal identifying information of a victim. The submissions included false representations about the existence and income of businesses and included false tax documents in support of these false representations. Pierre-Canel used the funds he received from the fraudulent PPP loan applications on personal expenses, including flights to California and purchases of designer clothing.

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 the U.S. Department of Labor and the Cambridge (Mass.) and Hermosa Beach (Calif.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – The former Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and former President of the Tribe’s Gaming Authority was sentenced on Nov. 5, 2025 for extortion in connection with the First Light Resort and Casino, which the Tribe’s Gaming Authority is building in Taunton, as well as for failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars of income on his federal income tax returns – most of which was related to the casino project.

Cedric Cromwell, 60, of Attleboro, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 42 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $270,763, and to pay $51,849 in a forfeiture money judgment.

In March 2021, a federal grand jury sitting in Boston indicted Cromwell on tax charges and charges that he extorted Robinson Green Beretta Corp. (RGB), an architecture-and-design firm that had a contract to serve as the Gaming Authority’s “owner’s representative” for the casino project. The trial court severed the tax counts from the extortion counts, which went to trial in the spring of 2022.

On May 5, 2022, a federal jury convicted Cromwell of three counts of extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, finding that he had extorted RGB into paying him $50,000 in 2014-2015, giving him a $1,700 Bowflex Revolution home gym in 2016 and paying for a weekend stay at an upscale Boston hotel in 2017. The trial court dismissed the jury’s convictions, but the First Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated them on Sept. 27, 2024. Cromwell filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court but the Court declined to hear his appeal.

In July 2025, Cromwell pleaded guilty to four counts of filing a false tax return, admitting that he failed to report more than $177,000 in income on his federal income tax returns for 2014 - 2017. Cromwell’s unreported income included $57,549 that he extorted from RGB, $45,023 that he received from the architect on the casino project and $74,821 that he received from a company that sold forest carbon offsets.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Jared C. Dolan of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A former local school music teacher and a Filipino national living in Baltimore, Md., have been charged with allegedly sexually exploiting and sex trafficking minor children.

Joshua DeWitte, 50, of Cambridge, Mass., was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 29, 2025 on six counts of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy); one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children; one count of distribution of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. Christopher Allan Tisoy, 27, a Filipino national residing in Baltimore, Md., was charged by an Information on Oct. 29, 2025 with one count of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy) and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.

The defendants were arrested in May 2025 and charged with one count each of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy). They remain detained in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at the time of the alleged conduct, DeWitte was a music teacher at a local school in Massachusetts. Tisoy, a citizen of the Philippines who lawfully entered the United States in September 2024 on a H-1B Visa, was employed as a medical technologist at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

In December 2024, DeWitte was allegedly identified as the owner of a Snapchat account that uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the abuse of a boy who appears to be between approximately eight and 10 years old. Snapchat records allegedly showed that, in September 2024, DeWitte requested nude pictures from multiple purported minors; sent pictures of his penis to the purported minors; and discussed previous and potential in-person meetups for sexual relations with minors. Additionally, it is further alleged that DeWitte paid, and offered to pay, another Snapchat user to obtain and produce child pornography and to recruit minor boys for himself.

Based on that information, DeWitte was arrested and charged in Cambridge District Court with six counts of disseminating obscene material to a child, one count of distribution of material depicting a child in a sexual act and one count of possession of child pornography. He was later released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, a Telegram conversation between DeWitte and Tisoy was located on DeWitte’s phone, in which they arranged for the production of videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys in the Philippines. Specifically, it is alleged that in the conversations, DeWitte and Tisoy negotiated the terms of creating sexually explicit videos involving minors, including which minors should be involved; which sex acts the minors should perform; who should film, including whether a third party or one of the minors themselves should film; what angles should be filmed; and how much DeWitte should pay Tisoy for each video. The negotiation allegedly incorporated the sexual preferences of both DeWitte and Tisoy, with both agreeing on what they would each find sexually gratifying. Tisoy then allegedly relayed instructions to the minor victims to create a video.

DeWitte allegedly paid Tisoy for each video Tisoy produced and sent. It is further alleged that, between July 3, 2023 and Dec. 27, 2024, DeWitte sent 87 PayPal payments to Tisoy, in amounts ranging from $27 to $958, to film the sexual exploitation of minors in the Philippines – totaling to approximately $23,752. 

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 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. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cambridge Police Department; HSI-Baltimore; the Maryland Department of State Police; and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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 defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A former Lawrence Police Captain was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault on a man in Lawrence Police custody.  

Michael M. Mangan, 47, of Derry, N.H., was indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reports. The defendant was arrested on Oct. 29, 2025 and was released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

According to the indictment, on March 10, 2023, while on duty as a Captain with the Lawrence Police Department, Mangan assaulted a person who had been arrested, resulting in bodily injury the victim. The indictment further alleges that Mangan submitted two false reports about the incident, including a report in which he falsely stated that during the booking process, the victim “slightly turned and bladed his body towards” Mangan “and simultaneously threw his right arm and outstretched hand at a high rate of speed towards [Mangan’s] face with his fingers in a grabbing motion. It alleged that he also stated that the victim demonstrated “assaultive action,” that there was an “imminent threat of the victim reaching to grab at [Mangan’s] face” and that he “utilized a straight arm take down” with his right arm across the victim’s chest. As alleged in the indictment, Mangan submitted these false reports intending to impede, obstruct or influence an ensuing federal investigation.

The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of false reports 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 made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina E. Barclay and Brian A. Fogerty of the Criminal Division are 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 New York man was sentenced on Oct. 27, 2025 for his involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.

Rongjian Li, 38, of Staten Island, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years of probation, with the first year to be served on home confinement. Following home confinement, Li will be required to perform 100 hours of community service. In February 2025, Li pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy.

In May 2023, a federal grand jury in Boston returned a superseding indictment charging 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization. The network was identified in the greater Boston area in 2021 along with the leader of the organization, Jin Hua Zhang, based in Staten Island, New York, and a number of his criminal associates. The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than one year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million.

A large portion of the laundered funds were generated by criminal groups operating overseas who tricked U.S. victims into falling for a variety of internet-based frauds. These frauds included tricking victims into sending money to purchase or extend warranties or soliciting victims to invest in cryptocurrencies and then stealing the invested funds. In order to help these criminal groups launder these funds, Zhang needed U.S. bank accounts.

Rongjian Li was a Bank of America employee in New York who became friendly with Zhang. In 2021-2022, Zhang directed his runners to meet with Li at Li’s Bank of America branch. Li knew some of Zhang’s accounts were opened with runners using fraudulent passports and knew that the accounts were intended for use to launder “scam” money. When the bank’s financial auditing systems flagged or froze accounts for suspicious activity, Li misused the branch customer information system to help Zhang move illicit funds elsewhere. Finally, Li was seated next to Zhang at a lengthy recorded dinner in New York with undercover agents where Zhang discussed the different fee percentages he charged various criminal groups for drug trafficking and scams.

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. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – The former Assistant Admissions Director for Emmanuel College in Boston pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2025 to soliciting an underage college applicant to engage in commercial sex with him.

Jacob Tyler Henriques, 27, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of cyberstalking. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for March 4, 2026. Henriques was arrested and charged in May 2025.

Henriques used his position as an Assistant Admissions Director to gain access to the personal information of various admitted or prospective students, who he later contacted to solicit to engage in commercial sex with him. Specifically, on April 25, 2025, Henriques met with multiple admitted or prospective students. After meeting with at least three such students, Henriques gained access to their personal information and began contacting them, offering to “pay them for some fun,” offering to provide them with pornography, and, in some instances, sending them pornographic videos or images. Henriques began contacting a fourth victim after she formally committed to attend the college on April 25, 2025. He offered to pay her for “some fun” and began sending pornographic videos to her.

Henriques attempted to traffic a 17-year-old victim, who was a prospective student after he reviewed the victim’s tour registration form, which contained her date of birth, just before giving her a tour of the college on or about April 25, 2025. Henriques asked the victim what grade she was in and the victim told Henriques what local high school she attended. Within hours of finishing the tour, Henriques began texting the victim on her phone number provided on her admissions form. Henriques offered to pay the victim $400 for “some fun” and told her that he had pornographic videos and pictures for her. Henriques continued to contact the minor victim that night, refusing to tell her who he was or how he got her number. He told the victim that “porn” and “$” was ready for her. Henriques then sent the minor victim five pornographic videos depicting men and women engaged in sex acts and asked her whether or not she wanted to participate in a “gangbang” and whether or not she wanted to have sex with him. Despite the victim rejecting Henriques’s offer multiple times, Henrique continued to text her telling her to let him know if she changed her mind and that he would buy her anything she wanted. Between April 25, 2025 and April 28, 2025, Henriques accessed the minor’s profile 47 times. After the victim blocked his phone number, Henriques began soliciting the victim via email.

The charge of attempted sex trafficking of a minor provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of cyberstalking 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, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Emmanuel College Campus Police and the Boston, Ware, Lunenburg, Agawam, Springfield, Ludlow and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig E. Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case.

If you have information or questions about this investigation, or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking or child exploitation, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

BOSTON – A Florida woman was sentenced on Oct. 15, 2025 in federal court in Boston for her involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that laundered more than $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through the United States, Caribbean and European banking systems. Over the course of the investigation, approximately 1,193 kilograms of cocaine were seized at sea, in addition to 1,555 kilograms of cocaine seized from shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia.

Dawnett McGee, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. On Dec. 12, 2024, McGee pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and three counts of laundering of monetary instruments.

McGee was among 20 individuals from Colombia, Jamaica and Florida who were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 in connection with the money laundering conspiracy.

Over the course of the investigation, $1 million was seized from corporate bank accounts and other investigative activity. Nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine – with a street value of over $90 million – was traced back to the money laundering organization. This includes approximately 1,193 kilos of cocaine seized at sea, 60 miles south of Jamaica, in July 2019, as well as 1,555 kilos of cocaine seized in nine scrap metal shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia in March 2019.

In or about October 2016, an investigation began into a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). By using the BMPE, the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement as well as evade currency exchange requirements in the United States and Colombia through the illegal currency exchange process. As part of the conspiracy, members of the organization held roles and responsibilities relative to the needs and opportunities of the scheme, such as drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers and business owners/dollar purchasers.

Through the BMPE, Colombian drug trafficking organizations with drug proceeds generated in the United States use third parties – generally referred to as “peso brokers” that are also based in Colombia – who agree to exchange Colombian pesos they control for the drug supplier’s dollar proceeds. Peso brokers then use money couriers in the United States and elsewhere to physically secure the drug proceeds, often in suitcases or bags on the street, and transfer the proceeds into the United States banking system. To avoid detection, peso brokers deposit the drug proceeds into bank accounts in company or individual names intended to appear as legitimate business activity, or through multiple small deposits into different bank accounts which are then consolidated into larger accounts. As a result, Colombian peso brokers control a pool of drug-derived proceeds in United States bank accounts. These dollar proceeds are then purchased by individuals or companies in Colombia seeking to exchange pesos for United States dollars at a favorable exchange rate and in a manner that avoids currency exchange and income reporting requirements. The dollar drug proceeds are transferred at the direction of the purchaser and often end up in bank accounts of individuals or companies who appear to have no direct involvement in drug trafficking crimes.

Beginning in 2016 and continuing until 2022, an undercover agent infiltrated the organization by portraying himself as an international money launderer able to pick up bulk cash throughout the world, launder the proceeds through his United States-based accounts and send the money to Colombia through the BMPE.

Throughout the course of the investigation, members of the money laundering organization would contact the undercover and arrange meetings for the undercover and the undercover’s purported associates to collect bulk cash throughout the world. Individuals, such as McGee performed the role of money courier. McGee delivered bulk cash on two occasions in Florida. That cash was then deposited into the undercover bank account in Massachusetts, and then subsequently wired to accounts and repatriated back to drug traffickers in Colombia. Over the course of the conspiracy, McGee was responsible for the laundering of over $330,000 in drug proceeds.

McGee is the 15th defendant to be sentenced. All 20 defendants have been convicted either at trial or by pleading guilty.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Aura Liliana Trujillo Rojas, Delegate for Criminal Finance for the Colombian Attorney General’s Office; Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre, Brigadier General of the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate; Jervis Moore, Chief of the Narcotics Division for the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Cover, Rowe, and other co-defendants from Colombia and Jamaica. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – An El Salvadoran national, unlawfully residing in Chelsea, was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2025 in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Juan Carlos Gil-Ochoa, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to a time served sentence (approximately five months). The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. In August 2025, Gil-Ochoa pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In June 2025, Gil-Ochoa was indicted by a federal grand jury. He was arrested by immigration authorities on May 12, 2025.

Gil-Ochoa was deported from the United States to El Salvador on April 29, 2013. Sometime after his April 2013 removal, Gil-Ochoa illegally reentered the United States without permission. On May 12, 2025, he was arrested by immigration authorities in Chelsea.  

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 Chelsea Police Chief Keith E. Houghton made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A Dorchester man has been arrested and charged in connection with the robbery of a local bank. The defendant has a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and state convictions for armed and unarmed robberies.

Joseph Wilcox, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 23, 2025 on one count of bank robbery in relation to the robbery of Santander Bank in East Boston. Wilcox was initially arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 1, 2025. He remains detained in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2025, a male, allegedly later identified as Wilcox, approached the bank teller, showed a note stating “give me all 20’s and stated “don’t **** with me.” It is alleged that after the teller stated that he did not have many $20 bills, the suspect told the teller to take the money out of the box and give it to him. The teller ultimately gave Wilcox cash totaling $4,150.

A subsequent investigation allegedly identified Wilcox depositing nine $100 bills into his own Santander account at another branch, with his face visible on surveillance. A query of Wilcox through the Registry of Motor Vehicles (“RMV”) revealed a photograph of an individual that resembled the suspect caught on surveillance and matched the description of the suspect provided by the victim teller.

According to court records, Wilcox has a prior federal conviction from 2015 for three counts of bank robbery; a 2010 state conviction for unarmed robbery; and 2004 state conviction for armed robbery.

The charge of bank robbery 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein 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 Dominican national, who unlawfully resided in Lawrence under a false name, was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2025 in federal court in Boston for conspiring to possess and distribute controlled substances.  

Eduardo Morales-Perez, a/k/a “Yenni Rafael Guerrero Aybar,” 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 27 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In September 2025, Morales-Perez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances.

In March 2018, law enforcement arranged an undercover cash pickup as part of a money laundering investigation. An individual arrived at the pre-arranged meeting location for the controlled purchase and provided $275,090 in cash to undercover law enforcement. That individual was driving a white Volvo registered to Morales-Perez’s girlfriend.

Following the transaction, the white Volvo was observed at a property in Peabody. Morales-Perez was observed exiting a truck with a can of acetone – a chemical commonly used in the illicit manufacturing process of fentanyl analogues – and carrying it into the Peabody residence. A subsequent search of the Peabody property in May 2018 resulted in the recovery of one kilo pill press; drug distribution paraphernalia; over 2.8 kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues; over five kilograms of ANPP (a controlled substance that is frequently used in the manufacturing process of fentanyl); and $130,000. The drugs and cash were located in a hidden compartment above a light fixture.
        
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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Medford, Peabody and Ipswich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren A. Graber and Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Chelsea Mass., was sentenced on Sept. 30, 2025 in federal court in Boston for selling five kilograms of fentanyl to an undercover agent after unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Luis Alberto German-Peguero, a/k/a “Alberto Chirry,” 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, German-Peguero pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl,and one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. 
    
German-Peguero is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and, in November 2020, was removed from the United States following a state drug trafficking conviction in Plymouth Superior Court, for which he served more than one year in prison.

Sometime after his removal, German-Peguero unlawfully reentered the United States. On March 22, 2023, German-Peguero sold five kilograms of fentanyl to an undercover agent in Peabody. German-Peguero was subsequently arrested in Newton on April 14, 2023 and determined to be unlawfully present in the United States.

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.  

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester pleaded guilty on Oct. 17, 2025 to trafficking thousands of fentanyl pills.

Waner Bernabel Presinal, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2026. In September 2024, Bernabel Presinal was charged with three co-conspirators.

On April 12, 2024, an undercover agent allegedly ordered 2,000 pressed fentanyl pills and a sample of methamphetamine from Andujar Echavarria for $4,000. It is alleged that Bernabel Presinal delivered the fentanyl pills and methamphetamine to Andujar Echavarria at his home in Dorchester. Andujar Echavarria then proceeded to Medford where he delivered the fentanyl pills and sample of methamphetamine to the undercover agent. It was later confirmed that the bags Andujar Echavarria handed the undercover allegedly contained 222 grams of fentanyl and 1.8 grams of methamphetamine.

In May 2025, Guerro Soto was sentenced to 30 months in prison and six years of supervised release. Andujar Echavarria has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl carry a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison; at least four years of supervised release; and a fine of up to $5 million. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. 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 and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Colombian man was sentenced on Oct. 28, 2025 in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that laundered more than $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through the United States, Caribbean and European banking systems.

Oscar Rodriguez-Camargo, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 87 months in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In March 2025, Rodriguez-Camargo pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and 18 counts of money laundering.

Rodriguez-Camargo was among 20 individuals from Colombia, Jamaica and Florida who were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 in connection with the money laundering conspiracy. Rodriguez-Camargo is the 16th defendant to be sentenced. All 20 defendants have been convicted either at trial or by pleading guilty.

Over the course of the investigation, $1 million was seized from corporate bank accounts and other investigative activity. Nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine – with a street value of over $90 million – was traced back to the money laundering organization. This includes approximately 1,193 kilograms of cocaine seized at sea 60 miles south of Jamaica in July 2019, as well as 1,555 kilograms of cocaine seized in nine scrap metal shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia in March 2019.

In or about October 2016, an investigation began into a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). By using the BMPE, the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement as well as evade currency exchange requirements in the United States and Colombia through the illegal currency exchange process. As part of the conspiracy, members of the organization held roles and responsibilities relative to the needs and opportunities of the scheme, such as drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers and business owners/dollar purchasers.

Through the BMPE, Colombian drug trafficking organizations with drug proceeds generated in the United States use third parties – generally referred to as “peso brokers” that are also based in Colombia – who agree to exchange Colombian pesos they control for the drug supplier’s dollar proceeds. Peso brokers then use money couriers in the United States and elsewhere to physically secure the drug proceeds, often in suitcases or bags on the street, and transfer the proceeds into the United States banking system. To avoid detection, peso brokers deposit the drug proceeds into bank accounts in company or individual names intended to appear as legitimate business activity, or through multiple small deposits into different bank accounts which are then consolidated into larger accounts. As a result, Colombian peso brokers control a pool of drug-derived proceeds in United States bank accounts. These dollar proceeds are then purchased by individuals or companies in Colombia seeking to exchange pesos for United States dollars at a favorable exchange rate and in a manner that avoids currency exchange and income reporting requirements. The dollar drug proceeds are transferred at the direction of the purchaser and often end up in bank accounts of individuals or companies who appear to have no direct involvement in drug trafficking crimes.

Beginning in 2016 and continuing until 2022, an undercover agent infiltrated the organization by portraying himself as an international money launderer able to pick up bulk cash throughout the world, launder the proceeds through his United States-based accounts and send the money to Colombia through the BMPE.

Throughout the course of the investigation, members of the money laundering organization would contact the undercover and arrange meetings for the undercover and the undercover’s purported associates to collect bulk cash throughout the world. Members of the money laundering organization would then direct where the money was to be sent, and facilitators, such as Rodriguez-Camargo, would facilitate the payout of the laundered proceeds in Colombia for the benefit of the drug suppliers. Over the course of the conspiracy, Rodriguez-Camargo was personally responsible for the laundering of over $2.4 million in drug proceeds.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Aura Liliana Trujillo Rojas, Delegate for Criminal Finance for the Colombian Attorney General’s Office; Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre, Brigadier General of the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate; Jervis Moore, Chief of the Narcotics Division for the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Cover, Rowe, and other co-defendants from Colombia and Jamaica. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc. (Chroma Systems) has agreed to pay over $1.9 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the company falsely certified its eligibility for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

As detailed in the settlement agreement, Chroma Systems admitted that in January 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, Chroma Systems, together with its foreign affiliate, had over 1,800 employees.  

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 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 of 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.

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

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

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2025 in federal court in Boston for possessing with intent to distribute over 70 grams of fentanyl and possessing a handgun loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.

Edson Gomes, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In June 2025, Gomes pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Gomes was arrested on Aug. 14, 2023, after law enforcement encountered him in a Brockton apartment building. During the interaction, the bottom of a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol was observed protruding from Gomes’s pant pocket. The firearm had a defaced serial number and was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition. Four bags of fentanyl weighing approximately 72 grams and $1,488 in cash were also located in Gomes’s pockets. A search warrant was subsequently obtained for the apartment and other items associated with drug dealing were also located.

At the time of his arrest, Gomes was on supervised release for a prior federal drug dealing conviction. In June 2017, Gomes was sentenced to 71 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. As a condition of his supervised release, Gomes was banned from entering the City of Brockton without permission. At the Oct. 3, 2025 hearing, Gomes was also sentenced to 24 months in prison for violating his supervised release, which was the statutory maximum penalty.

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 was provided by the Massachusetts State Police, the Brockton Police Department and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully living in Worcester was sentenced on Oct. 23, 2025 for engaging in the business of selling firearms without a license. 

Israel Dos Santos, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy to two years in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In July 2025, Dos Santos pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between May 2024 and July 2024, Dos Santos sold nine firearms to a cooperating witness without the required license in exchange for cash. In addition to firearms, Dos Santos also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines.  One firearm had an obliterated serial number.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Framingham and Worcester Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national, residing in Lynn, Mass., was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2025 in federal court in Boston for receiving and possessing over 100 files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Wernher Heideriqui, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearn to 66 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, during which time Heideriqui will be required to register as a sex offender. The defendant will be subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In April 2025, Heideriqui pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Heideriqui was arrested on June 9, 2023 after being smuggled across the U.S. border into Canada.  

In August 2021, an investigation began following a CyberTip regarding the trafficking of CSAM. During a search of Heideriqui’s residence and person in May 2023, multiple electronic devices, including phones and computers, were located and seized. Forensic examination of the devices revealed that two devices had over 100 files depicting adult men raping children as young as four years old.

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 the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted 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/.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully living in Fall River and on Cape Cod was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2025 for selling 12 firearms and large capacity magazines without a license.  

Alason Ferreira-Peixoto, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley to 35 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, Ferreira-Peixoto pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between June 2024 and August 2024, Ferreira-Peixoto sold 12 firearms to cooperating witnesses without the required license in exchange for cash. Ferreira-Peixoto also conspired with others to obtain the firearms in South Carolina and sell them in Massachusetts. In addition to firearms, Ferreira-Peixoto also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Barnstable and Fall River Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully living in Milford was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2025 in federal court in Worcester for conspiracy and engaging in the business of selling firearms without a license.  

Rafaell Martins Ferreira, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to time-served (approximately 13 months) followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In July 2025, Martins Ferreira pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between February and March 2024, Martins Ferreira sold two firearms to cooperating witnesses without the required license. In addition, Martins Ferreira indicated he had access to additional firearms. One of these firearms included a large capacity magazine (capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition).

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Milford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Florida was sentenced on Oct. 29, 2025 in federal court in Worcester for conspiracy and engaging in the business of to sell firearms without a license.  

Marcos Alves Silva, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, Silva pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between March 2024 and June 2024, Silva shipped nine firearms to individuals in Massachusetts. In addition to firearms, Silva also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England;  Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Milford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully living in Milford was sentenced on Oct. 7, 2025 for selling firearms and ammunition without a license.  

Vanderson Rocha Oliveira, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years in prison followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In July 2025, Rocha Oliveira pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between March 2024 and September 2024, Rocha Oliveira sold 11 firearms to cooperating witnesses without the required license. In addition, three more firearms shipped from Florida were intercepted by law enforcement. Rocha Oliveira conspired with others to deliver the firearms and to obtained them from Florida. In addition to firearms, Rocha Oliveira also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Milford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national illegally residing in Danbury, Conn. was sentenced on Oct. 2, 2025 for conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants, principally illegal aliens.  

Helbert Costa Generoso, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to nine months in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, Helbert Costa Generoso pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents and one count of furnishing a false passport to another for use. In December 2024, Costa Generoso was charged along with four co-conspirators.  

From in or about November 2020 through in or about September 2024, Costa Generoso and his alleged co-conspirators fraudulently procured driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who resided in states that prohibited illegal aliens from obtaining driver’s licenses. Prior to July 2023, illegal aliens residing in Massachusetts were not permitted to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses. Beginning in 2019, illegal aliens residing in New York became eligible to obtain New York driver’s licenses.

Costa Generoso and his alleged co-conspirators conspired to fraudulently obtain New York driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in New York, including Massachusetts residents, and after July 2023 to fraudulently obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in Massachusetts. In exchange for fraudulently obtaining the driver’s licenses, the co-conspirators allegedly typically charged approximately $1,400 per customer. Costa Generoso also charged $1,400 to obtain fraudulent foreign passports in the customers’ names, to be used as identification in the driver’s license applications.

In New York, before obtaining a driver’s license, applicants were required to pass a written permit test and complete driver’s education coursework from a New York driving school. Online permit test-takers were required by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (NY DMV) to take a picture of themselves with a web camera during the test. This was to ensure that the test-taker was indeed the applicant and that there was not a person sitting with and helping the applicant with the test.

To avoid the customers having to take the permit tests, the co-conspirators allegedly conspired to obtain several pictures of the customers sitting down, making it look as if the customers were taking the tests. They also allegedly conspired to complete the permit tests for the customers online and, when prompted by the NY DMV to take pictures during the tests, they uploaded the pictures that the customers previously provided – purporting to show that it was the customers who were taking the tests, not the defendants. Costa Generoso and his alleged co-defendants also conspired to create fraudulent driver’s education certificates of completion, purportedly from New York driving schools, and conspired to forge the signatures of driving school staff on the fake certificates.

The NY DMV also required that applicants appear at a NY DMV location and provide documents to prove their identity and residence in New York. The co-conspirators allegedly conspired to meet Massachusetts-based customers at locations in Massachusetts – typically several customers at a time – and drive them to NY DMV branch locations. When they arrived at the NY DMV locations, the defendants allegedly gave the customers fraudulent documents falsely purporting to demonstrate that the customers resided in New York. The customers provided these fake records to the NY DMV staff, and the NY DMV relied on the misrepresentations to issue New York driving permits to the customers. The co-conspirators allegedly conspired to arrange for the NY DMV to mail the permits to locations in New York that were controlled by the defendants and provided the permits to the customers in-person. The defendants then allegedly conspired to schedule road driving license tests for the customers with the NY DMV and, again, drive the customers to New York for them to take the road tests. If the customers passed the tests, the NY DMV sent the driver’s licenses to mailing addresses in New York that the defendants allegedly controlled, and the defendants then provided the licenses to the customers.  

The defendants allegedly conspired to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for out-of-state residents, in generally the same manner as they obtained the New York licenses for Massachusetts residents. Collectively, the co-conspirators allegedly fraudulently applied for licenses for more than 1,000 customers, obtained licenses for more than 600 of the customers and collected at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.    

Costa Generoso is the second defendant to plead guilty in the case. In September 2025, defendant Cesar Agusto Martin Reis was sentenced to time served (290 days in prison), for his role in the conspiracy.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Kelly Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the NY DMV Division of Field Investigation; the Boston, Danbury (Conn.) and Waterbury (Conn.) Police Departments; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut; and the New York State Inspector General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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 Brazilian national illegally residing in Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 20025 to his involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States, money laundering conspiracy and illegal reentry. Case is part of significant international law enforcement operation targeting alien smugglers in United States and Brazil.

Flavio Alexandre Alves, a/k/a “Ronaldo,” 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to and transport aliens within the United States, one count of conspiracy to launder money and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 12, 2025. The defendant was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint with human smuggling in March 2025 and remains in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, Alves was previously convicted of human smuggling offenses in the Central District of California in 2004 and subsequently deported to Brazil in February 2005. Sometime after his removal, Alves illegally re-entered the United States and has been residing in the United States without immigration status.

In April 2022, an investigation began into a human smuggling organization (HSO) operating in the United States, Brazil and Mexico, that smuggles Brazilian nationals through Mexico, across the U.S.-Mexico border and into the United States for financial gain and laundering the proceeds. The investigation identified Alves as domestic-based smuggler for the HSO who joined the organization in 2021. Alves coordinated with co-conspirators in Brazil and Mexico to facilitate the transportation of aliens from Brazil into the United States, launder funds to Mexico to support the HSO and collect smuggling fees paid by or on behalf of the Brazilian nationals being smuggled.  

Specifically, Alves was responsible for purchasing airline tickets for aliens – including families and groups – to various places within the United States. This included purchasing airline tickets for Brazilian nationals to travel from border cities to other locations across the United States shortly after the aliens were encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and released from detention. Between May 2021 and August 2022, Alves purchased more than 100 individual airline tickets from Tucson or Phoenix shortly after CBP encounters, to destination cities throughout the United States.

Alves sent money to aliens and smugglers located in Mexico to pay for expenses associated with transit into the United States. Bank and financial records obtained during the investigation revealed that Alves sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in money transfers to facilitate the travel of aliens who were later encountered by immigration authorities illegally crossing into the United States, and paid smugglers in Mexico for their role in the HSO. Additionally, Alves utilized different methods to conceal the nature and frequency of the transfers, including using in-person money transfer services at various locations throughout Massachusetts; providing different variations of his name and home address; and having other close associates conduct the transactions on his behalf.

Alves also collected payments from aliens as the fee for being smuggled into the United States – taking a percentage of the fee as his “cut” and transferring the remainder of the money to other members of the HSO based in Mexico.

The investigation and arrest of Alves was coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) Program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security , has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 315 U.S. convictions; more than 260 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The charge of conspiracy to bring aliens to, or transport an alien within, the United States in violation of law 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 conspiracy to launder money provides for sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and up to $250,000 fine. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings 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; Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brasília, Brazil Attaché Troy Clausen for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement today. Substantial assistance was provided by HSI Offices in Brasilia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia; HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force; and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion and Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights & Special Prosecutions Section.

BOSTON – The former office manager for a Franklin environmental services business pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2025 in federal court in Boston to embezzling more than $400,000 from her employer.  

Marie Hobson, 54, of Attleboro, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Jan. 22, 2026. Hobson was charged on Oct. 1, 2025.

Between December 2019 and March 2025, Hobson inflated her own payroll by adding approximately $268,046 in phony expense reimbursements, such as uniform costs even though Hobson did not wear a uniform in her position. To conceal the thefts, Hobson manipulated her employer’s accounting software to make it appear she was only receiving her weekly salary. Hobson also misused her company-issued credit card to pay for country club memberships, vacations, cruises, timeshares and personal residence costs totaling more than $105,000.

To further conceal her scheme, Hobson failed to report the funds that she embezzled on her federal income tax filings for tax years 2021 through 2024, resulting in a tax loss to the government of approximately $81,000.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, restitution and forfeiture. The charge of filing a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas E. Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. The Franklin Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rilwan Adeduntan of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – An Alabama-based doctor pleaded guilty on Oct. 1, 2025 in federal court in Boston to a $6 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) and genetic testing primarily used to detect mutations in genes that could indicate a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers.

Tommie Robinson, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 14, 2026. Robinson was charged in August 2025.

Between December 2018 and March 2021, Robinson worked with telemedicine companies to sign medical documentation, including doctors’ orders, for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and genetic testing. The orders Robinson signed were pre-populated based on telemarketing calls made to Medicare beneficiaries. Robinson generally did not contact the beneficiaries himself and had no medical relationship with the beneficiaries. DME suppliers and laboratories ultimately submitted claims to Medicare for these signed orders. As a result of Robinson’s participation in this scheme, over $6 million in claims were submitted to Medicare for DME and genetic testing that were medically unnecessary, based on false documentation and tainted by kickbacks.  

The charge of health care fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, 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; Robert Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Kelly M.  Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; and Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigation Service, North East Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Locker of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Units are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON –An Adams, Mass. man pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2025 in federal court to the producing child sexual abuse material.

Brian Warner, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child before U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun, who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 12, 2026.

According to charging documents, between July 2016 and December 2016, Warner employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct.

The charges of sexual exploitation a child and attempted sexual exploitation of a child provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  

Acting United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline G. Merck of the Springfield Office 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.

BOSTON – Two Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy to damage a building on Harvard Medical School’s (HMS) campus using a large commercial firework.  

Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, Mass.; and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne, Mass., are each charged with one count of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive, the Goldenson Building at Harvard Medical School. The defendants were arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston later today.

According to the charging documents, at approximately 2:23 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2025, surveillance cameras located at Huntington Avenue and Longwood Avenue in Boston captured two males – allegedly later identified as Patterson and Cardoza – walking toward the HMS campus wearing face coverings and dark clothing. Surveillance video captured the defendants allegedly lighting what appeared to be roman candle fireworks at approximately 2:24 a.m.

According to the charging documents, at approximately 2:33 a.m., the defendants were allegedly seen climbing over a chain-link fence into a construction area surrounding the Goldenson Building and, minutes later, climbing scaffolding beside the building to access the roof. At approximately 2:45 a.m., campus police received an alert of a fire alarm from an explosion on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building, which houses a research laboratory within HMS’s Department of Neurobiology. It is alleged that, between 2:45 and 2:50 a.m., security footage captured the defendants visiting the fifth floor of the building before exiting via a first-floor emergency exit and fleeing in opposite directions.

Investigators determined that an explosive – believed to have been a large, commercial firework – detonated within a wooden locker in the fourth-floor research laboratory. Analysis of the explosive is ongoing.

It is alleged that, at approximately 2:57 a.m., Cardoza was captured on surveillance video sitting on a bench, removing his pants and placing them in a garbage bin.

It is further alleged that, beginning at approximately 3:09 a.m., surveillance footage at the nearby campus of Wentworth Institute of Technology captured Patterson intermittently running between buildings, attempting to enter a residential campus building before being let in by a passerby and charging his phone near an attendant’s desk within that building. Shortly thereafter, at approximately 3:23 a.m., Patterson could allegedly be seen talking on his cell phone.  

Thereafter, at approximately 3:40 a.m., surveillance video allegedly showed Patterson exiting the building to meet up with Cardoza and a third individual. It is alleged that at 3:49 a.m., after unsuccessfully attempting to enter an adjoining residential campus building, the three are seen walking toward the Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus. There, surveillance footage allegedly captured Patterson, Cardoza and the third individual walking along Huntington Avenue. In the video, Patterson has allegedly removed his sweatshirt as well as his sweatpants and is seen stuffing his sweatpants into his shorts. Cardoza is allegedly seen still wearing a dark hooded jacket and black sneakers with only shorts or boxer shorts.

According to the charging documents, witnesses allegedly stated that Patterson and Cardoza were visiting Wentworth College for Halloween social activities.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The charge of conspiracy to damage, by means of fire or an explosive, 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Denis Downing, Interim Chief of the Harvard University Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston, Bourne and Plymouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the 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 former Stoughton police officer who was previously indicted for allegedly murdering Sandra Birchmore, a pregnant woman, to prevent her from disclosing information about his sexual exploitation of her beginning when she was a minor, has been indicted for allegedly causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn son.

Matthew Farwell, 39, of Easton, has been charged with one count of causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn child. Farwell was arrested and charged in August 2024. He remains in federal custody and will be arraigned at a later date.

According to the superseding indictment, on or about Feb. 1, 2021, Farwell allegedly killed Birchmore by strangulation. Shortly thereafter, Farwell allegedly staged her body and apartment to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide. The indictment alleges that Farwell killed Birchmore with malice aforethought and with the intent to prevent her from disclosing to law enforcement that he used his authority and access as a police officer to groom and sexually abuse Birchmore, including while he was on duty, beginning when she was 15 years old and continuing until her death. The indictment further alleges that Farwell’s killing of Birchmore resulted in the death of her unborn child.

According to court documents, Farwell agreed to attempt to impregnate Birchmore in the Fall of 2020 to avoid her publicly disclosing details about their relationship. Birchmore told Farwell that she was “keeping it” and “the birth certificate is being signed.” Farwell allegedly responded by telling her that she was “the worst person on the face of the earth.”

Over the next several weeks, Birchmore expressed excitement to Farwell about her due date, ultrasounds, genetic testing, gender reveals and doctor appointments. She booked prenatal care appointments that post-dated her death. She also ordered baby items, conducted Google searches related to her pregnancy and future child-rearing decisions, planned for newborn baby photos and an official pregnancy announcement intended for Valentine’s Day. 

According to the indictment, Birchmore was eight to 10 weeks pregnant when Farwell allegedly killed her.

The charge of causing the death of an unborn child in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1841 carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. 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 United States Attorneys Elizabeth Riley, Torey B. Cummings and Brian A. Fogerty of the office’s Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are 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 – An Indian national has been charged with allegedly stabbing two minor victims with a metal fork while on board a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany.

Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, is charged in U.S. District Court with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Usiripalli was arrested on Oct. 25, 2025 and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, on Oct. 25, 2025, while on board Lufthansa flight 431 en route from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, Usiripalli allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old male passenger (Minor A) in the shoulder area with a metal fork. Usiripalli then allegedly stabbed a second 17-year-old male passenger (Minor B) in the back of the head with the same metal fork

Specifically, following meal service, Minor A was sleeping lightly in a middle seat when he allegedly awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him. It is alleged that Usiripalli used his right hand to strike Minor A in the left clavicle area with a metal fork. Usiripalli then allegedly lunged toward Minor B – who was seated to Minor A’s right in a middle seat in the center row of the aircraft – and struck Minor B in the back of his head with the fork. Minor B suffered a laceration to the rear of his head.

When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Immediately afterwards, Usiripalli allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member.

As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody.

Usiripalli was previously admitted to the United States on a student visa. Most recently, he was enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies. Usiripalli presently does not have lawful status in the United States.

The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to 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 that 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 Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm 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 Malden, Mass. woman has been arrested and charged for threatening to kill federal agents who were engaging in lawful immigration enforcement.

Bethany Abigail Terrill, 37, was charged with threatening a United States official. Terrill will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 1:30 pm, today.

According to the charging documents, federal agents were supporting Immigration Enforcement and Removal Operations in effecting the administrative immigration arrest of individuals in the area of Malden District Court. It is alleged that the agents encountered Terrill outside of Malden Court for reasons unrelated to the agents’ activities.

It is alleged that Terrill physically interjected herself into the middle of agents while they were effecting an arrest. Terrill was allegedly verbally abusive, attempted to physically interfere with the arrest and ultimately made threatening statements to kill the federal officers on scene. 

Specifically, Terrill allegedly approached the agents, screaming at and pushing through the agents to capture a video recording on her mobile telephone. It is further alleged that Terrill began screaming, “ICE is here, ICE is here,” “You guys are monsters, this is insane,” “Sir, what’s your name, what’s your name,” “I can try to help you,” and “I am an American civilian, I have a right to be here” as she continuously pushed into agents all while filming them.

Agents, who were identifiable by their badges, agency placards and clothing, told Terrill to “back up” several times. It is alleged that Terrill repeatedly attempted to push past the agents and failed to comply with any commands. Agents notified Terrill that she could be arrested if she continued to fail to comply with their requests to give them space to safely effect the arrest.

Terrill allegedly yelled, “Charlie Kirk died, and we love it… We’re coming for you, gonna kill you.” The incident was captured on agents’ body worn cameras and allegedly on Terrill’s mobile telephone. 

The charge of threatening a United States official 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 and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit 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 Gloucester man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for sexual exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Robert Burnham, 44, was indicted on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. Burnham was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2025 and remains detained pending trial. He will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, from on or about June 11, 2024 to Oct. 4, 2024, Burnham allegedly persuaded and coerced a 13-year-old minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pictures and videos and transmitting them to him via social media. Additionally, on April 28, 2025, Burnham knowingly possessed files that depict CSAM.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 15 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of 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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Harper County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Kansas City, Lincoln Police Department and Gloucester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm 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 Salvadoran national residing in Lynn pleaded guilty on Sep. 26, 2025 in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Emelio Neftaly Pineda, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Oct. 30, 2025. In July 2025, Pineda was indicted by a federal grand jury.

According to the charging documents Pineda was deported on or about July 20, 2016, after having been convicted of a felony.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien, having previously been convicted of a felony 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, 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 Elizabeth Riley of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. 
 

BOSTON – A Quincy man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing fentanyl in exchange for firearms.

Caesar Ross, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dennis F. Saylor IV to 90 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In July 2024, Ross pleaded guilty to one count of firearms trafficking and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. 

Over the course of three months in 2020, in at least four separate transactions, Ross obtained 23 firearms with obliterated serial numbers from an individual in Florida. Ross provided that individual with fentanyl in exchange for the firearms, which Ross explicitly asked the serial numbers to be obliterated from, and which he and his associates then distributed to individuals who could not lawfully possess them in Massachusetts.

At least five of these firearms have been recovered in and around Boston in the hands of felons and gang members, and at the scenes of a shots-fired incident and an armed assault. The remaining firearms are believed to remain at-large.

Ross was arrested in September 2023 in Quincy, after providing a cooperating witness with approximately 60 grams of fentanyl in exchange for four firearms, each of which had no visible serial number. 
 
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division and the Quincy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Brazilian national illegally residing in Waterbury, Conn. was sentenced on Sept. 26, 2025 for conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants, principally illegal aliens.  

Cesar Agusto Martin Reis, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to time served (290 days in prison). The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. In June 2025, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents and one count of possession with intent to use or transfer unlawfully identification documents. In December 2024, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis was charged along with four co-conspirators.

From in or about November 2020 through in or about September 2024, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis and his alleged co-conspirators fraudulently procured driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who resided in states that prohibited illegal aliens from obtaining driver’s licenses. Prior to July 2023, illegal aliens residing in Massachusetts were not permitted to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses. Beginning in 2019, illegal aliens residing in New York became eligible to obtain New York driver’s licenses. Cesar Agusto Martin Reis and his alleged co-conspirators conspired to fraudulently obtain New York driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in New York, including Massachusetts residents, and after July 2023 to fraudulently obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in Massachusetts. In exchange for fraudulently obtaining the driver’s licenses, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis and his alleged co-conspirators typically charged approximately $1,400 per customer. On Feb. 4, 2024, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis was found with 50 of these fraudulently produced driver’s licenses during a traffic stop in Bedford, Mass. 
 
In New York, before obtaining a driver’s license, applicants were required to pass a written permit test and complete driver’s education coursework from a New York driving school. Online permit test-takers were required by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (NY DMV) to take a picture of themselves with a web camera during the test. This was to ensure that the test-taker was indeed the applicant and that there was not a person sitting with and helping the applicant with the test.  

To avoid the customers having to take the permit tests, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis and his alleged co-conspirators obtained several pictures of the customers sitting down, making it look as if the customers were taking the tests. Cesar Agusto Martin Reis conspired with his alleged co-conspirators to complete the permit tests for the customers online and, when prompted by the NY DMV to take pictures during the tests, and to upload the pictures that the customers previously provided – purporting to show that it was the customers who were taking the tests, not the defendants. The defendants also allegedly created fraudulent driver’s education certificates of completion, purportedly from New York driving schools, forged the signatures of driving school staff on the fake certificates and gave these documents to the customers to provide to the NY DMV.

The NY DMV also required that applicants appear at a NY DMV location and provide documents to prove their identity and residence in New York. Cesar Agusto Martin Reis conspired with his alleged co-conspirators to meet Massachusetts-based customers at locations in Massachusetts – typically several customers at a time – and drive them to NY DMV branch locations. When they arrived at the NY DMV locations, the defendants allegedly gave the customers fraudulent documents falsely purporting to demonstrate that the customers resided in New York. The customers provided these fake records to the NY DMV staff, and the NY DMV relied on the misrepresentations to issue New York driving permits to the customers. Cesar Agusto Martin Reis conspired with his alleged co-conspirators to arrange for the NY DMV to mail the permits to locations in New York that were controlled by the defendants and provided the permits to the customers in-person. Additionally, the defendants allegedly conspired to schedule road driving license tests for the customers with the NY DMV and, again, drive the customers to New York for them to take the road tests. If the customers passed the tests, the NY DMV sent the driver’s licenses to mailing addresses in New York that the defendants allegedly controlled, and the defendants then provided the licenses to the customers.  

The defendants allegedly conspired to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for out-of-state residents, in generally the same manner as they allegedly obtained the New York licenses for Massachusetts residents. In Massachusetts, the defendants allegedly conspired to fraudulently obtain purported foreign passports to provide to the customers to use as proof of identity with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in support of customer driver’s license applications.

Collectively, Cesar Agusto Martin Reis and his alleged co-conspirators fraudulently applied for licenses for more than 1,000 customers, obtained licenses for more than 600 of the customers, and collected at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.    

The charge of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to use or transfer unlawfully identification documents, carries a sentence up to 15 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Kelly Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the NY DMV Division of Field Investigation; the Boston, Danbury (Conn.) and Waterbury (Conn.) Police Departments; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut; and the New York State Inspector General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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 Newton, Mass. psychologist has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to allegedly defrauding two victims, his psychotherapy patient and one of his own relatives.  

Eric Brown, 76, has agreed to plead guilty to an Information charging him with two counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in an unlawful money transaction. A plea hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

According to court filings, Brown was a psychotherapist to a Massachusetts victim who had been injured after being struck by a drunk driver. In February 2022, the victim allegedly asked Brown to serve as the trustee of a trust benefitting the victim. The trust held approximately $700,000, which was the victim’s settlement from the accident. As trustee, Brown allegedly had exclusive control over the victim’s money and a duty to use it for the victim’s health, support and maintenance. Brown then allegedly fell victim to an online investment confidence scam. At the direction of a scammer pretending to be in an online relationship with him, Brown allegedly depleted the trust without telling the victim why, to invest $600,000 of the victim’s money overseas.

Separately, Brown allegedly deceived a family member into lending him an additional $310,000. Brown falsely told his relative that he needed the money to finance improvements on a commercial office building that Brown owned. Brown allegedly did not tell his relative about his online relationship or the overseas investment he intended to make.  

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 or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, 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 and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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.

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 self-admitted gang member from Brockton, who was previously convicted of killing a 17-year-old outside a Roxbury high school, was sentenced today for drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Andre McNeil, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to seven years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. In April 2025, McNeil pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. McNeil was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.

On Feb. 2, 2024, searches were executed on McNeil’s vehicle and several associated residences. As a result, approximately 31 grams of cocaine, three handguns, two high-capacity magazines, five other magazines, approximately 101 rounds of 9mm ammunition and approximately $17,406 dollars, along with numerous cellular devices were seized. Numerous items used in drug trafficking, including scales, a money counter, baggies and a drug ledger were also found at the search locations.

McNeil is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2014 manslaughter conviction in Suffolk Superior Court for shooting and killing a 17-year-old boy outside a Roxbury high school, for which he was sentenced to more than 12 years in state prison.

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 Brockton, Foxboro and Taunton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – Two Honduran nationals have been extradited to the United States to face racketeering charges. Each defendant – both of whom are alleged members of the Trinitarios – is charged with participating in two murders. They are alleged to have been in the United States illegally at the time of the murders and fled to Honduras to avoid federal charges.

Elvis Trujillo, 27, and Yeferson Vallecillo Cambar, 23, were arrested in December 2024 in Honduras at the request of the United States and extradited to the United States yesterday. Trujillo and Cambar will appear in federal court in Boston at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. today. Trujillo and Cambar were each indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of RICO Conspiracy.

Trujillo and Cambar are alleged to be members of the Trinitarios criminal enterprise, which is a transnational criminal organization with a large presence in Massachusetts communities. In February 2025, federal charges were unsealed against more than two dozen Trinitarios members as part of a multijurisdictional takedown. Those charges included specific allegations that the Trinitarios were responsible for over 10 murders taking place over the last decade. Trujillo is charged with allegedly participating in two of those murders. Cambar is charged with allegedly participating in two additional murders

According to the charging documents, the Trinitarios are a hierarchical criminal organization, with positions that are known to exist at the state and local chapter level, whose members adhere to a code of conduct. Enmanuel Paula-Cabral, a/k/a, “Nelfew,” a/k/a “Gordo,” “Manny,” allegedly served as the State Supreme of the Trinitarios for Massachusetts, responsible for the entirety of the gang’s criminal activities, coordination with other state leaders and communication with leadership of the Trinitarios in the Dominican Republic.

Trujillo is charged with participating in the murder of Juan Espinal in March 2017, and the murder of Mindy Tran in November 2017. The murder of Espinal is alleged in court documents to have been committed by Trujillo and another Trinitario member on the orders of Trinitario leadership. Trujillo and the other Trinitario member are alleged to have ambushed Espinal and fired at him as he walked past, then chased him down and fired more rounds killing him in the street. The murder of Mindy Tran is alleged in court documents to have been committed by Trujillo and another individual during an attempted robbery of Tran during a marijuana sale. Trujillo is alleged to have fired the shot that killed Tran. 
According to court documents, Trujillo was in the United States illegally and is believed to have consented to removal to Honduras following his conviction in a separate shooting incident in order to avoid charges for his role in the murder of Tran.  

Cambar is charged with participating in the murders of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz in September 2023. According to the charging documents, the Trinitarios wrongly believed rival gang members were in attendance at a graduation party and conducted a drive-by shooting that killed Heredia and Diaz and wounded five other surviving victims. The Trinitarios targeted the party to retaliate for the recent death of a Trinitario gang member. Cambar is alleged to have assisted in procuring the vehicle used in the double murder and assisting in the concealment and destruction of evidence after the fact.

Cambar is believed to have fled to Honduras to avoid charges for his role in the September 2023 shooting. Cambar was present in the United States during this time without legal status and without inspection at a port of entry.

The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Kevin Neal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy; and Lawrence Police Chief Maurice Aguiler made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Andover, Boston, Peabody, Salem, and Manchester NH Police Departments. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with authorities in Honduras to secure the extradition of Trujillo and Cambar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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