District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national who was unlawfully residing in Hudson, Mass. was sentenced in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Edwin Hernandez-Orellana, 33, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served, approximately 16 months. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. Previously, Hernandez-Orellana pled guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. According to court records, Hernandez-Orellana had been in custody since his arrest on May 14, 2025. Hernandez-Orellana was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2025.

According to the charging documents, Hernandez-Orellana was found in the United States on May 14, 2025, after previously having been removed from the United States on or about May 21, 2014.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julissa Walsh and Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Fall River man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a drug trafficking offense arising from his shipment of cocaine through the U.S. mail from California to Massachusetts.

Justin Dupras, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (two days). In May 2025, Dupras pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute. Dupras was charged by criminal complaint in January 2025.

Dupras mailed a package containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine from a post office in Los Angeles, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. on Dec. 17, 2024. Dupras then returned to Massachusetts and, on Dec. 19, 2024, drove to the Fall River Post Office. Another individual signed for the package containing cocaine and handed it to Dupras.

In addition, Dupras mailed packages containing cocaine from California to Massachusetts on multiple prior occasions. For example, on Sept. 17, 2024, Dupras mailed a box containing more than two kilograms of cocaine from Chino Hills, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. On Oct. 29, 2024, Dupras mailed a box containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. Flight records show Dupras returning to Massachusetts on the same day that he mailed the two packages.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Fall River Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely prosecuted the case.
 

Dompé U.S. Inc. (Dompé), based in California, has agreed to pay $32 million to resolve allegations that, between 2018 and 2021, it paid Medicare beneficiary co-pays through two patient assistance foundations to induce the purchase of its drug, Oxervate, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.

“This settlement demonstrates the United States’ commitment to enforcing the Anti-Kickback Statute and ensuring that pharmaceutical manufacturers do not use unlawful inducements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department encourages companies that uncover improper kickbacks to self-disclose such conduct.”

“Kickbacks to beneficiaries undermine the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and drive up the cost of drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “My Office has recovered over $1.4 billion for taxpayers through settlements and enforcement actions concerning drug company kickbacks to purported charities, and we will continue to pursue these matters to ensure that all drug companies play by the rules and to protect federal taxpayer funded healthcare programs.”

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers that attempt to disguise kickbacks as charitable patient assistance are engaging in blatant misconduct which corrupts medical decision‑making and drains federal health care programs,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Dompé’s actions undermined critical safeguards Congress put in place to protect Medicare, driving up costs for taxpayers while exploiting patients. HHS-OIG does not tolerate such conduct and will continue to work tirelessly for justice and accountability.”

When a Medicare beneficiary obtains a prescription drug covered by Medicare, the beneficiary may be required to make a partial payment, which may take the form of a co-payment, co-insurance, or deductible (collectively “co-pays”). Congress included co-pay requirements in these programs, in part, to encourage market forces to serve as a check on health care costs, including the prices that pharmaceutical manufacturers can demand for their drugs. 

Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, a pharmaceutical manufacturer is prohibited from offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration – which includes money or any other thing of value – to induce Medicare patients to purchase the company’s drugs. This prohibition extends to the payment of patients’ co-pay obligations.

As part of the settlement, Dompé admitted that, around the time of Oxervate’s 2018 launch in the United States, Dompé U.S. employees expressed reservations about launching the drug before making a payment to a patient assistance foundation that paid the co-pays for Oxervate. After conversations with Dompé employees, two foundations opened funds that, among other things, paid co-pays for Oxervate, and Dompé made contributions to those foundations. Dompé also solicited patient assistance foundation data directly from the foundations, and from the specialty pharmacy that provided hub services to Dompé U.S. patients. This data was provided, directly or indirectly, to certain individuals involved in the patient assistance foundation budgeting process.

Dompé is the U.S. subsidiary of Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company incorporated in Italy. Dompé farmaceutici self-disclosed this conduct to the United States. Following the disclosure, both Dompé farmaceutici and Dompé U.S. cooperated with the government in this matter and received credit under the Department’s guidelines for taking self-disclosure, cooperation, and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.

The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Sarah Arni of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia for the District of Massachusetts.

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

BOSTON – Dompé U.S., Inc. (Dompé), based in California, has agreed to pay $32 million to resolve allegations that, between 2018 and 2021, it paid Medicare beneficiary co-payments through two patient assistance foundations to induce the purchase of its drug, Oxervate, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.

When a Medicare beneficiary obtains a prescription drug covered by Medicare Part B or Part D, the beneficiary is often required to make a partial payment, which may take the form of a co-payment, co-insurance, or deductible (collectively “co-pays”). These co-pay obligations may be substantial for expensive medications. Congress included co-pay requirements in these programs, in part, to encourage market forces to serve as a check on health care costs, including the prices that pharmaceutical manufacturers can demand for their drugs. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits pharmaceutical companies from offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration – which includes money or any other thing of value – to induce Medicare patients to purchase the companies’ drugs.

Dompé admitted that, around the time of Oxervate’s 2018 launch in the United States, Dompé U.S. employees expressed reservations about launching the drug before making a payment to a patient assistance foundation that paid the co-pays for Oxervate. After conversations with Dompé employees, two foundations opened funds that, among other things, paid co-pays for Oxervate, and Dompé made contributions to those foundations. Between 2019 and 2021, despite having an annual budgeting process for contributions, Dompé sometimes approved mid-year increases to those foundations or held certain amounts in “reserve” so that it could determine mid-year which of the foundations were running low on funding and allocate the “reserve” accordingly. Dompé also solicited patient assistance foundation data directly from the foundations, and from the specialty pharmacy that provided hub services to Dompé U.S. patients. Certain Dompé employees involved in the patient assistance foundation budgeting process received this data through either direct or indirect means.

“Kickbacks to beneficiaries undermine the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and drive up the cost of drugs,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My Office has recovered over $1.4 billion for taxpayers through settlements and enforcement actions concerning drug company kickbacks to purported charities, and we will continue to pursue these matters to ensure that all drug companies play by the rules and to protect federal taxpayer funded healthcare programs.”

“This settlement demonstrates the United States’ commitment to enforcing the Anti-Kickback Statute and ensuring that pharmaceutical manufacturers do not use unlawful inducements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department encourages companies that uncover improper kickbacks to self-disclose such conduct.”

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers that attempt to disguise kickbacks as charitable patient assistance are engaging in blatant misconduct which corrupts medical decision‑making and drains federal health care programs,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Dompé’s actions undermined critical safeguards Congress put in place to protect Medicare, driving up costs for taxpayers while exploiting patients. HHS-OIG does not tolerate such conduct and will continue to work tirelessly for justice and accountability.”

Dompé is the U.S. subsidiary of Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company incorporated in Italy. Dompé farmaceutici voluntarily self-disclosed this conduct to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, which Dompé U.S. discovered following an internal compliance review. Following the voluntary disclosure, both Dompé farmaceutici and Dompé U.S. fully cooperated with the government in this matter. By 2022, Dompé implemented changes to its patient assistance foundation contribution practices.

U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Shumate and HHS-OIG SAC Coviello made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia, Chief of the Affirmative Litigation Unit, handled the matter along with Senior Trial Counsel Sarah Arni of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.  
 

BOSTON – The owner and operator of two Massachusetts restaurants pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to paying employees in cash over the course of six years without withholding and paying federal employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Marios Michalakis, 44, of Westwood, Mass., pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to collect, report and pay over federal employment taxes. Senior U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Dec. 8, 2026.

From at least January 2016 through December 2022, Michalakis ran two restaurants – Amelia’s, located in Stoughton, Mass., and Sofia Italian Steakhouse, located in West Roxbury, Mass. At each restaurant, Michalakis paid employees in cash “under-the-table,” that is, failed to withhold income taxes, Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes from employee wages. In total, Michalakis failed to pay more than $580,000 in employee and employer taxes owed to the IRS and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

  Michalakis faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, together with restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for passport and SNAP fraud. 

Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, was sentenced by Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Chalas was also ordered to pay restitution of $304,932. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. Chalas was arrested in March 2026 and in May 2026, pleaded guilty to passport fraud and illegal acquisition of SNAP benefits.

For over two decades, Chalas used the name, birthdate and Social Security number of a United States citizen to apply for and receive Massachusetts driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, and over $25,000 in Social Security disability benefits, more than $12,000 in SNAP benefits and over $266,000 in MassHealth benefits. SNAP is a federal program administered by the states that provides funds for low-income individuals and families to purchase food. MassHealth is a federal and state program that provides medical benefits to low-income individuals.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley: Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621). 

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester, Mass. pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2026 in federal court in Boston to healthcare benefit fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Manuel Antonio Baez, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of falsely representing a Social Security number, one count of making false statements relating to health care matters and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 2, 2026. In May 2026, Baez was arrested and charged and has been held in custody since his arrest.

Baez used the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen, including the citizen’s Social Security number, to obtain government benefits. Specifically, Baez represented that he was a U.S. citizen when applying for healthcare benefits in Massachusetts and submitted a sworn affidavit falsely alleging the same. Baez ultimately obtained over $80,000 in MassHealth benefits using the stolen identity. Baez also committed drug offenses in the name of the U.S. citizen, including a 2018 conviction for trafficking heroin and a 2007 conviction for possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance.

The charge for falsely representing a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making false statements relating to a health care program provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year 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.  

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin T. Missett of the Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A former physician employed at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Bedford, Mass., pleaded guilty on Aug. 27, 2026 in federal court in Boston to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Sven Knudsen Ljaamo, 71, pleaded guilty on Aug. 27, 2026 to on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Nov. 18, 2026. The defendant was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on April 23, 2025 and later indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025.

According to the charging documents, law enforcement learned that over 100 files of suspected CSAM files had been uploaded to Ljaamo’s Google account. Several CSAM files, along with tens of thousands of pornography files, were found during a review of Ljaamo’s devices, including on a cell phone Ljaamo kept in his office at the VA Medical Center.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least 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 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Billerica, Lowell and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Criminal Division 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 – A Massachusetts woman has been sentenced in federal court in Boston to nearly four years in prison for performing thousands of cosmetic injection procedures using counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers imported from China and Brazil. The defendant, who was not licensed to perform injections and falsely represented herself as a nurse, received more than $1 million in payments from more than 900 clients for these procedures. Defendant owned and operated Skin Beaute Med Spa, with locations in Randolph and South Easton, Mass.

Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, of Stoughton, Mass. was sentenced on Sept. 2, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 46 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Fadanelli was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture each in the amount of $1,001,562. In April 2026, Fadanelli pleaded guilty to four counts of importing merchandise contrary to law, two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug and two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit device. She was arrested and charged in November 2024.

“This was not a mistake or a one-time lapse in judgment. Rebecca Fadanelli built a business on deception and repeatedly put profit ahead of the health and safety of the people who trusted her,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “She lied about being a nurse, injected counterfeit products into hundreds of clients even after federal authorities seized her shipments, searched her businesses and ultimately arrested her. Her victims were left with infections, facial paralysis, vision problems, scars and the lasting fear of not knowing what was injected into their bodies. As cosmetic injections and med spas continue to grow in popularity, this case underscores a serious and growing public health threat: counterfeit products and unlicensed providers can cause devastating harm. Those who knowingly put consumers at risk for profit will be held accountable.”

“FDA requirements are designed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs and devices distributed to American consumers. Administering counterfeit products for profit puts consumers at serious risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Fernando McMillan, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the FDA will continue to hold accountable those who endanger public health.”

Beginning in at least March 2021, Fadanelli owned and operated Skin Beaute Med Spa, with locations in Randolph and South Easton, Mass. Although Fadanelli was an aesthetician who was never licensed to perform injections or otherwise dispense or administer prescription drugs or devices, she offered botulinum toxin and dermal filler injections to clients and falsely represented to clients and employees that she was a licensed nurse. Fadanelli also misrepresented the identity and safety of the substances she was injecting, telling clients that she was using authentic Botox and FDA-approved dermal fillers such as Sculptra, Restylane and Juvéderm. In reality she was using counterfeit versions of these products, many of which she imported from China and Brazil. There is no record that Fadanelli ever purchased authentic prescription drugs or devices directly from the manufacturers of those FDA-approved products.

Business records show that between approximately March 2021 and June 2024 alone, Fadanelli performed more than 2,700 botulinum toxin and dermal filler injection procedures using counterfeit prescription drugs and devices. More than 900 clients paid a combined total of more than $1 million for the procedures.

Fadanelli continued operating her med spa illegally despite repeated warnings and law enforcement intervention. After federal authorities began seizing international shipments of counterfeit prescription drugs and devices addressed to Fadanelli’s home and business – and notified her that the products were misbranded and unapproved – Fadanelli took steps to conceal her continuing activity. Among other things, she directed suppliers to use different delivery addresses and other individuals’ names as recipients in an effort to avoid additional seizures.

On June 28, 2024, during searches at both Skin Beaute locations, products labeled as Botox, Sculptra, Restylane and Juvéderm that the product manufacturers subsequently identified as counterfeit, were recovered. Bacteriostatic water, used to dilute Botox that laboratory testing found contained methylobacterium, a bacteria that can cause infection, was also found.

Fadanelli continued offering and performing injection procedures until her arrest on Nov. 1, 2024. However, in May 2025 while on pretrial release following her arrest, Fadanelli performed an injection procedure at her home using an unknown substance that the client reportedly believed to be Sculptra. Her pretrial release was later revoked, and she has remained in custody since November 2025.

Numerous clients suffered adverse health effects as a result of injections performed by Fadanelli, including severe swelling, infections, drooping or paralysis of the face and eyes, double vision, impaired eyesight and hard lumps or nodules. Multiple clients were hospitalized, and many required follow-up treatment from licensed medical professionals.

For example, one client spent weeks hospitalized after developing severe facial swelling, headaches, weakness and fever-like symptoms following botulinum toxin injections. Another victim was hospitalized for four days after experiencing facial drooping and paralysis, double vision and headaches; another client suffered impaired vision for approximately three months; and a separate client ultimately underwent corrective surgery to remove a hard lump beneath her skin and was left with scarring.

When clients reported adverse reactions, Fadanelli often dismissed their concerns or provided misleading assurances, in some cases falsely claiming that she had used authentic FDA-approved products for the clients’ injection procedures. Fadanelli told some of these clients to return to Skin Beaute for additional treatments.

U.S. Attorney Foley, FDA-CI SAC McMillan; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The Medicaid Fraud Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Stoughton and Randolph Police Departments also provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Sarah Hoefle of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

A federal grand jury in the District of Massachusetts returned an indictment yesterday charging Erekle Gugava, 33, an illegal alien from Georgia, with conspiracy for laundering proceeds in connection with a $1.3 billion health care fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Gugava was a money launderer for the transnational criminal organization (the Organization) responsible for the largest health care fraud case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, as uncovered by Operation Gold Rush. The Organization, based in Russia and elsewhere, orchestrated a multi-billion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme to target, exploit, and steal from Medicare and other health insurers

“Fraud networks cannot function without people willing to launder and transmit their proceeds — and deterring those facilitators is essential to safeguarding taxpayer resources,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “As alleged in this indictment, Gugava allegedly helped facilitate a massive fraud on the American people by moving stolen proceeds through domestic and international financial channels. This indictment reflects our resolve to hold all participants in fraud networks accountable for their conduct.”

As alleged in charging documents, Gugava purportedly owned ND Medical Solutions LLC (ND Medical), a durable medical equipment (DME) company located in Pennsylvania, between February and July 2025. During the limited five-month span of Gugava’s purported ownership, ND Medical submitted at least $1.3 billion in fraudulent DME claims to Medicare, private health insurance companies that contracted to provide Medicare supplemental insurance policies, private employer-sponsored plans, and other insurers. These insurers paid ND Medical approximately $6.5 million.

As part of the scheme, Gugava facilitated the deposit and transfer of fraud proceeds. Among other things, he opened several bank accounts in the name of ND Medical — for which he was the sole signatory — and deposited checks from Medicare supplemental insurers and other health insurers into the ND Medical bank accounts. The funds were then ultimately transferred to various overseas bank accounts for the benefit of the Organization.

As alleged in charging documents, the fraudulent claims relied, in part, on the stolen identities of citizens from Massachusetts, across New England, and throughout the United States to justify the fraudulent billings. Many of these individuals, including elderly and disabled Americans, reported their concerns to Medicare and its contractors after receiving explanation of benefit forms that reflected them purportedly receiving DME that they did not in fact receive, that was purportedly prescribed by doctors whom they had never visited, and purportedly delivered from ND Medical — a DME company with which they were unfamiliar.

As further alleged, the Organization exploited the United States’ financial system by depositing insurance reimbursement checks from the fraud. The health care fraud proceeds were particularly susceptible to laundering because they originated from legitimate sources — Medicare and established private insurance carriers — giving the funds the initial appearance of legitimacy.

Gugava is charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello; FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Boston Division Acting Inspector in Charge Justin Page; IRS Criminal Investigations Special Agent in Charge Thomas E. Demeo; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Grimming of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England; and U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL-EBSA) Regional Director Kelly M. Lawson made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, USPIS, IRS, HSI, and DOL-EBSA are investigating the case.

Deputy Chief Kevin Lowell, Assistant Deputy Chief Jim Hayes, and Trial Attorneys Tiffany Wynn and Sarah Rocha of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Health Care Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

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

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

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

BOSTON – A Georgian national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly conspiring to launder the proceeds of a $1.3 billion health care fraud scheme while he was illegally in the United States.

Erekle Gugava, 33, a Georgian national, was indicted on one count of money laundering conspiracy. Gugava fled the United States in July 2025, after the alleged conduct.

According to court documents, Gugava was a money launderer for the foreign-based organization that spearheaded the largest health care fraud case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, dubbed Operation Gold Rush. The organization, based in Russia and elsewhere, orchestrated a multi-billion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme to target, exploit and steal from Medicare and other health insurers.

As alleged in the charging documents, Gugava purportedly owned ND Medical Solutions, LLC (ND Medical), a durable medical equipment company located in Pennsylvania, between February 2025 and July 2025. During the limited five-month span of Gugava’s purported ownership, ND Medical submitted at least $1.3 billion in fraudulent DME claims to Medicare, private health insurance companies that contracted to provide Medicare supplemental insurance policies, private employer-sponsored plans and union health plans. These insurers paid ND Medical approximately $6.5 million.

As part of the scheme, Gugava allegedly facilitated the deposit and transfer of fraud proceeds. Among other things, he allegedly opened several bank accounts in the name of ND Medical – for which he was the sole signatory – and deposited checks from Medicare Supplemental Insurers and other health insurers into the ND Medical bank accounts. The funds were then ultimately transferred to various overseas bank accounts for the benefit of the organization.

As alleged in charging documents, the fraudulent claims relied, in part, on the stolen identities of citizens from Massachusetts, across New England, and throughout the United States to justify the fraudulent billings. Many of these individuals, including elderly and disabled Americans, reported their concerns to Medicare and its contractors after receiving explanation of benefit forms that reflected them purportedly receiving DME that they did not in fact receive, that was purportedly prescribed by doctors whom they had never visited and purportedly delivered from ND Medical—a DME company with which they were unfamiliar.

As further alleged, the organization exploited the United States’ financial system by depositing insurance reimbursement checks from the fraud. The health care fraud proceeds were particularly susceptible to laundering because they originated from legitimate sources. Medicare and established private insurance carriers, giving the funds the initial appearance of legitimacy.

The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of 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; Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia Division; Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Kelly M. Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case alongside Deputy Chief Kevin Lowell, Assistant Deputy Chief Jim Hayes, and Trial Attorneys Tiffany Wynn and Sarah Rocha of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Health Care Fraud Section.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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

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 Webster, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to illegally dealing firearms, including 3D-printed firearms and components, and possessing a machinegun.

Anthony Pietrowski, a/k/a “AJ,” 24, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful dealing in firearms without a license and one count of unlawful possession of a machinegun. United States District Judge Margaret Guzman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 7, 2026. Pietrowski was arrested and charged in January 2026 and subsequently released on conditions following a detention hearing. 

Between August and October 2025, Pietrowski repeatedly sold privately made firearms and firearm components during four transactions in Webster. Among the items Pietrowski sold were a 3D-printed Glock-style pistol, multiple 3D-printed pistol frames and a machinegun conversion device designed for use with a Glock-style pistol. Pietrowski had never applied for or received a federal license to manufacture or deal firearms.

During the first transaction, Pietrowski described the firearm he sold as a custom build with a 3D-printed frame and discussed how he obtained components and assembled privately made firearms. Pietrowski also offered to supply additional frames and discussed future firearm sales. Over the following months, Pietrowski sold additional 3D-printed frames and another privately made pistol. In August 2025, Pietrowski sold a privately made pistol together with a machinegun conversion device, which constitutes a machinegun under federal law. Pietrowski later sold six additional 3D-printed pistol frames in October 2025.

The charge of unlawful dealing in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of unlawful possession of a machinegun 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 Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by United States Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; and the Webster, Worcester and Warwick (RI) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary B. Stendig of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Massachusetts woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass., to her execution of an approximately $10 million Ponzi scheme involving over 200 victims.

Barbara A. Hirshfield, 83, of Lexington, Mass. pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2026. Hirshfield was charged in July 2026.

Hirshfield owned and operated Ideal Financial Services, Inc. (Ideal) in West Springfield, Mass., as well as Ideal Financial Holdings (Ideal Holdings). Ideal purported to operate a motor vehicle and small loan business and raised money from investors by selling promissory notes that guaranteed investors high rates of returns. Investors were led to believe that their money would be used to fund Ideal’s lending business and that the returns on their investments would be generated from borrowers’ loan payments. 

In 2012, the Massachusetts Division of Banks (MDB) became concerned about Ideal’s finances and required Ideal to cease soliciting and accepting outside investment funds to finance its business. Hirshfield did not disclose to investors that the MDB had required Ideal to cease fundraising. Instead, Hirshfield continued to raise outside funds through the sale of promissory notes.

In 2014, after MDB remained concerned about Ideal’s finances, the MDB revoked Ideal’s licenses to issue motor vehicle and small loans – effectively preventing the company from continuing the lending business, its primary source of revenue. Hirshfield did not disclose to investors that the MDB had revoked Ideal’s licenses, nor did she disclose that Ideal was no longer generating revenue by issuing loans. Instead, Hirshfield continued to solicit investments through the sale of promissory notes.

By at least 2019, Ideal was generating little to no revenue from lending and instead relied almost entirely on money raised from new investments. Rather than disclosing the company’s financial condition, Hirshfield continued marketing promissory notes. Hirshfield used money obtained from new investments to make interest and principal payments owed to earlier investors, operating Ideal as a Ponzi scheme. Hirshfield continued operating the Ponzi scheme until approximately June 2025, when she was no longer able to make interest payments or repay the principal owed on outstanding promissory notes.

In late 2024, Ideal failed to make promised interest payments to investors. Rather than disclose the company’s true financial condition, Hirshfield blamed payment delays on banking issues, fraud, data breaches and stolen or lost checks, while continuing to solicit additional investments through emails offering increasingly high rates of return.

The scheme resulted in losses of approximately $10,930,940 to approximately 204 victims. More than 25 victims suffered substantial financial hardship as a result of the fraud.

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 $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 the Massachusetts Securities Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.             

BOSTON – A Marlborough man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Worcester for allegedly attempting to pay $150 to have sex with a purported 15-year-old minor.

James Gill, 39, of Marlborough, was indicted on one count of Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor. Gill was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in July 2026. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled by the Court. 

According to the charging documents, Gill allegedly responded to an advertisement posted by undercover law enforcement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex. During subsequent text messages and a phone call with an undercover agent posing as the sister of a purported 15-year-old girl, the agent stated that the minor was available to engage in commercial sex acts. Gill allegedly agreed to pay $150 to have sex with the minor and stated that he intended to video record the sexual encounter. It is further alleged that Gill requested photographs of the purported minor and sent a nude photograph of himself to be shown to her. Gill was arrested upon his arrival at a prearranged hotel to meet the purported minor.

The charge of attempted sex trafficking of a child provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and 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.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of the Worcester Branch Office 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 unlawfully residing in Boston was sentenced yesterday for stealing SNAP benefits and unlawfully using a U.S. citizen’s Social Security number. 

Victor Suazo Reynoso, 69, was sentenced by Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Reynoso was also ordered to pay $18,434 in restitution to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and $54,931 to MassHealth. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In May 2026, the defendant pleaded guilty to illegal acquisition of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits and false representation of a Social Security number. Reynoso was charged and arrested in March 2026.

Reynoso used the name, birthdate and Social Security number of a United States citizen to apply for and receive a Massachusetts driver’s license and more than $18,000 in SNAP benefits and $54,000 in MassHealth benefits. SNAP is a federal program administered by the states that provides funds for low-income individuals and families to purchase food. MassHealth is a federal and state program that provides medical benefits to low-income individuals.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621). 

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

BOSTON – An illegal alien from the Dominican Republic, who is an associate of the D Street Projects gang in the South Boston area, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to selling a firearm and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement agent. 

Junior Martinez-Perello, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Jan. 6, 2027. In July 2025, Martinez-Perello was arrested and charged. 

In May 2025, Martinez-Perello communicated with undercover law enforcement about selling 100 grams of fentanyl and a firearm. On May 30, 2025, Martinez-Perello agreed to meet in Boston for a drug and gun deal. Martinez-Perello informed the undercover agent that he would always have firearms available and not to be concerned about purchasing firearms from him, and that he would be able to obtain and distribute half-kilogram quantities of fentanyl in the near future.

During the controlled purchase, Martinez-Perello explained how the safety feature worked on the firearm. At one point during the sale, Martinez-Perello pointed the loaded firearm towards the ground, manipulated the firearm in a fashion that was consistent with rendering the firearm safe and attempting to remove the live ammunition from the firearm. During this process, Martinez-Perello disengaged the safety mechanism on the firearm and fired one round into the floor.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl 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 and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A federal grand jury has indicted a Chinese national residing in Andover, Mass., on charges stemming from an alleged scheme to use another Chinese national’s identity to register to vote and cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election. The defendant was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in August.

Yupeng Sun, 33, was indicted on one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting. Sun was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 19, 2026 and subsequently released on conditions. He will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date. 

According to court filings, on Oct. 10, 2024, Sun submitted an online voter registration through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website impersonating another Chinese national residing in Massachusetts with legal permanent resident (LPR) status. On Oct. 31, 2024, Sun allegedly continued to impersonate the other Chinese national and submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. 

After registering to vote and voting, Sun allegedly submitted several anonymous tips in April and May 2026 to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stating that the victim “illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election” and noting that “[h]e is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.” It is further alleged that Sun impersonated the same Chinese national and his Chinese national wife in fraudulent forms submitted to USCIS in April 2024 requesting to abandon their LPR status. When the couple returned from an international trip in June 2024, they were subjected to secondary inspection at Logan Airport in Boston, had their Green Cards confiscated, and were placed into removal proceedings allegedly as a result of Sun’s submission of fraudulent forms.

The charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each provide 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 Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Lexington Police Department and the Andover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg 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 Randolph, Mass. man has been arrested for distribution of fentanyl while on supervised release for a prior federal drug conviction.

Christian Collins, 24, was charged by criminal complaint with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendant remains in federal custody following a detention hearing that took place this afternoon.

According to the charging documents, Collins allegedly sold fentanyl to a cooperating witness six times between July and August 2026. Collins is currently on supervised release for a prior federal drug trafficking conviction involving fentanyl, for which Collins was sentenced to in 2021 to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. 

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Randolph, Holbrook, East Bridgewater, Taunton, Fall River, Acushnet, Rochester, Brockton, Boston, Stoughton, Quincy, Ashland and Abington Police Departments; Plymouth County and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; and Massachusetts Department of Correction. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang 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 Sudbury man, formerly of Hudson (Mass.), was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2026 in federal court in Worcester for carrying out a scheme to steal money from his two former employers, both medical practices.

Adam Gentile, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to four years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Gentile was also ordered to pay restitution to the two victims in the amounts of $3.8 million and $3.3 million, respectively, and was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $7.8 million. In March 2026, Gentile pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud after being charged in December 2025.

In or around 2014, Gentile was hired as an administrative assistant for a medical practice near Boston. He was promoted to the role of office manager shortly thereafter. In his capacity as office manager, Gentile processed payroll and oversaw other recordkeeping and administrative responsibilities for the practice. Beginning in or around 2015 and continuing through November 2020, Gentile embezzled more than $4.5 million from his employer by issuing himself extra paychecks, sometimes labeling the payments as “bonuses.” Gentile also paid off personal credit cards with the practice’s bank account. 

In 2021, Gentile was hired as an officer manager for a second medical practice, for which he similarly had sole responsibility for processing payroll. From in or around April 2021 through May 2024, Gentile executed a similar scheme in which he caused extra payroll payments to be issued to himself – sometimes recording these payments as “bonuses.” Gentile used the employer’s bank account to pay off his personal credit cards; purchase and upgrade his home in Hudson; and put toward a side business he ran while employed by the medical practice. Gentile embezzled more than $3.3 million from his second employer.

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 Leominster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Malden, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to assaulting federal agents who were engaging in lawful immigration enforcement and threatening to kill them.

Bethany Abigail Terrill, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by simple assault. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16, 2026. Terrill was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in October 2025 and later indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2026. 

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

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

Specifically, Terrill  approached the agents, screaming at and pushing through the agents to capture a video recording on her mobile telephone. 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. 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 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 influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by simple assault provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. 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. Attorneys Luke A. Goldworm and Colin T. Missett of the of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.  

BOSTON – A Malden man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to conspiring to distribute cocaine.

Christhian Castillo, 33, pleaded guilty on Aug. 27, 2026 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine and distribution of 500 or more grams of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 1, 2026. Castillo was indicted in May 2025, along with his alleged co-conspirator Erick Sandoval-Perez.

Castillo and allegedly Sandoval-Perez, worked together to sell cocaine on several occasions to an undercover law enforcement officer. On Feb. 12, 2025, Sandoval-Perez allegedly arranged to sell a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover. Castillo was arrested when he allegedly handed the kilogram of cocaine to the undercover.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine, and the charge of distribution of 500 or more grams of cocaine, both 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. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. 

Sandoval-Perez is scheduled to plead guilty on Oct. 14, 2026. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Chief Ryan Malatos of the Leominster Police Department; and Chief Brian W. Coyne of the Clinton Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Malden Police Department. 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 Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass. has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The defendant was previously deported after completing a state prison sentence for fentanyl distribution. 

Diego De Los Santos Vizcaino, 35, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. De Los Santos will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. 

According to the charging document, De Los Santos, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was first encountered by authorities in February 2020, after unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico by swimming across the Rio Grande River. He was subsequently released to Mexico and ordered to appear for removal proceedings in Texas, for which he failed to appear. The hearing was held in his absence, and he was ordered removed by an immigration judge. In October 2020, De Los Santos was found in Lawrence, Mass., in connection with a state residential search warrant, where he was arrested and charged with drug trafficking offenses. De Los Santos later pleaded guilty to six counts of distribution of fentanyl and was sentenced to three years in state prison. He was removed from the United States in July 2023, after completing his state prison sentence. 

It is alleged that, at some point thereafter, De Los Santos unlawfully reentered the United States. In September 2025, De Los Santos was again arrested by state authorities in connection with a residential search warrant execution in Lawrence. De Los Santos was subsequently charged in Essex Superior Court with 11 counts of drug trafficking arising from multiple incidents allegedly occurring in Methuen and Andover between June and September 2025. De Los Santos is currently held in state custody on $75,000 bail in connection with the pending state charges. 

The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year 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 David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney John L. Potapchuk 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 New Bedford man pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2026 in federal court in Boston to possessing a firearm and ammunition on the grounds of the Charles G. Taylor Elementary School in Foxborough, Mass.

Jameel Clark-White, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Dec. 11, 2026. Clark-White was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025.

At the plea hearing, Clark-White admitted that he traveled from New Bedford to Foxborough on the morning of June 12, 2025, to attend a school function. Prior to the function, Clark-White was involved in a collision with another vehicle in the school’s parking lot. Before police arrived to investigate the crash, Clark-White tossed a .45 caliber Glock pistol equipped with a machinegun conversion device, as well as two additional loaded magazines, underneath two parked cars in the school’s parking lot. Clark-White fled the scene minutes later and was not apprehended until July 22, 2025. Clark-White was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possessing a firearm in a school zone provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Foxborough Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Fall River was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and distributing cocaine. 

Carlos Perez, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2026, Perez pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of distributing a controlled substance. In November 2025, Perez was arrested and charged. 

On May 5, 2025, Perez sold cocaine as well as a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition to a cooperating witness. In addition, Perez sold a Sig Sauer, P230 SL, .380 caliber pistol and ammunition on June 2, 2025; a Ruger, Max 9, 9mm pistol and ammunition on June 30, 2025; and a Smith & Wesson, M&P 9 Shield, 9mm pistol and ammunition on Aug. 27, 2025. 

Perez is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to multiple prior convictions. According to the charging documents, Perez has 61 adult charges on his record and over 15 criminal convictions, including a 2015 state conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance, for which he served two years in the house of corrections, as well as two separate convictions for Assault and Battery Dangerous Weapon in 2008, for which he received a two-year suspended sentence and six months in the house of corrections. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River and New Bedford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Barre woman was sentenced on Aug. 28, 2026 in federal court in Worcester for stealing over $100,000 in Social Security benefits.

Jennifer Valley, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to one day of prison deemed served and three years of supervised release with 10 months of home confinement. Valley was also ordered to pay $100,218 in restitution. In May 2026, Valley pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money after being charged in April 2026.

From October 2022 through August 2025, Valley stole approximately $100,218 in Social Security retirement benefits that were intended for a beneficiary who had died and with whom she had previously lived. Prior to the beneficiary’s death, Valley had been appointed as the beneficiary’s representative payee to manage their Social Security benefits and provide regular accountings to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Valley failed to report the beneficiary’s death to SSA. Instead, in June 2023, she submitted a representative payee report to SSA stating that all the benefits received during the previous 12 months had been spent for the benefit of the deceased, including $23,157 in funds improperly paid after death during that period. Additionally, in December 2023, Valley updated the deceased’s mailing address with SSA to her new address to conceal the beneficiary’s death.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts State Representative for the 16th Essex District, representing Lawrence and Methuen, was arrested today and charged with fraudulently obtaining over $700,000 in COVID unemployment insurance benefits and small-business loans, and using the proceeds to buy real estate and loan money to clients of his mortgage business, before he was elected to public office.

Francisco Paulino, 46, of Methuen, Mass., is charged in an 11-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Boston. Paulino is charged with eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. Paulino will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2 p.m. today.

According to the indictment, Paulino fraudulently obtained Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits in 2020-2021 in the name of an unknowing 77-year-old relative. The PUA program, which was created during the COVID pandemic, provided unemployment benefits for people who were ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, including independent contractors.

In April 2020, Paulino allegedly submitted an online PUA application to the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for his relative, in which Paulino falsely claimed that the relative had worked for Paulino’s business, Madison Tax, LLC, in 2019. Paulino allegedly submitted fabricated documents in support of the PUA application and submitted false weekly certifications to the DUA. It is further alleged that Paulino directed the DUA to electronically deposit the PUA benefits into a bank account held solely in Paulino’s name. As a result, between April 2020 and September 2021, the DUA paid over $44,000 in PUA benefits. Paulino allegedly used the money to pay for real estate expenses, loan payments and transfers into his political campaign account. 

According to the indictment, Paulino also committed fraud in connection with three Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). During COVID, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offered taxpayer-funded EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the pandemic. The interest rate on EIDLs was 3.75% and the loan use was limited. A business could only use EIDL proceeds as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by COVID.

According to the charging documents, Paulino incorporated a business called Jackson Enterprise, Inc. as a “fast food restaurant cafe” on Nov. 25, 2019. Jackson Enterprise allegedly had no revenue prior to August 2020. Although Madison Tax filed tax returns with the IRS stating that Jackson Enterprise’s revenues were $0 in 2019 and $116,925 in 2020, Paulino allegedly submitted an EIDL application to the SBA in June 2020 falsely representing that Jackson Enterprise’s revenues for the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2020 were $426,755. The SBA granted the application and deposited $136,600 in EIDL proceeds into Jackson Enterprise’s bank account in July 2020. Paulino allegedly used $18,000 of the funds toward the purchase of real estate in Lawrence.

Paulino also allegedly obtained a $109,200 EIDL for Madison Tax in May 2020, and later asked the SBA for an increase in the loan amount. In June 2021, the SBA increased the Madison Tax EIDL by $292,600, bringing the total loan amount to $401,800. In October 2021, after the SBA deposited the $292,600 into Madison Tax’s bank account, Paulino allegedly transferred $100,000 of the EIDL funds into the bank account of Madison Mortgage, Inc.– another of his businesses, and used the money to help fund a $600,000 mortgage to two individuals for their purchase of a house in Methuen. Then, in December 2021, Paulino allegedly transferred $120,000 of the EIDL funds from his Madison Tax account to his Madison Mortgage account and used the money to help fund a $460,000 mortgage from Madison Mortgage to an LLC for the purchase of a house in Lawrence. It is further alleged that Paulino not only used $220,000 of Madison Tax EIDL funds for an impermissible purpose, but also that he profited by charging 5.5% and 7.94% interest on the loans he made with the EIDL funds and by charging $25,000 in “loan origination fees” to the home purchasers.

The indictment further alleges that Paulino obtained a fraudulent EIDL modification for one of his Madison Tax clients. In June 2020, Paulino allegedly recommended that a client apply for an EIDL and told the client that he would handle the paperwork and the client would not need to do anything. It is alleged that the client agreed and Paulino obtained a $104,300 EIDL for the client’s business. Paulino allegedly asked the SBA for an increase to the client’s EIDL without the client’s knowledge and in September 2021, the SBA approved an increase of $243,200. Paulino allegedly told the client that he had obtained more government loan money for the client’s business, that the client should leave the money in the client’s business account and that he was going to propose a business deal for the client. It is further alleged that Paulino later told the client to lend him $200,000 and together they transferred $200,000 from the client’s account to Paulino’s Madison Tax account. Paulino then allegedly used the $200,000 to help fund a $680,000 mortgage to another Madison Mortgage client for the purchase of real property in Lawrence, charging an interest rate of 6.25% and a “loan origination fee” of $17,000. 

The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of money laundering each provide 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; Tom Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Jeffrey S. Shapiro, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, Commonwealth of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kistina E. Barclay and Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.

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

BOSTON – The Mayor of Lawrence, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston. The 11-count indictment, unsealed today, charges the Mayor with allegedly obtaining over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans. It is alleged that the money was used to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes and pay more than $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages on properties he owned in Lawrence. 

Brian A. DePena, 61, was indicted on four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering. DePena was previously charged by criminal complaint and arrested on Aug. 14, 2026. DePena will appear in federal court for an arraignment at a later date. 

DePena was elected as Mayor of Lawrence in November 2021 and was reelected in November 2025. He previously served on the Lawrence City Council from 2016 until 2021.

According to the charging documents, in 2020 and 2021, DePena applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a tire sales and automotive services business he owned in Lawrence. The interest rate on EIDLs was 3.75% and the loan use was limited. A business could only use EIDL proceeds as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. DePena allegedly caused Tenares Tire to apply for and obtain an EIDL in the amount of $150,000 in June 2020 and then used the majority of those funds as working capital for the business. According to the charging documents, DePena needed cash by early 2021. His mayoral campaign was struggling to pay bills; he owed the IRS for back taxes; and he owed almost $900,000 to two private, hard money lenders who were charging DePena 12% and 8% interest – significantly more than the EIDL rate of 3.75% – on loans that encumbered various properties DePena owned in Lawrence. 

In April 2021, DePena allegedly caused a request for an increase of the Tenares Tire EIDL and on July 14, 2021, the SBA approved an increase of the loan by $350,000, bringing the total Tenares Tire EIDL to $500,000. While waiting for the EIDL funds to be released, DePena allegedly texted (originally in Spanish, here translated to English) his accountant and financial advisor, who had been assisting with the Tenares Tire EIDL application and modification:

July 22, 2021:             Brother, call me, I’m in trouble. I don’t want to pressure you, but I don’t have time to wait for this loan. I’m in your hands. 🙏

July 25, 2021:             Brother, I need your help with this loan. I’ve been trying to reach you all week because I haven’t been able to get it resolved. I know I’m bothering you a lot, but I have no other option. Only you can give me what I need. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

July 28, 2021:             Brother call me 🙏🙏🙏

The $350,000 in EIDL funds were electronically deposited into the Tenares Tire bank account on Aug. 16, 2021. The pre-deposit balance in the account was $20.23. Shortly thereafter, DePena allegedly paid $85,000 of the EIDL funds to the IRS to pay off personal tax debts, and transferred $120,000 to a personal account and used that money to write checks totaling $90,000 to The Committee to Elect Brian DePena. It is alleged that these checks were deposited in the DePena mayoral campaign account, and characterized as loans to the campaign, in September and October 2021. 

In October 2021, DePena allegedly caused a request for a second EIDL modification and on Oct. 27, 2021, the SBA approved the modification which increased the loan by $1,154,400 bringing the total Tenares Tire EIDL to $1,654,400. 

On Nov. 30, 2021, $1,154,188 in EIDL funds were electronically deposited in the Tenares Tire account and on the same day, DePena allegedly transferred the entire amount to one of his personal accounts which had a balance of $1,401. It is alleged that DePena used $42,112.96 of the EIDL funds for his mayoral campaign, writing checks to the campaign for $10,000 and $32,112.96. The first check was deposited into his campaign account on Dec. 2, 2021, when the account had allegedly been overdrawn for approximately 20 days.

DePena allegedly used $883,293 of the EIDL funds to pay off his debts to the hard money lenders. On Dec. 9, 2021, DePena bought a $538,109.03 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off one of the loans, and on Dec. 18, 2021, he bought a $345,184.13 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off the other loan. According to the charging documents, as of Aug. 5, 2026, DePena had made only 16 payments on the Tenares Tire EIDL. The outstanding principal balance was approximately $1,654,420.

The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of money laundering each provide 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; Tom Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Jeffrey S. Shapiro, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, Commonwealth of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kistina E. Barclay and Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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

BOSTON – A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios was sentenced on Aug. 19, 2026, after pleading guilty in April 2026 to racketeering charges, including three attempted murders and an accessory after the fact to two murders.

Luis Enrique Santana, a/k/a “Chiquito,” 32, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 136 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised released. After serving the prison sentence, Luis Enrique Santana will be deported to the Dominican Republic. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, commonly known as RICO Conspiracy.

The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to organize and execute violence and undertake extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.  

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. On June 9, 2026, additional federal racketeering and drug charges were unsealed charging 26 additional leaders, members and associates of the Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston Chapters of the gang. According to court documents, the Trinitarios have allegedly participated in five additional murders in Essex County since 2017, bringing the total of federally charged murders to 11. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In December 2025 Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy; in May 2026, Westyn Lantigua pleaded guilty; in June 2026, Luis Jeffrey Santana pleaded guilty; and in August 2026, Kelvin Liranzo Roman and Israel Garcia Vasquez also pleaded guilty. All are awaiting sentencing.

Luis Enrique Santana was a member of the gang and rapper who published music videos glorifying the Trinitarios in Massachusetts, which featured gang members and himself possessing firearms, and contained threats to rival gangs. Luis Enrique Santana participated in a March 2019 shooting in Lynn, where the Trinitarios intended to kill three rival gang members.  During this incident, Luis Enrique Santana posed as a female online and lured rival gang members to a nightclub. Another Trinitarios gang member, Lynn Chapter leader Aaron Diaz Liranzo, proceeded to the location and fired at the three rival gang members in the vehicle, wounding two of them who would survive their injuries. In July 2025, Aaron Diaz Liranzo was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.

Luis Enrique Santana also participated as an accessory after the fact to the Sept. 2, 2023 murders of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz. During this incident, three members of the Trinitarios drove by a party in Lynn and discharged numerous rounds at people gathered outside celebrating a recent graduate who was heading off to college. Seven people were shot during this incident, including Abraham Diaz and Jandriel Heredia who later died from gunshot wounds. After the shooting, Luis Enrique Santana assisted the Trinitarios in moving the vehicle used in the shooting from Lynn to Lawrence in order to conceal it from law enforcement and destroy evidence that it contained.

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; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Charlton, Mass. woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits and pension payments.

Gina M. Cummings, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to one day of prison deemed served, three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $110,428 in restitution. In May 2026, Cummings pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In December 2025, Cummings was arrested and charged.

From January 2020 through July 2025, Cummings fraudulently obtained approximately $110,428 in Social Security benefits, private pension payments and COVID Economic Impact Payments. Cummings had access to the checkbook of a Social Security beneficiary and pensioner who died in August 2019. She failed to report the beneficiary’s death to the Social Security Administration, the pension plan and the bank where the funds were deposited. Instead, Cummings accessed the improperly paid funds by forging the deceased beneficiary’s name on 84 checks and regularly depleted the account funds through recurring bill payments.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.

Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
 

BOSTON – The former owner of Expansion Media (Expansion) and Hybrid Management Group (Hybrid) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a $110 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces.

Steven Richardson, 42, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to two years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. In April 2024, Richardson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Richardson was charged in February 2024.

Between March 2016 and January 2023, Richardson, through his companies Expansion and Hybrid, entered into business relationships with telemarketing companies that generated leads by targeting Medicare beneficiaries. The telemarketers then paid Expansion and Hybrid on a per-order basis to generate orders for DME for these beneficiaries. To arrange for these orders to be signed, Richardson worked with medical staffing companies—including one in Massachusetts—to find doctors and nurses who were willing to review and sign prepopulated orders, typically without any contact with the beneficiaries. The records falsely portrayed the medical providers as having performed a legitimate examination of the beneficiary. Richardson then provided the signed orders to the telemarketing companies, which sold the orders to DME suppliers. Richardson knew that these DME suppliers would use the signed orders to submit claims to Medicare for DME that was medically unnecessary, based on false documentation and tainted by kickbacks.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Justin Page, Acting 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 Jessica Herrington, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigation Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A former Master Sergeant of the 102 Security Forces of the Massachusetts National Guard stationed in Sandwich, Mass., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  

Nicholas Wells, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 78 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025, Wells pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024.

Wells engaged in chats on a messaging application, in which he discussed his interest in minors and distributed videos depicting child pornography. Over 300 images and 100 videos depicting child pornography were located on his phone. It was also determined that Wells distributed over 70 videos depicting child pornography, some of which involved infants.  

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 and the Barnstable and Sandwich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Criminal Division prosecuted 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 – A former Immigration Services Officer was charged and has agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than $60,000 from a labor union over the course of five years.

Carol A. Aguja, 55, of Reading, Mass., was charged with wire fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.

According to court documents, Aguja was an Immigration Services Officer employed by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Between approximately 2015 and August 2024, Aguja also served as Treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 38 (AFGE Local 38), a labor organization that represented USCIS employees who lived in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. 

The charging document alleges that, between 2019 and 2024, Aguja defrauded AFGE Local 38 by siphoning funds from the union bank account to pay for her own personal and non-union related expenses. As part of her fraud scheme, Aguja is also alleged to have paid union expenses out of her personal accounts and commingled union and personal funds to conceal her embezzlement. Specifically, Aguja is alleged to have used the AFGE Local 38 credit card to pay approximately $12,508 for personal expenses such as restaurant meals, bills, clothing and dance lessons. She is further alleged to have made 128 cash withdrawals totaling over $23,700 from the AFGE Local 38 account, and to have transferred over $25,000 from the AFGE Local 38 account to her personal accounts. Aguja is alleged to have falsified annual forms regarding the union finances that AFGE Local 38 was required to submit to the United States Department of Labor-Management Standards, in order to conceal her fraud. 

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 $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, restitution, and forfeiture. 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; Jonathan Russo, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions 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 registered sex offender from Dracut pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. 

Tyler Bullock, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Dec. 2, 2026. Bullock was arrested and charged in November 2025.

Bullock was identified as an individual who had, on several occasions, sent money to an India-based network in exchange for CSAM. During a search of Bullock’s residence, Bullock admitted to soliciting and paying for CSAM. A forensic review of Bullock’s devices revealed videos and photographs depicting both real and AI-generated CSAM. 

During the search of the residence, a Ruger P85 9mm pistol loaded with a magazine that contained several rounds of ammunition as well as a knife bearing the Schutztaffel lightning bolts and a swastika were located in a small safe under a rug in a bedroom. According to court documents, the pistol was reported stolen in transit from New Hampshire to Arizona. A copy of Mein Kampf and an additional 42 rounds of ammunition were also located in the same bedroom. 

Additionally, according to the charging documents, a partially assembled rifle was located in an upstairs bedroom along with numerous WWII-era German military medals, patches and memorabilia containing Nazi symbolism. 

Bullock is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition as a result of a 2016 conviction for the Purchase or Possession of Child Pornography in Lowell District Court. 

The charge of possession child pornography after a prior offense provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three 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.

The case was 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.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and William Ferrari, Deputy Assistant Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra W. Amrhein and Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Rockland, Mass. man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly operating an online drug trafficking business that distributed potent synthetic opioids to customers across the country through the U.S. mail, including a shipment that allegedly resulted in the overdose death of a woman in Las Vegas in April 2025.

Jaden Zion Andre, 23, was indicted on one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue resulting in death; three counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue; and four counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The defendant will appear in federal court in Boston on Aug. 25, 2026. He is currently in state custody on unrelated charges. 

According to the charging documents, Andre advertised and sold highly potent synthetic opioids and controlled substance analogues through online accounts and forums – including a Telegram channel called “MontanaSnacksLLC,” a Proton Mail account called “SnackSeason” as well as on Reddit pages. Customers allegedly communicated directly with Andre through those accounts to request samples, place orders and arrange payment and shipping. It is alleged that Andre then disguised the drugs inside ordinary snack packaging – including bags of cheese balls, chips, popcorn, rice crisps and Pirate’s Booty – and mailed the packages from post offices throughout Massachusetts to customers nationwide.

In April 2025, a package allegedly shipped through MontanaSnacksLLC was delivered to a woman in Las Vegas who had requested a narcotics sample; she was found dead later that day, and a substance recovered from her bedroom subsequently tested positive for N-pyrrolidino ethylene isotonitazene, an analogue of a Schedule I controlled substance.

According to the charging documents, Andre’s trafficking operation continued through May 2026, with investigators connecting additional packages from MontanaSnacksLLC or SnackSeason to overdose death investigations in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Those deaths remain under investigation.

Numerous other alleged drug shipments were intercepted or purchased during the investigation, including four packages mailed on May 26, 2026, each containing a controlled substance concealed inside sealed bags of Pirate’s Booty. A subsequent search allegedly recovered electronic records linking Andre to the operation, including USPS shipping labels, customer and tracking information, cryptocurrency-related records and photographs of suspected synthetic opioids bearing the “SnackSeason” name.

The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue resulting in death provides for a sentence of no less than 20 years and up to life in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; United States Postal Inspection Service, Las Vegas and Pittsburgh Field Offices; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Vegas Division; Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (Florida); Pennsylvania State Police; Butler City Police Department (Pennsylvania); Richmond Hill Police Department (Georgia); and the Massachusetts State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. 

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

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Lawrence Mass., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to drug charges after serving a federal prison sentence and being deported in 2023.

Angel Martinez, a/k/a Aneudy Rios, 56, pleaded guilty to distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing on Nov. 19, 2026. In October 2024, Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Martinez is currently on supervised release for 2019 federal drug distribution charges that resulted in 60 months in prison. After serving his sentence, Martinez was deported from the United States. In September 2024, Martinez unlawfully returned to the United States and sold fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Haverhill, Mass. which was captured on video.

The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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 other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Field Office made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by North Andover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Chinese national residing in Andover, Mass. was arrested today for submitting a fraudulent voter registration and ballot in the 2024 presidential election in the name of another Chinese national. The defendant also allegedly submitted two fraudulent immigration forms on behalf of the victim, a Chinese national, and his wife, resulting in the confiscation of their Green Cards and causing them to enter into removal proceedings.

Yupeng Sun, 33, was charged with one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting. Sun will appear in federal court in Boston for an initial appearance today at 2:00 p.m.

According to court filings, on Oct. 10, 2024, Sun allegedly submitted an online voter registration through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website impersonating another Chinese national residing in Massachusetts with legal permanent resident (“LPR”) status. On Oct. 31, 2024, Sun allegedly continued to impersonate the other Chinese national and submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.  

After registering to vote and voting, Sun allegedly submitted several anonymous tips in April and May 2026 to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) stating that the victim “illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election” and noting that “[h]e is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.”

It is further alleged that Sun impersonated the same Chinese national and his Chinese national wife in fraudulent forms submitted to USCIS in April 2024 requesting to abandon their LPR status. When the couple returned from an international trip in June 2024, they were subjected to secondary inspection at Logan Airport in Boston, had their Green Cards confiscated, and were placed into removal proceedings allegedly as a result of Sun’s submission of fraudulent forms.

The charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each provide 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 Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Lexington Police Department and the Andover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg 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 – Two Massachusetts men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection with two armed bank robberies that occurred on April 28, 2026.

Steven Harris, 34, and Angel Gonzalez, 26, have been indicted with two counts of armed bank robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery. The defendants were previously charged by criminal complaint in May 2026. Harris remains in federal custody and Gonzalez is in state custody in connection with unrelated proceedings

According to the charging documents, Harris and Gonzalez participated in the armed robberies of a Santander Bank branch in Roxbury, Mass. and a TD Bank branch in Roslindale, Mass., on April 28, 2026. It is alleged that Gonzalez brandished a firearm during both robberies. During the first robbery, at the Santander Bank, Gonzalez allegedly dragged a bank employee from her office to the teller window, threatening to shoot her and held her at gunpoint:

At the TD Bank location, Gonzalez allegedly entered the bank wielding the same firearm, with his index finger on the trigger of the firearm. Once inside, Gonzalez’s partner, Harris, allegedly moved multiple employees from their offices to the main area of the bank. It is further alleged that Gonzalez, while brandishing the firearm, threatened to shoot the bank employees if they did not comply with his and Harris’s directives. Gonzalez then allegedly took approximately $3,000 from a teller drawer, and the suspects left in a getaway vehicle.

The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years 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 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes 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 South Carolina man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court Boston to a sex trafficking conspiracy that victimized two minors and one adult. The adult victim was trafficked throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and South Carolina. The defendant kept all the profits for his own financial gain.

Alexander Smalls, 27, of Beaufort County, S.C. pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; sex trafficking of a minor; and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Dec. 9, 2026. In June 2024, Smalls was indicted along with five co-conspirators. Smalls had been in custody on state charges in South Carolina since March 2023. After being taken into custody and while incarcerated on state charges, Smalls continued to participate in the trafficking of one of the victims in this case.

“Alexander Smalls took extraordinary steps to target and exploit a vulnerable victim and continued to do so from jail, after he was taken into state custody on a separate offense.  His ruthless predilection to exploit others for his own financial gain is simply heartless and reprehensible,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My office stands strong in its determination to protect our community from sex traffickers.”

“This defendant used deplorable means to compel the victim to perform commercial sex acts for the financial benefit of himself and his codefendants,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His conduct was cruel and predatory in multiple ways, which included physical beatings and threatening to separate her from her child. This partnership between the Criminal Division and the District of Massachusetts will ensure that those who victimize people through human trafficking in Massachusetts will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“Smalls and his associates brutally trafficked women, using every cruel and inhumane tool they could to coerce them into commercial sex for their financial benefit. This case shows the insidious tactics traffickers use, slowly gaining the trust of their victims before brutally betraying them,” said Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “With cases like this, we choose to focus not solely on the cruelty of the perpetrators, but also on the resilience of the survivors. We hope this plea brings a measure of justice and sense of closure to those Smalls victimized as they continue to heal.”

Between January and August 2023, Smalls conspired with Christy Parker and others in a scheme to coerce one adult victim to engage in commercial sex in Massachusetts and surrounding states for their exclusive financial gain. 

In early 2023, Parker reached out to the victim, her childhood friend, and told her that she (Parker) needed a place to live. After moving in with the victim, Parker and her boyfriend, Smalls, coerced the victim to quit her job and begin engaging in commercial sex for their financial benefit. Smalls and Parker forced the victim to sign a “profit sharing contact,” which required the victim to “remain loyal and humble and stay focused.” Parker inflicted physical violence on the victim while Smalls threatened to shoot her or have family members, other co-defendants charged in the indictment, come and harm her. Smalls also threatened to have authorities take the victim’s minor child away. 

Even after Smalls was taken into custody on unrelated charges in March 2023, he continued to traffic the victim from jail. Smalls encouraged Parker to sell the victim, telling her that he needed them to make at least one thousand dollars a night. Smalls told Parker to post the victim every two hours. Smalls would also speak directly to the victim, telling her that would send someone to “beat” her, put her “through the floor” “slap her” and have her child taken from her if she did not participate in the conspiracy. Smalls’ commissary records show that he received proceeds from the commercial sex enterprise while in prison. 

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

The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison, no less than five years of supervised release and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, no less than five years of supervised release and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, no less than five years of supervised release 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.

U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Duva and HSI Acting SAC Grimming made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Somerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley-Cunniffe, Chief of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit, and Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – The owner and operator of two Massachusetts restaurants has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to paying employees in cash over the course of seven years without withholding and paying federal employment taxes.

Marios Michalakis, 44, of Westwood, Mass., was charged with six counts of failing to collect, report and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A plea hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 8, 2026.

According to court documents, from at least January 2016 through December 2022, Michalakis ran two restaurants, Amelia’s, located in Stoughton, Mass. and Sofia Italian Steakhouse, located in West Roxbury, Mass. Michalakis is charged with paying employees in cash “under-the-table,” that is, failing to withhold income taxes and Social Security and Medicare taxes from employee wages and failing to pay more than $580,000 in employee and employer taxes owed to the IRS and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

The charge of failing to collect and pay over taxes provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Frauds 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 Lowell man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Anthony Saint Jean, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Nov. 19, 2026. Saint Jean was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025. 

Between March 17, 2024, and Aug. 20, 2024, Saint Jean knowingly distributed online videos depicting CSAM. In addition, Saint Jean possessed CSAM, some of which depicted the abuse of minor victims younger than 12 years old. 

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 three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a of up to 20 years in prison, at least 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.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lowell Police Department; the Texas Department of Public Safety; and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A former U.S. Marine from Everett, Mass. has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Carlos Fernando Alvarenga Portillo, 29, was charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. Portillo was arrested on Aug. 5, 2026 and was later released on conditions following a detention hearing.  

According to the charging documents, Portillo was identified as an individual who had – as early as January 2022 – knowingly possessed files online that depicted CSAM. A forensic examination of a Samsung Galaxy device seized from Portillo’s residence on July 15, 2026 allegedly revealed over 200 media files that depicted CSAM, including the abuse of victims between approximately four and 11 years old.

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 Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Everett Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Massachusetts woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for her role in a scheme to defraud a bank in Massachusetts. 

Trinity Antonetty, 25, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick to time served (approximately one day in prison) and two years of supervised release, with the first 60 days to be served in home detention. Antonetty was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $56,000. In March 2026, Antonetty pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud.   

Between July and October 2024, Antonetty opened a business bank account and allowed Phalentz Vernot to deposit fraudulently obtained cashier’s checks into the account. Antonetty used funds from one of the checks Vernot deposited into her account to purchase a cashier’s check payable to a shell company Vernot controlled. When the bank froze another of the checks Vernot deposited into Antonetty’s account for suspected fraud, Antonetty called the bank and falsely claimed that she operated a high-end car dealer and that the funds were related to a luxury car.  

In July 2025, Vernot and five other men were charged as part of a related investigation into a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Vernot pleaded guilty in December 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 21, 2026. Two of Vernot’s co-defendants, Victor Kolawole and Keith Wainaina, have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 13, 2026 and Nov. 10, 2026, respectively. Two additional individuals, William Shaw and Rosemary Parks, were charged for their alleged roles in the scheme in January 2026. Parks pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11, 2026.

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

A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking between January and August 2023. 

According to court documents, Alexander Smalls, 27, of Beaufort, South Carolina, conspired with co-defendant Christy Parker, 28, and others to use physical beatings, threats, intimidation, sleep deprivation, starvation, and other means to coerce at least one adult victim to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in and around Fall River, Massachusetts between January and August 2023. Starting in January 2023, Smalls and Parker forced and coerced the adult victim to engage in repeated commercial sex acts by physically beating, threatening, and verbally abusing her. They also imposed manufactured debts on the victim, gave and withheld alcohol causing the victim to experience seizures, and threatened to have the authorities take the victim’s minor child away from her. When Smalls was incarcerated on unrelated charges in March 2023, he continued coordinating with Parker and participating in the sex trafficking conspiracy from jail until Parker’s arrest in August 2023. 

“This defendant used deplorable means to compel the victim to perform commercial sex acts for the financial benefit of himself and his codefendants,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His conduct was cruel and predatory in multiple ways, which included physical beatings and threatening to separate her from her child. This partnership between the Criminal Division and the District of Massachusetts will ensure that those who victimize people through human trafficking in Massachusetts will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“Alexander Smalls took extraordinary steps to target and exploit a vulnerable victim and continued to do so from jail, after he was taken into state custody on a separate offense. His ruthless predilection to exploit others for his own financial gain is simply heartless and reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “My office stands strong in its determination to protect our community from sex traffickers.”

“Smalls and his associates brutally trafficked women, using every cruel and inhumane tool they could to coerce them into commercial sex for their financial benefit,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. “This case shows the insidious tactics traffickers use, slowly gaining the trust of their victims before brutally betraying them. With cases like this, we choose to focus not solely on the cruelty of the perpetrators, but also on the resilience of the survivors. We hope today’s plea brings a measure of justice and sense of closure to those Smalls victimized as they continue to heal.”

Five of Smalls’s co-defendants were previously convicted, and four have been sentenced. Tyreik Reid, 22, and Cory Primo, 44, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sentenced to 70 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Avvani Jeffers, 24, was convicted of two counts of forced labor and sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by 24 months of supervised release. Tre’sean Reid, 23, was convicted of one count of forced labor and sentenced to time served, followed by 24 months of supervised release. Christy Parker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Parker is awaiting sentencing. 

Smalls pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 9. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The HSI Boston Field Office and the Fall River Police Department are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley-Cunniffe for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – The Mayor of Lawrence, Mass. was arrested and charged today with fraudulently obtaining over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans and using the proceeds to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay off over $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages that encumbered various properties he owned in Lawrence.

Brian Depena, 61, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Depena will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today. Depena was elected as Mayor of Lawrence in November 2021 and was reelected in November 2025. He previously served on the Lawrence City Council from 2016 until 2021.

“Mayor DePena was elected to be a leader for the City of Lawrence. He was looked up to and trusted by his constituents, but he betrayed that trust through his alleged corruption and lies,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Today’s arrest is just another example of our determination to root out fraud by anyone, even public officials and holding elected officials accountable.”

“Today’s arrest highlights IRS CI’s continued commitment to safeguarding emergency relief programs and holding accountable those who abuse them,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “CARES Act funds were created to help small businesses survive an unprecedented national crisis — not to bankroll personal debts, political ambitions, or real estate ventures. IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to protecting taxpayer dollars, pursuing those who exploit federal relief funds, and ensuring that financial integrity is upheld at every step.”

“Today, the FBI arrested Mayor Brian Depena for allegedly cashing in on a public health crisis and blatantly defrauding a government program meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic. It’s alleged the Mayor fraudulently obtained over $1.5 million in small business loans which he then used as his own slush fund to pay his personal taxes, fund his mayoral campaign, and pay off $883,000 in high-interest mortgages on several properties he owned. This was emergency financial assistance meant to be a safety net for struggling businesses, not Mr. Depena’s own personal ATM,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “When elected officials misuse federal funds for personal gain, they’re breaking the trust of their constituents – and breaking the law. Together, with our partners, the FBI will continue to doggedly pursue anyone who defrauds the federal government. You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that ‘easy money’ won’t seem so easy after all.”

According to the charging documents, in 2020 and 2021, Depena applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a tire sales and automotive services business he owned in Lawrence. During COVID, the U.S. Small Business Administration offered taxpayer-funded EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the pandemic. The interest rate on EIDLs was 3.75%, and the loan use was limited. A business could only use EIDL proceeds as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working capital did not include funding a political campaign, paying personal taxes, or paying off mortgages.

Depena allegedly caused Tenares Tire to apply for and obtain an EIDL in the amount of $150,000 in June 2020 and then used the majority of those funds as working capital for the business. However, according to the charging documents, Depena needed cash by early 2021. It is alleged that his mayoral campaign was struggling to pay bills, he owed the IRS for back taxes and he owed almost $900,000 to two private, hard money lenders who were charging Depena 12% and 8% interest – significantly more than the EIDL rate of 3.75% – on loans that encumbered various properties Depena owned in Lawrence.

In April 2021, Depena allegedly caused a request for an increase of the Tenares Tire EIDL. On July 14, 2021, the SBA approved an increase of the loan by $350,000, bringing the total Tenares Tire EIDL to $500,000. However, the SBA did not release the funds for another month. While waiting, Depena allegedly sent the following texts (originally in Spanish, here translated to English) to his accountant and financial advisor, who had been assisting Depena with the EIDL application and modification:

According to the charging documents, the $350,000 in EIDL funds were electronically deposited into the Tenares Tire bank account on Aug. 16, 2021. The pre-deposit balance in the account was only $20.23. Shortly thereafter, Depena allegedly paid $85,000 of the EIDL funds to the IRS to pay off personal tax debts. He also allegedly transferred $120,000 of the EIDL funds to a personal account and used that money to write checks totaling $90,000 to “The Committee to Elect Brian Depena.” It is alleged that these checks were deposited in the Depena mayoral campaign account, and characterized as loans to the campaign, in September and October 2021.

While the hard money, high-interest loans were still outstanding, and while his campaign continued to struggle financially, Depena allegedly caused a request for a second EIDL modification in October 2021. On Oct. 27, 2021, the SBA approved a modification that would increase the loan by $1,154,400, bringing the total Tenares Tire EIDL to $1,654,400.

On Nov. 30, 2021, $1,154,188 in EIDL funds were electronically deposited in the Tenares Tire account and Depena allegedly transferred the entire amount to one of his personal accounts – which had a balance of only $1,401 – the same day. It is alleged that Depena allegedly used $42,112.96 of the EIDL funds for his mayoral campaign, writing checks to the campaign for $10,000 and $32,112.96. The first check was deposited in the campaign account on Dec. 2, 2021, when the account allegedly had been overdrawn for approximately 20 days.

Finally, it is alleged that Depena used $883,293 of the EIDL funds to pay off his debts to the hard money lenders. On Dec. 9, 2021, Depena bought a $538,109.03 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off one of the loans. On Dec. 18, 2021, he bought a $345,184.13 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off the other loan.

According to the charging documents, as of Aug. 5, 2026, Depena had made only 16 payments on the Tenares Tire EIDL. The outstanding principal balance was approximately $1,654,420.

The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of money laundering each provide 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Jeffrey S. Shapiro, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, Commonwealth of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina E. Barclay and Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case.

On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.

Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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

BOSTON – A registered sex offender from Holyoke pleaded guilty on Aug. 12, 2026, in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to possessing child pornography.

Justin Ouimette, 35, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Nov. 17, 2026. Ouimette was charged by complaint in May 2025 and has remained in custody since that time. 

Ouimette was identified as the owner of a Dropbox account uploading child sexual abuse material (CSAM). During the search of Ouimette’s residence, an electronic device was found to contain hundreds of files of CSAM depicting children as young as toddlers. Subsequent searches of Ouimette’s cloud storage accounts, revealed hundreds of additional files depicting CSAM.

Ouimette was previously convicted in Massachusetts Superior Court of possession of child pornography in October 2022 and was on state probation when he committed this new offense.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Branch 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 – A Columbus, Ohio man has been arrested and charged for allegedly advertising hundreds of files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the dark web.

Adam Burley, 42, was charged with one count of advertising child pornography in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. The defendant will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on a later date.

According to the charging documents, since 2025, Burley has posted hundreds of messages sharing files depicting CSAM on the dark web. These files allegedly included CSAM depicting the sexual abuse of young children and toddlers. An initial onsite forensic preview of Burley’s devices allegedly revealed thousands of images and videos files of child pornography. The majority of this content viewed during the forensic preview allegedly depicted children ranging in age from newborn infants to toddlers and included both lascivious posing as well as anal and vaginal rape content. It’s is also alleged that there were also images and videos featuring decapitated children ranging from infants to toddlers

The charge of advertising child pornography provides for no less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Columbus, Ohio and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, of the Major Crimes Unit and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A New Hampshire man has been arrested and charged in connection with the coercion and enticement of a minor.  

Daniel Murphy, 50, of Merrimack, N.H., who was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston today and was held pending a detention hearing scheduled for Aug. 17, 2026. 

According to the charging documents, in August 2025, Murphy allegedly engaged in a sexualized dialogue on Facebook Messenger with a minor victim living in Massachusetts. It is alleged that he coerced the victim to send pornographic videos and photographs and, in turn, sent obscene material depicting himself to the victim. Over the course of several days, it is alleged that Murphy also repeatedly traveled to meet the minor victim in person. When Murphy’s electronic devices were seized by law enforcement, they were allegedly found to contain pornographic images and video of the minor victim as well as additional videos and images of other minors constituting child sexual abuse material.  

The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years in prison and a maximum of life; a minimum of 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; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Chief Mark Zimmerman of the North Reading Police Department; and Chief Brian K. Levesque of the Merrimack Police Department (N.H.) made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department (N.H.). Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man has been charged with allegedly engaging in an extensive cyberstalking and threatening campaign against three individuals, including sending hundreds of harassing emails and repeatedly threatening to shoot and kill the victims and their family members.

Patrick McDonald, 33, of Cambridge, Mass. was charged by criminal complaint with three counts of cyberstalking and three counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. The defendant is currently in state custody and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston earlier today.

According to the charging documents, McDonald allegedly engaged in an extensive cyberstalking and threatening campaign targeting three individuals following the breakdown of business and investment dealings involving his company, Waev. After the victims allegedly withdrew funding from McDonald and evicted him from a Winchester residence that had been purchased for him to use as a venture studio, McDonald allegedly began inundating the victims with harassing and taunting emails. The campaign allegedly escalated to repeated threats of violence against the victims and their family members, including threats to shoot and kill them unless McDonald was given back the Winchester residence.

McDonald allegedly continued sending threatening communications despite harassment prevention orders prohibiting him from contacting certain victims. Among other things, McDonald allegedly threatened to shoot victims “in the face,” threatened to kill a victim’s son, sent an email containing a victim’s home address and a threat to tear the victim’s body apart “limb by limb,” and sent images depicting firearms and shootings. Records obtained during the investigation allegedly showed that one email account used in the campaign sent approximately 193 emails to one victim over a seven-day period and approximately 259 emails to the victim’s attorney over an 11-day period.

The charge of cyberstalking provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, including a one-year mandatory period of imprisonment for anyone who commits the crime in violation of a restraining order, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, including a one-year mandatory period of imprisonment for anyone who commits the crime in violation of a restraining order, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; and the Boston, Dedham, Malden, Wayland, Somerville, Cambridge and Hingham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus 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 – An Ecuadorian national unlawfully residing in Milford, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The defendant was previously deported from the United States and arrested four times for driving under the influence in Massachusetts.

Luis Rolando Clavijo Tacuri, 32, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint in July 2026 and remains in federal custody.

According to court filings, Tacuri was first encountered by immigration officials in October 2015, while he was incarcerated on charges of operating under the influence in Holliston, Mass. At the time, it was allegedly Tacuri’s third operating under the influence offense. Tacuri was allegedly subsequently placed into removal proceedings and deported to Ecuador in December 2016.  

Sometime after his removal, it is alleged that Tacuri illegally reentered the United States. On May 27, 2024, Tacuri was arrested in Milford, Mass., for allegedly again operating under the influence. 

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; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and David T. Wesling, 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 Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office 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 Lakeville man was charged in federal court in Boston with drug trafficking, following the search of a commercial office building in Lakeville last week.

Christopher DiRusso, 55, was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to the charging documents, on Aug. 5, 2026, during a search of a commercial building in Lakeville where DiRusso appeared to be living inside an office suite, cocaine and drug packaging materials were found in plain view. It is alleged that thousands of counterfeit methamphetamine pills, designed to resemble the prescription drug Adderall, and over 2,000 grams of cocaine, some of which was packaged in a kilogram brick were also found in a closet.
 

According to the charging documents, DiRusso was previously convicted in state court of cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses in 2007 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2001, DiRusso was convicted in state court for indecent assault and battery on a child and was sentenced to a total of three years in prison. During last week’s search, investigators allegedly found a copy of DiRusso’s Massachusetts sex offender registration from July 2026, when DiRusso registered as homeless and listed the commercial building as his secondary and work address.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Pembroke, Lakeville and Brockton Police Departments, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and Massachusetts Department of Correction. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang 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.