District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Littleton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his involvement with a conspiracy to traffic cocaine and illegal firearms in and around the Boston area. 

Alan Robinson, 26, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In January 2025, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, firearms trafficking, and knowingly and intentionally possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

Robinson engaged in a controlled purchase with a cooperating witness to sell four firearms – which included two ghost guns, one of which was an assault rifle, knowing that the cooperating witness was a prohibited individual. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at Robinson’s residence, where approximately 3.3 kilograms of powdered cocaine was recovered, as well as several firearms and accessories including a ghost gun assault rifle. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Chicopee man has been arrested and charged for transferring obscene material to a minor female victim who he believed to be 12 years old.

Carl Norton, Jr., 37, is charged with one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Norton was arrested on April 11, 2025 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 16, 2025.

According to the charging documents, from February through June 2024, Norton exchanged numerous Snapchat messages, images and videos with the minor victim. It is alleged that Norton sent the minor victim media files that depicted adult pornography many of which appeared to be self-produced. On multiple occasions, Norton allegedly asked the minor victim to send him nude photos and videos of herself. Norton also allegedly requested to meet the minor victim numerous times – offering to pay for her travel and arrange hotel rooms. Throughout the messages, Norton allegedly described in explicit detail the sexual acts the two would engage in upon meeting.

Norton is a Level 3 sex offender with prior convictions for attempted rape of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Barnico, Jr. 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.

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 former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) trooper pleaded guilty on Friday, April 11th, to his role in an alleged conspiracy to falsify records by giving passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants, including individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test as required by federal law.

Perry Mendes, 64, of Wareham, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2025. In January 2024, Mendes was charged in a 74-count indictment along with five others in the alleged conspiracy and related schemes.

Members of MSP’s CDL Unit were responsible for administering CDL skills tests. Test requirements for CDLs are established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The CDL skills test is a demanding, in-person test that consists of three segments: Vehicle Inspection, in which an applicant is tested on their knowledge of the vehicle; Basic Control Skills, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to perform certain maneuvers; and the Road Test, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to drive a commercial vehicle on an open roadway. Only drivers who have passed the test and thereby proved they are capable and qualified to drive a commercial vehicle may be issued a CDL, with the primary goal of public safety.

According to the charging document, between in on or about May 2019 and January 2023, Mendes and others conspired to give automatic passing scores to at least 17 CDL applicants on their skills tests regardless of whether they actually passed, using the code word “golden handshake” or “golden,” for short, to identify applicants who would receive special treatment.

At the plea hearing on Friday, Mendes admitted to his role in the alleged conspiracy, including that he cut skills tests short for “golden” applicants; that he entered false information on CDL score sheets indicating that certain applicants had passed the skills test when they had not; and that he reported passing scores for applicants he knew had never taken the skills test.

On April 7, 2025, former Trooper Calvin Butner pleaded guilty for his role in the charged offenses, and on March 21, 2025, civilian co-defendant Eric Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., has been arrested and charged for allegedly conspiring to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and illegally reentering the United States after deportation.  

Juan Alexis Rodriguez Garcia, 35, was charged with conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained.  

According to the charging documents, Rodriguez Garcia was admitted into the United States in December 2009 as a Lawful Permanent Resident in Puerto Rico. In November 2016, Rodriguez Garcia was arrested in North Andover, Mass. for fentanyl distribution, which he was later convicted of in May 2018. He was ordered removed from the United States in November 2018. It is alleged that, sometime after his removal, Rodriguez Garcia unlawfully reentered the United States.

According to the charging documents, on March 30, 2025, as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, law enforcement attempted to conduct a controlled purchase of 65,000 fentanyl pills from a known drug trafficker. It is alleged that, on April 2, 2025, Rodriguez Garcia arrived at the agreed upon location for the transaction in Lawrence. Rodriguez Garcia was arrested on site for immigration violations.

During a subsequent search of the residence Rodriguez Garcia allegedly visited immediately prior to the planned drug deal, approximately 64,390 fentanyl pills made to look like pharmaceutical pills were found. It is alleged that the pills were packaged into three separate vacuum sealed plastic bags and found inside a large black duffel bag inside of the front closet on the first floor. It is alleged that Rodriguez Garcia’s fingerprints matched two latent prints developed from the plastic bags containing the pills. The fentanyl pills had a net weight of over 7.2 kilograms.  

The charge of conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Hudson and Salem, New Hampshire Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney Kunal Pasricha of the Narcotics & Money Laundering 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 Brazilian national, who previously resided in Massachusetts unlawfully, was sentenced yesterday for trafficking firearms.

Matheus Peroba, 21, who last resided in Summerville, S.C., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 30 months in prison. He is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In December 2024, Peroba pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in firearms and one count of unlawful shipment of a firearm through the United States mail.

Peroba is a Brazilian national who illegally entered the United States in approximately 2019. Peroba previously resided in Fall River and Braintree, Mass. from approximately 2019-2022, before relocating to South Carolina.  

Peroba was identified as a source of supply for firearms being illegally shipped from South Carolina to Massachusetts. Some of the firearms seized over the course of an investigation included: a Glock 26, model Gen5, 9mm semiautomatic pistol; a Diamondback Firearms, model DB9, 9mm semiautomatic pistol; a 31-round large capacity 9mm magazine; and a 10-round 9mm magazine: 
 

In addition, law enforcement seized: a Glock 43, 9mm semiautomatic pistol; two 6-round 9mm magazines; and approximately 51 rounds of 9mm ammunition:
 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Milford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case. 
 

WORCESTER – A Worcester man has been charged in federal court in Worcester for drug offenses involving methamphetamine and materials for pressing illicit pills.

Tong Tran, 34, was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Tran made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon before Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy.

According to the charging documents, on or about Sept. 19, 2024, Tran was allegedly identified shipping a package at a Worcester Post Office. A search of the package allegedly revealed it to contain approximately 2.4 kilograms of orange pills concealed within packaging for a children’s toy. It is alleged that a partial fingerprint on the wrapping materials inside the children’s toy box belongs to Tran. The pills field tested positive for methamphetamine. On April 14, 2025, a search was conducted at Tran’s residence where a pill press, binding agent and additional equipment used to manufacture pills, including pill dyes were located. The search also resulted in the seizure of 3.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately $8,000 in cash.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Auburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown 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 U.K. man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for making false statements in an immigration matter.

Duncan Hollands, a/k/a Duncan Herd, 58, a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in Cambridge, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to time served (one day) and two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to removal proceedings as a result of the conviction. In January 2025, Hollands pleaded guilty to one count of false swearing in an immigration matter. In August 2024, Hollands was charged by criminal complaint.

In May 2021, Hollands applied for lawful permanent residence status (more commonly known as a Green Card) and attended an interview for the application. The application form requires applicants to answer various background questions, such as prior names or aliases and any criminal history, so that immigration authorities can determine whether the applicant is eligible for the sought status. On his application and during his interview in February 2022, Hollands falsely reported that he had never used another name and denied having any history with the criminal justice system. However, Hollands did in fact have a prior name, Duncan Herd, under which he was previously convicted and sentenced to over three years in prison for obtaining property by deception along with other charges. Hollands also had other interactions with the criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom and France.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Cambridge and Woburn, Mass. Police Departments; and U.K. law enforcement authorities. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A North Andover, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing over 30 firearms and explosives as a convicted felon.

Daniel Medina, 65, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 63 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2024, Medina pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of explosive materials and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Sentencing is scheduled for April 3, 2025. In October 2024, Medina was charged by criminal complaint.

On July 1, 2024, law enforcement was dispatched to the area of Medina’s North Andover residence after receiving a report of an explosion. Upon arrival, damage to two vehicles was observed as well as a piece of mail addressed to Medina beneath the damaged rear passenger door of one vehicle. The damage to the vehicles and materials left behind were consistent with common items used in manufacturing homemade explosive devices, specifically ball bearings or shrapnel. Witnesses observed Medina running from the damaged vehicles toward his residence following the explosion.

During a search of Medina’s residence, the following items were seized: more than 32 firearms, including 12 rifles, 15 pistols, three shotguns and two antique firearms; 9,000 rounds of various calibers of modern ammunition manufactured outside of Massachusetts; 75 magazines for various caliber firearms; various firearm parts; a Glock switch device; books pertaining to the building of firearms and manufacturing of explosives and drugs; shrapnel accessories such as BB’s and ball bearings; multiple firework containers; and various containers of powders produced and shipped in interstate commerce.

Potassium chlorate and aluminum powder – the same flash powder found in the suspected explosive material used in the explosion – were found in the containers.
 

Medina is prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition and explosive material due to a 2002 state conviction of assault and battery in Lawrence District Court, for which he was sentenced to two and a half years in jail.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Andover Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national, living in Massachusetts, was indicted on April 10th by a federal grand jury in Boston for firearm offenses.  

Lucas Ferreira-Da Silva, 27, was indicted on one count of dealing firearms without a license. Ferreira-DaSilva was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 7, 2024.

According to the charging documents, between September and November 2024, Ferreira-Da Silva sold 12 firearms and ammunition across six different dates and offered others for sale. The sold firearms included rifles, shotguns and pistols. Four of these firearms had obliterated serial numbers.  

The charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be 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; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, 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, Malden, Chelsea and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds, of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for illegally selling a dozen machinegun conversion devices.

Elijah Navarro, 26, was sentenced on April 10th by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. . In December 2023, Navarro pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business as a manufacturer or dealer in firearms and two counts of the transfer or possession of a machinegun. Navarro was arrested and charged along with co-defendant Michael Wilkerson in February 2023.

In January 2023, Navarro agreed to sell 12 machinegun conversion devices to an individual in exchange for $1,700. Following a series of communications, Navarro met the individual twice at a pre-arranged location. On Jan. 19, 2023, Navarro sold the first two machinegun conversion devices for $400 and later, on Jan. 25, 2023, Navarro sold the remaining 10 devices for an additional $1,300 out of Wilkerson’s residence.

During a search of Navarro’s residence in February 2023, numerous rounds of ammunition were seized. Simultaneously, during a search Wilkerson’s residence, two 3-D printers, 3-D printing material, machinegun conversion devices, a ballistic vest as well as firearms, ammunition and magazines were seized.

Neither Navarro nor Wilkerson possess licenses to import, manufacture, deal or possess firearms.  

In April 2024, Wilkerson was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – Two brothers, who co-owned a now-defunct Florida-based company, have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for charges associated with shipping facemasks that were misbranded as N95 respirators, and price gouging hospitals, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Daniel Motha, 40, of Miami, Fla. and Jeffrey Motha, 36, of Norfolk, Mass. were each sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. In October 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of introduction of misbranded devices into interstate commerce and one count of conspiracy to commit price gouging in violation of the Defense Production Act. Daniel Motha and Jeffrey Motha were charged in October 2024, along with JDM Supply LLC (JDM). In August 2023, a third individual, Jason Colantuoni of Norfolk, Mass, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit price gouging in connection with this investigation. Colantuoni is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025.

The defendants co-owned JDM, with Daniel Motha serving as the company’s chief executive officer and Jeffrey Motha serving as head of sales. In the spring of 2020, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, JDM conspired with another company, Advoque Safeguard LLC – a PPE manufacturer –  to distribute facemasks that were misbranded as National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved, N95 respirators. JDM misled one hospital into believing that the masks were NIOSH-approved N95s, when in fact they were not. As a result, the hospital accepted and paid for approximately 850,000 purported N95 masks that were manufactured by Advoque and sold by JDM, at a total price of approximately $2.6 million. To accompany the masks, JDM sent the hospital NIOSH-passing test results and approval documents for a different mask. Ultimately, the hospital did not use the masks, which were eventually returned to Advoque.

In August 2020, a NIOSH lab tested a sample of the masks that had been shipped to the hospital. The masks tested between 83.94% and 93.24% filtration efficiency, thus falling below the 95% minimum level of filtration efficiency required for N95 respirators.  

Daniel Motha and Jeff Motha conspired to use JDM to exploit and profit off of the critical need of hospitals and healthcare workers for scarce N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They accumulated N95 masks from various sources and then sold the N95 masks through JDM to hospitals in Massachusetts, and elsewhere, at prices that exceeded the prevailing market price.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Locker of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Spencer woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits.

Gina Llerena-Donohue, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2025.

From February 2006 through May 2021, Llerena-Donohue, fraudulently obtained approximately $41,954.20 in Social Security benefits. Llerena-Donohue held a power of attorney (POA) for a Social Security beneficiary that died in January 2006. She did not report the beneficiary’s death to either the Social Security Administration or the bank where the benefits were deposited. Instead, Llerena-Donohue accessed the improperly paid benefits through several counter cash withdrawals. Further, she submitted four false affidavits to the bank in 2018 and 2019 stating that the POA was still in effect because it had not been terminated by the death of the beneficiary.

The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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 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. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Salvadoran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Arsenio Valladares, 44, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, Valladares was deported from the United States on or about April 23, 2008. It is alleged that sometime after his removal, Valladares illegally reentered the United States without permission.

Prior to his removal, Valladares was convicted of offenses including assault and battery with a deadly weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, operating under the influence, larceny and malicious destruction of property. In November 2024, federal immigration authorities became aware of Valadares’ presence in the United States after being notified that his fingerprints were taken in connection with criminal charges in Massachusetts. Valladares was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 18, 2025.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Benjamin 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 – Massachusetts State Representative for the First Barnstable District has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly orchestrating a multi-faceted scheme that defrauded a local trade association of tens of thousands of dollars to fund personal and political expenses, and falsifying records to conceal his alleged conduct.

Christopher Flanagan, 37, of Dennis, Mass. was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records. Flanagan was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today.

“Today’s charges against Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan reveal an appalling breach of public trust. According to the indictment, Mr. Flanagan defrauded the very organization he was supposed to serve – allegedly funneling tens of thousands of dollars into his own pockets to pay off personal bills, buy luxury items and bankroll his political campaign. He allegedly stole money and then went to extraordinary lengths to cover it up, going so far as fabricating fake personas to mislead those who questioned his conduct. This alleged scheme was calculated on every level,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “No one is entitled to power by way of fraud, and the people of Massachusetts deserve better.”

“Today’s arrest of Massachusetts State Representative, Christopher Flanagan, demonstrates that postal inspectors will not permit elected officials to commit fraud and play by different rules. Flanagan’s egregious betrayal to his positions of trust and his deplorable actions of lining his own pockets for personal or political reasons are unacceptable. The people of Massachusetts deserve better. I want to thank the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their dedication to make this arrest happen. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to serve the public and take action against those who take part in this type of atrocious behavior,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division.

“The indictment of Christopher Flanagan demonstrates IRS – Criminal Investigations commitment to rooting out public corruption, at all levels of government,” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Flanagan not only stole from his employer to enrich himself, but also to fill the coffers of his campaign in an effort to become an elected official. Flanagan failed his constituents, who trusted in him to uphold the law, by using embezzled funds to become a State Representative and then actively obstructing the investigation into his scheme.”

Flanagan is currently the Massachusetts State Representative for the First Barnstable District, which includes the towns of Dennis, Yarmouth and Brewster on Cape Cod. Prior to being elected to his first two-year term to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2022, Flanagan served two consecutive three-year terms as a member of the Town of Dennis Select Board. Flanagan received an annual compensation of approximately $97,546 and $100,945 in 2023 and 2024, respectively, from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

From approximately early 2019 to mid-2024, Flanagan also served as the Executive Officer of a Home Builders Association in Cape Cod (HBA) – a professional trade association that represented the Cape Cod building industry comprised of over 300 members. As HBA Executive Officer, Flanagan reported to a Board of Directors and had signatory authority over HBA bank accounts. Flanagan received annual salary and benefits ranging approximately from $65,800 to $81,600 from 2019 to 2024 from the HBA.  

It is alleged that, beginning in at least as early as October 2021, Flanagan was facing personal financial difficulty, with thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt, missing mortgage payments and hundreds of dollars in bank overdraft fees. According to the indictment, from in or about November 2021 to January 2023, Flanagan stole a total of $36,000 in HBA funds from the association’s bank account via wire transfers:

Approx. Date

Amount

Transaction

Flanagan allegedly used the majority of the stolen funds to pay personal mortgage bills, to pay down thousands of dollars in credit card debt and to make other personal expenditures. In one instance, in January 2023, Flanagan allegedly stole $10,000 from HBA in order to fund his campaign account for State Representative. It is further alleged that, in addition to stealing HBA funds via official checks and PayPal transfers, Flanagan also stole hundreds of dollars via direct debit transactions from the association’s bank account funds to pay for personal psychic services in July 2022.

According to the indictment, on or about May 5, 2024, Flanagan concealed the stolen funds from the HBA Board by logging onto HBA’s accounting/bookkeeping software using another employee’s account, entering backdated transactions to account for the stolen funds and entering false transaction codes (e.g., “office supplies,” “travel” and “bank charges”) for the withdrawals.

As part of his concealment, it is alleged that Flanagan told the HBA Board that he withdrew funds to reimburse himself for HBA-related expenses that he had paid for out-of-pocket with his personal funds. When the HBA Board requested proof, Flanagan allegedly provided two phony expense reports:

On the first expense report, Flanagan allegedly claimed he had spent $159.36 on “Technology Expenses” at Best Buy on March 4, 2022 and $537.26 on “Office Supplies” at 4Imprint on April 18, 2022. Records of the actual purchases, however, allegedly showed that the Best Buy purchase was for a portable Bluetooth speaker and that the 4Imprint purchase was for t-shirts supporting Flanagan’s State Representative campaign:

Additionally, in the second expense report, Flanagan allegedly claimed to have spent a total of $3,784.84 on “Office Supplies.” Records of the actual purchases, however, allegedly showed that $2,118.10 of this amount was actually used for Flanagan’s personal expenses. Specifically: $613.70 and $361.24 Best Buy purchases were allegedly for an electric dryer and an air conditioner, both delivered to Flanagan’s home; a $1,050.30 Macy’s purchase allegedly for men’s ties, dress shirts, slacks and sports coats; and a $92.86 purchase at Target allegedly for children’s clothes and toys.

According to the indictment, in or about December 2022, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) opened an investigation regarding a campaign mailer that was distributed during Flanagan’s 2022 campaign for State Representative, purportedly a group called “Conservatives for Dennis.”

It is alleged that Flanagan obstructed the OCPF investigation by attributing the source of the mailer to a false persona he created named, “Jeanne Louise,” whom Flanagan claimed was a member of an independent conservative group that had endorsed his candidacy. It is further alleged that Flanagan created and sent phony emails to OCPF purporting to be on behalf of vendors responsible for creating and distributing the mailer.

In or about October 2023, after Flanagan admitted to OCPF that Jeanne Louise was fake and that he himself was the source of the mailer, OCPF expanded its investigation into Flanagan’s campaign finance activity. Specifically, OCPF requested Flanagan produce evidence that the $10,000 deposited into his campaign account in January 2023 had indeed come from his personal funds.

However, it is alleged that Flanagan’s bank statements from the time of the deposit in January 2023 would reflect that he could not have issued the $10,000 campaign check without his theft of HBA money – showing a beginning balance of approximately $42.28 just one week before depositing the stolen funds. In response, Flanagan allegedly provided OCPF with falsified expense reports that claimed that: the $10,000 check from HBA constituted legitimate HBA-reimbursed expenses; that HBA had a practice of allowing Flanagan to withdraw large sums of money for the purpose of expense reimbursement; and therefore, the $10,000 campaign check was a legitimate donation of Flanagan’s own personal funds.

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

U.S. Attorney Foley; USPIS INC Larco-Ward; IRS Acting SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, and Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A self-admitted gang member from Brockton, who was previously convicted of killing a 17-year-old outside a Roxbury high school, pleaded guilty today to drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Andre McNeil, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for July 30, 2025. McNeil was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.

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

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

The charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute provides for 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. 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.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton, Foxboro and Taunton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON –A Hadley, Mass. man has been arrested and charged for unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms.

Jacob D. Miller, 43, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms by a person previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in person. Miller was arrested yesterday and appeared in federal court in Springfield, Mass. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson. Miller was released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, on Feb. 9, 2004, Miller was convicted of felony crimes in two separate Hampshire Superior Court cases. In the first case, Miller was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography and sentenced to seven years of probation. In a separate case, Miller was convicted of two counts of possession of an explosive device and sentenced to two and one-half years in jail and 10 years of probation.

On April 8, 2025, following the execution of search at Miller’s residence, a box of approximately 50 rounds of Federal brand, American Eagle .45 auto, 230 grain ammunition was recovered in a bedside table, as well as six firearms inside a safe in a hallway closet.

At the hearing, the Court was informed that, based on the materials known to be present at Miller’s residence, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) “is greatly concerned about potential impacts to public safety. Accidental release, breaking of containers, mixing of incompatible or reactive chemicals and or a fire at the residence pose a serious risk to public safety. MassDEP strongly urges a full and comprehensive evaluation at the residence and removal of any remaining hazardous chemicals.” The Court released Miller on various conditions, including the condition that he consent to MassDEP conduct a complete examination of his residence and remove any hazardous substances.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hadley Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield 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 member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to drug conspiracy charges.

Dennis Wilson, a/k/a “Deuce,” 36 of Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2025.

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

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

From 2022 through 2023, Wilson, a long-time H Block gang member, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, including fentanyl, powdered cocaine and cocaine base (crack). On numerus occasions, Wilson accompanied a co-conspirator on various drug deals with undercover officers.

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

Wilson is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.

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

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

BOSTON – A Florida-based pharmacy, OHM Pharmacy Services, aka “Benzer,” aka “Auburndale,” has agreed to plead guilty to one count of health care fraud; pay restitution of $82,000; and pay $1,018,000 to resolve False Claims Act violations.

According to OHM’s admissions in today’s global resolution of criminal charges and civil claims, the pharmacy dispensed Evzio, one of several naloxone products on the market indicated for use on an emergent basis in the case of opioid overdose. Due to Evzio’s high price, insurers (including Medicare Part D plans) frequently required that health care providers submit prior authorization requests before they approved coverage. OHM completed prior authorization forms in place of prescribing physicians, and in some instances OHM personnel signed the prior authorization forms without the physician’s authorization and submitted information to insurers that made it appear as though a physician, and not OHM, was submitting the information. Moreover, OHM also submitted prior authorization requests to insurers, including Medicare Part D plans, that contained false information. For example, OHM staff filled out and submitted dozens of Evzio prior authorization request forms that falsely asserted that patients had previously tried and failed to successfully use Narcan or naloxone.  

“OHM deliberately falsified prior authorization requests to ensure that Medicare would reimburse its fraudulent claims for Evzio. It took advantage of the need for naloxone products to combat the opioid crisis by making up information on insurance forms that it knew would be necessary to support reimbursement,” said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. “We will aggressively pursue any attempts to defraud Medicare of taxpayer funds.”  

“OHM Pharmacy Services admitted today to abusing its dispensing privileges and fleecing taxpayer-funded health care programs in the process,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Fraudulent schemes like this one are not only unethical, but illegal, and drive up the cost of health care for all of us.  Anyone who engages in criminal conduct to maximize profits should know the FBI and our partners will identify you and ensure that you’re held accountable.”

“OHM’s falsification of prior authorization requests subverted an important safeguard against unnecessary Medicare costs,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “This fraud scheme was an attempt to capitalize on the opioid crisis at the expense of taxpayers who fund the Medicare program, and we will not tolerate such conduct.”  

In connection with the resolution, Benzer entered into an integrity agreement (IA) with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The IA requires, among other things, that OHM implement measures to ensure that its submission of claims for pharmaceutical products complies with applicable law relating to prior authorizations.  

The civil settlement concludes the government’s resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former employee of kaléo Inc., Evzio’s manufacturer. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Socol v. Benzer Pharmacy Holding, LLC, et al., No. 18-cv-10050-RGS (D. Mass.). As part of the civil resolution with OHM, the whistleblower will receive $285,040 of the civil settlement amount.  

In 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced settlements with kaléo Inc. for $12.7 million and with other pharmacies for $1 million relating to their submission of false claims for Evzio. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a $1.31 million deferred prosecution agreement and civil settlement with another pharmacy.

The global resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the Federal Bureau of Investigations; Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of the Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin, Deputy Chief of the Healthcare Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.
 

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for his involvement in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

Luis Torres, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to eight years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. The Court also entered a judgement of forfeiture of $26,480 in cash. In June 2024, Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug felony. Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2022.

Torres conspired with others to coordinate delivery of a package from Puerto Rico known by him to contain 4 - 6 kilograms of cocaine and to take possession of the cocaine with the intent to distribute it. In June 2022, law enforcement intercepted the package and executed a controlled delivery during which another individual accepted the package while Torres sat in a nearby car. Torres was arrested at the scene and $26,480 in cash was recovered.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
 

“The April 6th Editorial by the Lowell Sun suggested that the “Feds’ blind eye would give safe inject sites a try.” The Editorial began by asking if the time has arrived to challenge prevailing federal law that criminalizes so-called “safe injection sites”; it ended with the hope that the time would come when the federal government would turn a blind eye to any such sites in Massachusetts.

I have a one-word answer to the Editorial’s opening question: No.  

As to the hope for a blind eye, I guarantee that such a time will never come during this Administration. “Safe injections sites,” “harm reduction sites,” or however they are branded by advocates, are categorically illegal and do nothing to help people overcome their addictions. To the contrary, they facilitate destructive behavior that ruins lives, consumes families and devastates communities.

Not too long ago, the open-air drug market operating with impunity along “Methadone Mile” in Boston was shut down because of skyrocketing increases in drug trafficking, sex trafficking and violence, which were the direct result of the ill-conceived experiment allowing drug users to flout the law. Businesses left and have not come back. Creating environments that assist people with pumping poisons into their bodies is neither compassionate nor constructive. We should continue to direct all our resources to the prevention efforts that steer people, especially our youth, away from drug use and treatment protocols that truly save peoples’ lives from their addictions.”

BOSTON – A former North Andover man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his participation in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, cocaine and other controlled substances that spanned across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Puerto Rico.

Elvis DeJesus, 34, formerly of North Andover, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 15 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In June 2024, DeJesus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine and other controlled substances. In December 2021, DeJesus was charged along with 20 other individuals.

In May 2020, an investigation began into a network of Lawrence-based drug traffickers. From December 2020 through December 2021, intercepted communications between targets of the investigation and their associates revealed that the defendants distributed fentanyl and cocaine in and around the Lawrence area. Some of the cocaine was obtained from suppliers in Puerto Rico and shipped to Massachusetts in the U.S. mail.

Together with other co-defendants, DeJesus operated a wholesale fentanyl and cocaine distribution businesses until approximately August 2021, when he was arrested on state firearms charges. In February 2021, $75,930 was seized from co-defendant Luis Martinez after Martinez had collected drug proceeds from DeJesus outside of DeJesus’s residence. In April 2021, a package sent from Puerto Rico to DeJesus’s residence that contained 978 grams of cocaine was also seized. In March 2021, 200 grams of cocaine supplied by DeJesus from co-defendant Othoniel Lara Gonzalez was also seized.  

After DeJesus’s arrest on the state firearms charges, he was detained in state custody. DeJesus continued to operate his drug distribution business from jail. In November 2021, over 500 grams of fentanyl and over 100 grams of cocaine that co-defendant William Rivadeneira was transporting on DeJesus’s behalf was seized. Prior to the seizure, DeJesus was intercepted chastising Rivadeneira for not having taken adequate precautions while preparing the fentanyl for distribution, telling him, “[Y]ou can get an overdose.”

In November 2021, DeJesus and his co-conspirators paid co-defendant Gregorit Sanchez, a former Corrections Officer at Middleton House of Corrections where DeJesus was then detained, to smuggle a package containing fentanyl, cocaine, Suboxone and other contraband into the jail. The package was seized from Sanchez when he attempted to enter the jail.

In February 2025, Luis Martinez was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In January 2023, Othoniel Lara Gonzalez was sentenced to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. William Rivadeneira pleaded guilty in March 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2025. In June 2024, Gregorit Sanchez was sentenced to five years’ probation with the first year to be served on home detention.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Office made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Lawrence Police Department; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Essex County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Ferguson and J. Mackenzie Duane prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Nigerian national has been charged for his alleged role in allegedly stealing more than $2.5 million from six romance scam victims and transferring their money to cryptocurrency accounts that he controlled.  

Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, 34, of Abuja, Nigeria, was arrested on April 7, 2025 after arriving on a flight from the United Kingdom to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In January 2024, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nwadavid on charges of mail fraud and money laundering. Nwadavid appeared in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas on April 8, 2025 and was detained pending further proceedings. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, “romance scams” recruit victims through advertisements for online relationships on dating or social media websites. Individuals perpetuating romance scams create fictitious profiles and then use them to gain victims’ trust through a purported romantic relationship. Perpetrators then direct their victims to send money or to conduct financial transactions involving other victims’ money under false pretenses, such as an urgent need for money to secure a multi-million dollar inheritance or to pay for an unexpected hospitalization.  

Between in or about 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid allegedly participated in romance scams that tricked victims into sending money abroad. In an effort to conceal his role as the recipient of the victims’ funds, Nwadavid allegedly used a victim from Massachusetts (Victim 1) to receive funds from five other victims around the United States. Nwadavid then allegedly tricked Victim 1 in to passing her own and the other victims’ money to him through cryptocurrency transactions, and allegedly accessed accounts in Victim 1’s name from overseas, to transfer the victims’ funds to accounts he controlled at LocalBitcoins, an online cryptocurrency platform.  

The mail fraud charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim, restitution and forfeiture. The money laundering charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the laundering transactions, restitution and forfeiture. The defendant will also be 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 Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Hanson, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing dogs at his Massachusetts home for participation in a dogfighting venture.

John D. Murphy, 51, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to one year and one day in prison, with the last three months to be served in community confinement, followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and ordered prohibited from possessing pit-bull type dogs. In November 2024, Murphy pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Murphy was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024.  

“Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.”

“Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region.

In 2021, Murphy was identified discussing dogfighting on recorded calls with a New York-based dogfighting target. A subsequent search of his Facebook accounts revealed Murphy’s years-long involvement in dogfighting. Murphy communicated with other dogfighters via Facebook where they discussed the results of dogfights, injuries sustained by fighting dogs, as well as breeding dogs. Murphy also belonged to private dogfighting Facebook groups used to share fight results, buy and sell fighting dogs and exchange information on training and conditioning fighting dogs, among other things.

Photos and videos found on Murphy’s Facebook account showed a pit bull-type dog with scarring and discolorations on its head and leg consistent with that of dogfighting as well as a photo of a pit bull-type dog restrained in a breeding stand. Videos from his account showed pit bull-type dogs physically tethered to different treadmill-like devices that dogfighters commonly use to physically condition dogs for dogfights. One of the videos depicted a live raccoon caged in front of the carpet mill, to serve as a stimulus for the pit bull-type dog to run faster and harder.  

In June 2023, a search of Murphy’s residence in Hanson revealed that he was keeping nine pit bull-type dogs at his home. Several of the dogs had scarring consistent with being involved in organized dogfighting.

Animal fighting paraphernalia was also found during the search of Murphy’s residence, including: 

• Flirt poles, used to entice a dog to chase a stimulus;
• Spring poles, used to build a dog’s jaw strength and increase aggression;
• Several treadmills, slat mills and carpet mills, used to condition dogs to build stamina and muscle;
• A jenny mill, used to develop a dog’s endurance and musculature by enticing the animal to run on a circular track;
• Rabbit training scent for dogs;
• Break sticks, used to force a dog’s bite open, specifically at the termination of a fight or while training;
• A dog bite sleeve;
• Disposable skin staplers, used to attempt to close wounds resulting from dogfights;
• Several types of steroids and painkillers;
• Fertility medications and a breeding stand, used to restrain female dogs during breeding;
• Printouts of fighting dog pedigrees; and
• Dog fighting literature, DVDs and CD-ROMs.

A forensic examination of Murphy’s cell phone revealed significant additional evidence of his involvement in dogfighting. This included multiple dog fighting videos and WhatsApp messages between Murphy and other individuals discussing elements of dog fighting. In one of the messages, Murphy expressed his anger over having animal control called to his property and the 25 years he invested in breeding and conditioning dogs, and asserting that he will “never never never” quit what he is doing with the dogs.

In March 2024, the United States also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against 13 pit bull-type dogs, seized in June 2023 from Murphy’s residence and another residence in Townsend, Mass., that were possessed for participation in an animal fighting venture. In September and October 2024, the Court ordered the dogs to be forfeited to the United States.

To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.

U.S. Attorney Foley; ENRD Acting AAG Gustafson; USDA-OIG SAC Parker; Geoffrey D. Noble, Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Karen L. LoStracco, Director of the Animal Rescue League of Boston – Law Enforcement Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Marshal’s Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and the Hanson, Boston and Acton Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office and Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Environmental Crimes Section, prosecuted the case. Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Caitlyn F. Cook of ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section are prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.

A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, with the final three months to be served in community confinement, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

John D. Murphy, of Hanson, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last year after being identified on recorded calls discussing dog fighting and subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts which revealed a long involvement in dog fighting. Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Murphy’s Hanson residence in June 2023 and seized numerous items — like various breeding and training devices and literature and medical and veterinary supplies — associated with dog fighting. 

“Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

“Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.”

“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General.

To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.

The USDA’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; USMS; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the police departments of Hanson, Boston and Acton.

Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – Herbert G. Chambers, several of his companies and James Duchesneau, one of the companies’ Officers, have agreed to pay approximately $11.8 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the companies falsely certified to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) their eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. On April 30, 2020 the SBA published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to preserve the limited resources available to the PPP program. The IFR established that businesses that were part of a single corporate group could not receive more than $20 million in PPP loans. The IFR applied to any loans that were not fully disbursed as of April 30, 2020.

The United States contends that the SBA’s IFR applied to the companies Mr. Chambers owned. The United States further contends that eight companies owned by Mr. Chambers were not eligible for the PPP loans because the SBA had already funded over $20 million to other Chambers-owned businesses. As detailed in the settlement agreement, Mr. Chambers and his companies admit that the eight companies had applied for, but not yet received, funding for PPP loans as of April 30, 2020 (when SBA published the IFR). A bank canceled the unfunded loans because of the $20 million cap. Several months later, the eight companies reapplied for the PPP loans from a different bank. That second bank funded the loans.

Mr. Chambers and the companies cooperated with the government’s investigation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters

“The Paycheck Protection Program was created to provide a financial lifeline to small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the unprecedented COVID crisis – not to serve as a funding mechanism for companies that sought to evade program limits,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Today’s resolution demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to protecting taxpayer-funded relief programs and holding accountable those who misuse them.”

“Today’s settlement resolves allegations that Herb Chambers and his companies tried to game the system that was set up to keep struggling businesses afloat,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “When fraudulent applications wrongly drain a program set up to offset economic upheaval, it’s a blow to the folks who truly need help. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to identify and investigate anyone who tries to defraud federal government programs in this way.”

U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI SAC Cohen and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles B. Weinograd and Alexandra Brazier of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Kyvon Ross, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris who scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2025.

According to the charging documents, on Oct. 3, 2024, Ross was approached by law enforcement after driving a moped at a high speed and without a rear license plate. Ross accelerated directly at one of the officers before losing control of the moped and falling to the ground. Ross violently resisted arrest and was found in possession of a loaded Glock handgun with an obliterated serial number.  

Ross is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including a 2021 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charge of possessing ammunition after being convicted of a felony provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of a $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 Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of the Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A man identified as a member/associate of the Heath Street Gang was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Cerone Davis, 31, of Arlington, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2025, Davis pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  

On or about June 8, 2023, Davis was arrested on the grounds of the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, a public housing complex in Jamaica Plain, in possession of numerous individually packaged bags of fentanyl. At the time of his arrest, Davis was on supervised release in connection with a prior federal conviction for distributing cocaine in the very same housing complex, and was specifically prohibited from being in that area.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Boston Housing Authority Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hoefle of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
 

BOSTON – An Allston man has been indicted for trafficking methamphetamine and 1,4-Butanediol (BDO), an analogue of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) – more commonly known as the “date rape drug” – out of his Allston home.

Peter Schiepers, 32, is charged with one count of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine; two counts of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute Butanediol (an analogue of GHB); and two counts of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Schiepers was arraigned yesterday.

According to the charging documents, in November 2024, law enforcement received information that Schiepers was supplying methamphetamine in and around the Boston area. Between November 2024 and February 2025, a cooperating source conducted multiple controlled purchases allegedly from Schiepers.

Specifically, in January 2025, it is alleged that Schiepers conducted a transaction for one ounce of methamphetamine. In February 2025 he allegedly sold four ounces of methamphetamine and a liter of BDO. Schiepers allegedly told an undercover officer that he received the BDO in Chinese shampoo bottles and that he also used an application that allowed him to anonymously send some shipments to hotels and convenience stores nearby.
 
The charge of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen D. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney John O. Wray of the Narcotics & Money Laundering 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 – Three men pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with their participation in a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine and laundered the proceeds.  

Lawrence Michael Nagle, Jr., 34, of Saugus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams of more of methamphetamine; five counts of possession with intent to distribute various weights of fentanyl, methamphetamine and oxycodone; one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; and one count of money laundering conspiracy U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Aug. 5, 2025.

Gino Castillo, 34, of Salem, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8, 2025.

Samuel Saillant, 38, of Lynn, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2025.  

Nagle, Jr., Castillo and Saillant were among 27 individuals charged, beginning in October 2022, in connection with a wide-ranging conspiracy to traffic counterfeit prescription pills. Nagle, Jr. was charged by complaint in October 2022 and later indicted. Castillo and Saillant were charged by indictment on April 24, 2024. All 27 individuals have pleaded guilty.

The DTO, led by Nagle, Jr. and his brother, Christopher Nagle, distributed counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, among other drugs, to individuals in the Lynn area. In January 2022, a search of Christopher Nagle’s apartment recovered more than 74,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, weighing more than 24 kilograms. On Oct. 25, 2022, a search of Nagle, Jr.’s home in Saugus and two homes he used to store narcotics—one of which was inhabited by Castillo—resulted in the seizure of more than 7.8 kilograms of fentanyl and more than 650 grams of methamphetamine. In addition, two Glock firearms and ammunition were recovered from Nagle, Jr.’s house in close proximity to oxycodone pills. At the time, Nagle, Jr. was a felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Nagle, Jr. purchased the home in Saugus in August 2020 with the cash proceeds of his drug trafficking activities. Saillant was Nagle’s real estate agent in connection with the purchase. On the morning of Aug. 21, 2020, Nagle, Jr., Saillant and a coconspirator traveled to banks and money-transmitting services in the Lynn area to exchange Nagle’s drug money for money orders and cashier’s checks. Saillant attended a property closing later that day at which the money orders and cashier’s checks were used to fund the downpayment on the house.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Beverly, Everett, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus and Swampscott Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys K. Nathaniel Yeager, Samuel R. Feldman and John O. Wray of the Criminal Division and Alexandra Amrhein of the Asset Forfeiture Unit prosecuted the case.
        
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Domingo Valentin Solis-De Leon, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2025. Solis-De Leon was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025.

On Jan. 8, 2014, United States Border Patrol arrested Solis-De Leon near Hidalgo, Texas after entering the United States illegally. Solis De-Leon was ordered removed and was sent back to his home country of Guatemala. On Jan. 6, 2024, immigration authorities learned that Solis-De Leon was present in the United States following his arrest by the Lynn Police Department. According to court documents, Solis-De Leon was arrested on state charges for assault and battery on family or household member and the matter is currently pending in Lynn District Court. He was subsequently released from state custody and Solis-De Leon  was arrested by immigration authorities on Jan. 28, 2025 in Lynn, Mass.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for being a felon in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol.  

Tyrone Goforth, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (66 months and one day), to be followed by three years of supervised release. In February 2025, Goforth pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Goforth was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2020.

On July 31, 2020, officers responded to a call for a person with a gun at a bookstore in Roxbury, Mass. Goforth was inside the bookstore and fit the description of a man wearing a black shirt and olive pants. Goforth was found to be in possession of a Sig Sauer P938 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with five rounds of 9mm ammunition. Due to a 2000 conviction in Suffolk Superior Court, Goforth is prohibited from possessing firearms.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has agreed to plead guilty to federal public corruption charges in connection with an alleged kickback scheme to obtain thousands of dollars in cash from a staff member in exchange for a large bonus.

Tania Fernandes Anderson, 46, of Boston, has agreed to plead guilty to count one of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. In December 2024, Fernandes Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury. Per the plea agreement, the government is recommending a sentence of one year and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $13,000.

Fernandes Anderson currently serves as City Councilor for Boston’s District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. She was first elected to a two-year term in November 2021 and won re-election in November 2023.

According to the charging documents, in or about 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two members of her immediate family as salaried employees of her City Councilor Staff. Because City Councilors are prohibited by law from hiring immediate family members to their paid staff, Fernandes Anderson was required to terminate their salaried employment in or about August 2022. Additionally, from in or about March 2023 to May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission notified Fernandes Anderson of its findings and that it would be seeking a $5,000 civil penalty payment from her.

It is alleged that, in or about November 2022, Fernandes Anderson allegedly emailed a City of Boston employee regarding her hiring of Staff Member A – a relative of Fernandes Anderson who was not an immediate family member – as a salaried employee. In her email to the City of Boston employee, it is alleged that Fernandes Anderson falsely represented that she and Staff Member A were not related:

From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was allegedly facing personal financial difficulty, which included the outstanding $5,000 civil penalty payment to the Ethics Commission. It is further alleged that, in or about early May 2023, Fernandes Anderson told Staff Member A that she would give them extra pay in the form of a large bonus, but that Staff Member A would have to give a portion of the bonus back to Fernandes Anderson. Staff Member A agreed to the arrangement with Fernandes Anderson.  

On or about May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson allegedly sent an email to a City of Boston employee to process bonus payments for her City Councilor Staff. In the email, Fernandes Anderson instructed the City of Boston employee to process a bonus payment of $13,000 to Staff Member A – more than double the total bonuses paid to all other Fernandes Anderson staff combined. Fernandes Anderson allegedly did not disclose the bonus kickback arrangement she had made with Staff Member A to the City of Boston employee.

Staff Member A deposited the bonus check on or about May 26, 2023 into their account at Santander Bank. It is alleged that, at Fernandes Anderson’s direction, Staff Member A then made separate cash withdrawals of the payment on three separate dates: $3,000 on May 31, 2023; $3,000 on June 5, 2023; and $4,000 on June 9, 2023.

It is alleged that, on June 9, 2023, immediately following the final cash withdrawal, Fernandes Anderson and Staff Member A arranged to meet in a bathroom at Boston City Hall. There, Staff Member A allegedly provided Fernandes Anderson with $7,000 in cash:

According to the signed plea agreement, for tax years 2021, 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson filed fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS. Specifically, it is alleged that Fernandes Anderson: omitted approximately $11,000 in income that she earned from a Massachusetts-based corporation from her 2021 tax return; willfully omitted campaign funds that she used for her own personal enrichment from her 2022 and 2023 tax returns; and willfully omitted the $7,000 kickback that she received from Staff Member A from her 2023 tax return.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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, Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A former traveling nurse was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for tampering with morphine at a local rehabilitation facility.

Loralie LaBroad, 55, of Hampton, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick to three months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release during which she is prohibited from practicing as a registered nurse or any other work with access to prescription medication or other controlled substances. In November 2024, LaBroad pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product. LaBroad was charged by an Information in September 2024.

LaBroad worked as a registered nurse for over 30 years, licensed in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In 2021, LaBroad voluntarily surrendered her New Hampshire nursing license following an investigation by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing after being fired from a rehabilitation center in Derry, N.H. as a result of allegations that she had tampered with morphine bottles.

After surrendering her New Hampshire license, LaBroad continued to practice under her Massachusetts license. From December 2021 through at least May 12, 2022, LaBroad was employed as a traveling nurse through a healthcare staffing company and was assigned to various nursing and rehabilitation facilities throughout Massachusetts. Several of these Massachusetts facilities also began to suspect that LaBroad was diverting morphine from patients because of her consistent access to the bottles of morphine and evidence of tampering (i.e. bottles that were leaking or appearing to be the wrong color). Several of these bottles were tested and came back at significantly diluted concentrations.

In the spring of 2022, LaBroad was assigned to work at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Danvers. LaBroad had access to morphine because she was charged with treating multiple patients who had been prescribed morphine for relief of their pain. In April 2022, the rehabilitation center contacted law enforcement after a nurse noticed a bottle of morphine was wet and leaking. Administrators at the facility reviewed other bottles of morphine on other medicine carts and identified three additional bottles that appeared to have been tampered with because the color of the bottle was lighter than expected or the bottle had puncture holes in the seal. Laboratory tests confirmed all bottles were diluted to varying degrees. LaBroad had been assigned to the medicine carts containing these bottles of morphine approximately two days before they were discovered.

Following these suspected incidents of tampering, law enforcement undertook a “controlled operation” to determine whether LaBroad was tampering with the bottles of morphine. On May 12, 2022, prior to LaBroad’s next shift, law enforcement worked with the Danvers rehabilitation center administrators to review and photograph the bottles of morphine on the cart to be assigned to LaBroad. The cart included two bottles of morphine assigned to the same patient – one of which was fully sealed before LaBroad’s shift and the other was opened, from which investigators took a control sample. LaBroad was the only individual with access to the medicine cart for the duration of her shift.

At the end of LaBroad’s shift, law enforcement seized the two bottles of morphine before they could be dispensed to the assigned patient. It was discovered that the previously sealed bottle was a different color, leaking and showed evidence of multiple puncture holes. Laboratory testing results confirmed that both bottles of morphine had been tampered with and diluted.
        
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Robert H. Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A previously convicted felon was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Tarik Muhammad, 30, of Boston, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Muhammad pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

On the evening of Feb. 4, 2023, Muhammad was denied entry to the Encore Casino in Everett when security detected that he was carrying a firearm. Casino security alerted law enforcement, but Muhammad left before they arrived. Security cameras at the casino show Muhammad leaving in a blue Toyota Rav 4. The following day, a notice was dispatched to law enforcement about the incident and with photos of Muhammad, the vehicle and license plate.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Muhammad was spotted driving the Rav 4 in Roxbury. When law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Muhammad fled, leading to a high-speed chase that ended when Muhammad crashed into a parked vehicle. Muhammad tried to flee on foot but was apprehended. A loaded semi-automatic pistol was found in Muhammad’s waistband.

Muhammad is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to several felony convictions including a June 2022 conviction in U.S. District Court in Boston of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base. Muhammad was on federal supervised release at the time of the offenses.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Texas man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a drug conspiracy involving the distribution of oxycodone pills across Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond.

Christan Russell, 33, of Tomball, Texas was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 70 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Russell has also been ordered to pay a fine of $30,000. In October 2024, Russell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills and structuring cash transactions. Russell was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023 along with five co-conspirators.

Between approximately February 2023 and July 2023, Russell supplied oxycodone pills to co-conspirator Kenneth Veiga, who then redistributed those oxycodone pills to Austin Gonsalves and John Campbell. Russell obtained these pills from a variety of sources in the Houston, Texas area. On March 13, 2023 Russell traveled from Houston to Boston to meet with Veiga where they met in a hotel room in Rhode Island that Russell rented. During that meeting, Russell supplied oxycodone pills to Veiga and Veiga provided cash in exchange. On March 14, 2023, Russell engaged in four structured cash deposits at ATMs in the Boston area. For each of these deposits, Russell orchestrated the deposit to be less than $10,000 in an attempt to evade the bank from reporting the deposit to the Internal Revenue Service.

Veiga pleaded guilty and in July 2024, was sentenced to 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gonsalves pleaded guilty and in May 2024 was sentenced to 41 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2025, Campbell was sentenced to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office; and the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Mashpee, Yarmouth, Sandwich and Falmouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Samuel R. Feldman of the Criminal Division and Alexandra Amrhein of the Asset Forfeiture Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Quincy woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits.  

Crystal Gesumaria, 41, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal to three years of probation and ordered to pay $93,603 in restitution. Earlier in the hearing, Gesumaria pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor theft of government money. Gesumaria was charged in October 2024.

From July 2013 to August 2022, Gesumaria stole $93,603 in Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits by failing to report her 2013 marriage and making multiple misleading statements to SSA regarding her marital status. Gesumaria had been receiving disabled adult child (DAC) benefits since March 2005. Married individuals, with limited exceptions, are ineligible for DAC benefits. SSA informed Gesumaria of this eligibility criteria when she began receiving DAC benefits and sent several written reminders of her obligation to report any change in her marital status. During a continuing disability review in 2016, Gesumaria submitted to SSA several forms as well as an affidavit from her husband that contained misleading information about their relationship with references to him as a “friend” or “roommate.” When she was confronted by an SSA employee in May 2022 about an allegation that she was married and reminded again of the potential impact on her DAC benefits, Gesumaria denied knowing anything about the marriage.

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 today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Mexican national residing in Hudson, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Fredi Rios-Nolasco, 34, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant was previously charged by criminal complaint on March 18, 2025.

On March 6, 2025, immigration authorities lodged a detainer for Rios-Nolasco after he was arrested and charged in Marlborough District Court for trafficking cocaine. Fingerprints taken during his arrest matched biometrics from his prior removals.  

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm 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 – An Avon, Mass. man, formerly of Boston, has been arrested and charged for failing to register as a sex offender.

Adrian Martinez, 56, was charged with one count of failing to register as a sex offender. Martinez was arrested today and was ordered detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon.

According to the charging documents, Martinez is a Level 3 sex offender as a result of the following prior convictions from when he served in United States Navy in April 1998: committing sodomy with a person under the age of 12; four counts of taking indecent liberties upon the body of a female under 12 years of age; and assault with intent to rape upon a person under the age of 12.

Martinez was sentenced to 40 years in prison for these convictions, of which he served approximately 11 years before being released from federal custody in February 2009. Upon his release, Martinez was required to register as a sex offender and update his registration any time he moved or changed employment. It is alleged that, at some point after Sept. 30, 2022, Martinez moved out of his Boston residence and did not contact law enforcement of his change in registered address. A subsequent investigation allegedly revealed that Martinez had moved to a new residence in Avon.

The charge of failing to register as a sex offender provides for a sentence of up to 10 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 Brian A. Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit and the Office’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator 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 Lawrence man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for distributing fentanyl.

George Jimenez, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 41 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Jimenez pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  Jimenez was initially charged by criminal complaint in October 2023.

On Sept. 27, 2022, Jimenez sold 99 grams of fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Methuen which was captured on video by a recording device. The video depicted Jimenez meeting the cooperating witness between two buildings. Jimenez made a quick hand-to-hand transaction with the cooperating witness, providing the witness with the drugs ordered in exchange for $1,500.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Hyannis man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  

Timothy Lee Galvin, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 97 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2024, Galvin pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Galvin was indicted in August 2023.

On or about June 2, 2023 in Barnstable, Galvin was arrested for possession of approximately six grams of fentanyl and three rounds of 9mm ammunition in his pocket. In addition, a privately made.45 caliber pistol, 11 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition and 47 rounds of 9mm ammunition were found in a backpack.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Taunton has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to participating in drug distribution and a drug conspiracy involving wholesale quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine. He also pleaded guilty to using an unknowing individual’s identity and an unauthorized access device to fraudulently rent locations he used for the purposes of drug trafficking.  

Terrence Pyrtle, a/k/a “Big T,” a/k/a “T,” a/k/a “big_t558,” 42, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue; one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft; one count of access device fraud; and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for July 17, 2025. Pyrtle was charged in April 2023, along with co-conspirator Ashley Roostaie.

Pyrtle and Roostaie utilized the personal identification information (including name, date of birth and Social Security number) of an unknowing individual to fraudulently enter into lease agreements for two apartments in Braintree and Somerville, which Pyrtle then used to participate in a drug conspiracy involving distribution quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine. The drug conspiracy in which Pyrtle participated also extended to other locations across the state.

Pyrtle and Roostaie also created an email account and obtained a counterfeit driver’s license using the individual’s identification information. Pyrtle and Roostaie also used the individual’s identification information to obtain a Green Dot debit card account, which they used to make payments associated with the apartments. By placing the apartment leases under another individual’s personal identification information, Roostaie and Pyrtle were able to conceal their connection to and use of the apartments which were used by Pyrtle in furtherance of his drug distribution and drug conspiracy.

In February 2025, Roostaie pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2025.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine each provide for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of access device fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year prison term consecutive to any term of imprisonment received on a predicate, substantive count, up to a one-year term 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; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Brockton, East Bridgewater and Bridgewater Police Departments and Plymouth County, Suffolk County and Bristol County Sheriff’s Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell David and Cutshall of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.  

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

“This afternoon the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Boston to vacate the April 1, 2025 order of contempt entered against an ICE Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer by the Boston Municipal Court. Our motion is clear: the state court lacked authority to issue the unlawful and erroneous order. The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution immunizes federal officers from state prosecution—including contempt proceedings—for actions taken in the course of their official duties.”

BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain a loan on behalf of a business he no longer owned.

Stavros Papantoniadis, a/k/a “Steve Papantoniadis,” 50, of Westwood, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley to two years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Papantoniadis was also ordered to pay $534,462.01 in restitution. In February 2025, Papantoniadis pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging one count of false statements.

Papantoniadis is the owner and operator of Stash’s Pizza, a chain of pizzerias in greater Boston. In April 2021, Papantoniadis sold one of his pizzerias located in Randolph, Mass., and the Secretary of State subsequently cancelled the limited liability company through which Papantoniadis owned the Randolph pizzeria.

Between November 2021 and January 2022, Papantoniadis applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the SBA. These loans were designed to provide relief for existing small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his submissions to the SBA, Papantoniadis falsely stated that he still owned and operated the pizzeria in Randolph, even claiming that he then had 18 employees at the location. However, in reality, Papantoniadis had sold the business several months before he applied for the loan. Based on Papantoniadis’ false representations, the SBA approved the loan and sent Papantoniadis $499,900.

In June 2024, Papantoniadis was convicted by a federal jury of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. Based on evidence introduced at trial, Papantoniadis forced or attempted to force five men and one woman to work for him through violent physical abuse, threats of abuse and repeated threats to report victims to immigration authorities for deportation if they did not continue working for him. In October 2024, Papantoniadis was sentenced to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. Six months of the sentence imposed today will run consecutive the 102-month sentence the court imposed in June 2024.
    
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy E. Moran, Chief of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A New York-based national sales director pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.

David Fuhrmann, 60, of Port Jefferson, N.Y. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for July 10, 2025.

From at least June 2013 through at least September 2020, Fuhrmann conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. Fuhrmann and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. Some doctors were paid in cash and others by check. Fuhrmann and his co-conspirators created rental and administrative service agreements. On paper, these agreements made it appear as if doctors were compensated for the TCD company’s use of space and administrative resources based on fair market value and not based on the volume or value of referrals. These agreements were shams that hid the true nature of the arrangement of paying per test.  

According to the charging documents, the scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare.  

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; Kelly M.  Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard Locker and Mackenzie Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Marlboro man pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025 in federal court in Boston to possessing and distributing child pornography.

Larry Stephen, 46, pleaded guilty to one count each of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2025. In August 2023, Stephen indicted by a federal grand jury. He was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on July 18, 2023.

According to the charging documents, authorities identified Stephen as an individual using a social media platform to receive and post child pornography. On June 7, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Stephen’s Marlboro residence where Stephen’s cell phone was seized. A preliminary examination of the cell phone revealed the presence of child pornography. Stephen repeatedly posted images and videos of child pornography videos on a social media platform.

Each of the two charges, possession of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography, provide 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. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Marlboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s David G. Tobin and Eric Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
 

Yesterday, a federal court in Massachusetts entered a consent decree requiring SunSetter Products LP (SunSetter) to pay $9.25 million in civil penalties and implement and maintain a robust compliance program to prevent future illegal conduct, the Justice Department announced.

In a complaint filed April 6, 2023, the government alleged that SunSetter failed to timely report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a defect affecting approximately 270,000 protective covers used with SunSetter retractable awnings. According to the complaint, removal of the defective awning cover could cause the retractable awning to unexpectedly spring open with enough force to knock over anyone in the awning’s path, putting consumers using ladders to access the awning at risk of death or serious injury. The complaint alleged that multiple consumers were injured, and one killed, as a result of this defect. The complaint alleged that SunSetter violated the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) by failing to report the defect until 2017, despite being aware of consumer complaints as early as 2012 and completing its own simulation testing in 2015 that confirmed the safety hazard. SunSetter recalled the covers in August 2019.

“The failure to immediately report dangerous products puts consumers at unnecessary risk,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to work with the CPSC to hold accountable companies that fail to follow the law.”

“This settlement makes clear that companies must prioritize consumer safety and comply with their legal obligations to report hazardous defects in a timely manner,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “SunSetter’s failure to do so had tragic consequences. We will continue to hold companies accountable when they put the public at risk by disregarding federal safety laws.”

“This consent decree is an important reminder of the affirmative obligation to report product hazards in a timely manner,” said Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “I appreciate the work of CPSC staff and our partners at DOJ in resolving this matter and keeping American consumers safe.”

Trial Attorneys Brett Ruff and Nicole Frazer of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anuj Khetarpal for the District of Massachusetts, with the assistance of Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel and Amelia Hairston-Porter of CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations, are handling the case.

For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit the Branch’s website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

BOSTON – A federal court in Massachusetts entered a consent decree today requiring SunSetter Products LP (SunSetter) to pay $9.25 million in civil penalties and implement and maintain a robust compliance program to prevent future illegal conduct.

In a complaint filed April 6, 2023, the government alleged that SunSetter failed to timely report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a defect affecting approximately 270,000 protective covers used with SunSetter retractable awnings. According to the complaint, removal of the defective awning cover could cause the retractable awning to unexpectedly spring open with enough force to knock over anyone in the awning’s path, putting consumers using ladders to access the awning at risk of death or serious injury. The complaint alleged that multiple consumers were injured, and one killed, as a result of this defect. The complaint alleged that SunSetter violated the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) by failing to report the defect until 2017, despite being aware of consumer complaints as early as 2012 and completing its own simulation testing in 2015 that confirmed the safety hazard. SunSetter recalled the covers in August 2019.

“This settlement makes clear that companies must prioritize consumer safety and comply with their legal obligations to report hazardous defects in a timely manner,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “SunSetter’s failure to do so had tragic consequences. We will continue to hold companies accountable when they put the public at risk by disregarding federal safety laws.”

“The failure to immediately report dangerous products puts consumers at unnecessary risk,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to work with the CPSC to hold accountable companies that fail to follow the law.”

“This consent decree is an important reminder of the affirmative obligation to report product hazards in a timely manner,” said Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “I appreciate the work of CPSC staff and our partners at DOJ in resolving this matter and keeping American consumers safe.”

U.S. Attorney Foley, Acting AAG Roth and CPSC Acting Chairman Feldman made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anuj Khetarpal of the Office’s Civil Division handled the matter along with Trial Attorneys Brett Ruff and Nicole Frazer of the Justice Department’s Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel.

For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit the Branch’s website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

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

Jose De La Rosa Rosario, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 15 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the sentence imposed. In December 2024, De La Rosa Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In October 2024, De La Rosa Rosario was indicted by a federal grand jury.

De La Rosa Rosario is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the United States in 2006 through Puerto Rico using false identification. He was convicted of federal conspiracy and cocaine distribution charges in 2011. Following completion of his federal sentence, in July 2018, De La Rosa Rosario was removed from the United States and deported to the Dominican Republic pursuant to a court order. Thereafter, at an unknown time and place, he illegally reentered the United States without permission. In September 2024, De La Rosa Rosario was arrested on new state drug charges and later detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A copy of his fingerprint from his removal document was compared to his fingerprint when he entered federal custody in September 2024, the prints were identical to each other.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – CLS Global FZC LLC, a financial services firm known in the cryptocurrency industry as a “market maker,” was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for criminal charges relating to its fraudulent manipulation of cryptocurrency trading volume.

CLS Global has been ordered to pay a total of $428,059 to the government, representing both a fine and seized cryptocurrency. The court also sentenced CLS Global to a term of probation for three years, during which CLS Global is prohibited from participating in U.S. cryptocurrency markets. CLS Global pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud and one count of wire fraud in January 2025. It was charged criminally in September 2024.

CLS Global provided “market making” and other services for cryptocurrency companies through its public website and other promotional materials. CLS Global was a company registered in the United Arab Emirates that employed over 50 individuals, all located outside the United States, but offered services to related to cryptocurrencies available to investors inside the United States.

The charges against CLS Global followed an undercover law enforcement operation targeting cryptocurrency “wash trading,” sham trading activity intended to attract investors. The investigation included the creation of NexFundAI, a purported cryptocurrency company that had a website (https://nexfundai.com) and an Ethereum-based token that traded on the Uniswap cryptocurrency exchange before being disabled by law enforcement.

CLS Global agreed to provide market making services for the NexFundAI token that included “wash trading” to fraudulently attract investors to purchase the token. During several videoconferences between July and August 2024, a CLS Global employee explained that the company could “help with volume generation” so that NexFundAI could meet cryptocurrency exchange listing requirements and attract purchasers of the NexFundAI token. The employee explained that CLS Global used an algorithm that “basically does self-trades, buying and  selling. . . from multiple wallets so it’s not visible” and so “it looks like organic buying and selling that is happening.” The employee further explained, “It’s very hard to track. . . . We’ve been doing that for many clients.” The employee also acknowledged, “I know that it’s wash trading and I know people might not be happy about it.”

CLS Global’s employee provided a “Market Making proposal” which, in a section titled “Volume Support,” contained an illustration of the CLS Global “dashboard” that reflected “total volume,” “CLS volume” and “external volume.” Traders employed by CLS Global subsequently bought and sold the NexFundAI token on the Uniswap cryptocurrency exchange using CLS Global’s trading wallets and provided reports on the trading activity created by the “volume generation algorithm.”

As part of its sentence, CLS Global is prohibited from participating in cryptocurrency transactions on trading platforms available to investors located in the United States or providing services to cryptocurrency clients based in the United States, as set forth in the plea agreement. CLS Global is also required to make annual certifications that its business practices conform to these prohibitions.

The Securities & Exchange Commission brought a related civil enforcement action alleging violations of the securities laws and has entered into a separate resolution with CLS Global. Moneys seized from or paid by CLS Global will be credited in both the criminal and SEC resolutions.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling forfeiture.

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

BOSTON – A South Dennis, Mass., man has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening to murder a prominent federal official, their relative and the relative’s spouse.

Michael P. Mahoney, 62, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person. Mahoney was arrested this morning and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2 p.m. today.

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

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Dennis Police Chief John Brady made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini, Chief of the National Security 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.