District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in West Springfield has been arrested and charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Jose Martinez-Lopez, also known as “Amalio Mendez-Molina,” 33, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Martinez-Lopez was arrested on March 11, 2025 and was ordered detained until trial following an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield yesterday.

According to the charging documents, Martinez-Lopez is a national of Guatemala. On Aug. 28, 2009, Martinez-Lopez was removed from the United States to Guatemala after he entered the United States illegally at an unknow prior date.

Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez unlawfully reentered the United States and was subsequently deported on May 10, 2011.

It is alleged that Martinez-Lopez then re-entered the United States illegally for a third time. On Aug. 8, 2011, he was found guilty in Phoenix, Ariz. of human smuggling conspiracy and sentenced to a one-year probationary period. He was subsequently removed from the United States on Aug. 23, 20211.

Martinez-Lopez allegedly re-entered the United States illegally for a fourth time. On Nov. 25, 2022 and June 17, 2023, Martinez-Lopez was twice arrested by the Cook County, IL Sherriff’s Office for domestic battery/bodily harm.

On June 18, 2023, federal immigration authorities lodged a detainer for Martinez-Lopez.  On March 10, 2025, Martinez-Lopez (using the name Amalio Mendez-Molina) was arrested in West Springfield by local law enforcement for assault and battery on a police officer. Fingerprints taken during his arrest allegedly with Martinez-Lopez’s biometrics from his prior encounters with law enforcement.  

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 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 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 Vietnamese man who has been residing in Braintree, Mass., and whose true identity was unknown at indictment, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

John Doe, a/k/a “Truong Nguyen,” 50, pleaded guilty to passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. The defendant was arrested and charged in May 2024 and released on conditions including an unsecured bond of $50,000. He was later indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. 

In March 2023, the defendant submitted a passport application in-person at the U.S. post office in Weymouth, presenting himself to be an individual identified as HH (the victim). In support of the application, Doe provided the victim’s date of birth and Social Security number, a copy of the victim’s U.S. birth certificate, as well a Massachusetts driver’s license with the victim’s information. 

In June 2023, the Boston Passport Agency forwarded the defendant’s passport application and supporting documents to federal law enforcement, after verifying a death record for HH (the victim) when reviewing the application. The Social Security number, date of birth and parental information provided by Doe in his passport application matched the records for the deceased victim. It was ultimately confirmed that the victim died in Boston in 2002 at the age of 13. The passport was not issued to the defendant. 

A subsequent investigation determined that the defendant used the victim’s identity to obtain and use multiple government-issued identification documents in the victim’s name, including Massachusetts driver’s licenses in June 2018, January 2019 and April 2023, as well as a Social Security card in the victim’s name in 2018. 

Doe also used the deceased victim’s identity to obtain an EMT-Basic Certification in 2021 and an EMT-Paramedic Certification in 2023, before going on to apply for employment as a paramedic, again using the stolen identity.  

From November 2023 to January 2024, Doe used the deceased victim’s identity to attend the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. After graduating, the defendant began employment with the Melrose Fire Department in the name of the victim, where he worked until his arrest in May 2024.

The investigation further revealed that Doe (while using the identity of the victim) was the subject of an RMV fraud hearing in August 2018, after a facial recognition hit determined the defendant had been issued Massachusetts driver’s licenses under two separate identities – that of an individual identified as Truong Nguyen issued in February 2018 and that of the deceased victim issued in June 2018. At the fraud hearing, Doe claimed the victim’s identity was his true identity and presented a birth certificate and Social Security card issued under the deceased victim’s identity. As a result of the hearing, RMV closed the case – determining the victim was Doe’s true identity and suspending his license for six months. 

However, the investigation found that Doe matched the identity of Nguyen and the individual’s corresponding records which span from 1997 to 2018. Specifically, Nguyen entered the United States from Vietnam in 1979 as a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). In 1995, Nguyen’s LPR status was revoked and he was ordered deported after being convicted of second-degree burglary in 1991. Although ordered deported, the investigation revealed that Nguyen was not physically deported to Vietnam. Nguyen was later arrested in 2010 for embezzlement and larceny after allegedly stealing over $46,000 from the Norwell Firefighters Union while working as an officer of the union. 

At the plea hearing, John Doe stated under oath that is true identity his Truong Nguyen.

The charge of false statement in a passport application provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory minimum of two years in prison to be added to the felony committed while using the means of identification of another without lawful authority. The defendant will be subject to deportation proceedings upon competition of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Matthew O’Brien. Special Agent in Charge of the Department of State/Diplomatic Security Service; Braintree Police Chief Tim Cohoon; Melrose Police Chief Kevin M. Faller; Melrose Fire Chief John White; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan; and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

UPDATE: This press release was amended on March 14, 2025 to reflect that the defendant is 50 years old, not 40 years old.

BOSTON – A Shirley man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to conspiring to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Noel Haro, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; aiding and abetting. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025. In April 2023, Noel Haro was indicted along with his brother Marcos Haro.

Noel Haro is a member and influential leader of the “Border Brothers” gang – a large-scale international gang known to be heavily involved in drug, weapon and human trafficking in Southern Arizona with a presence in Nogales, Mexico and the Arizona prison system. Noel Haro is currently serving a life sentence at a Massachusetts Department of Correction facility in connection with convictions in Arizona for drug distribution, conspiracy and money laundering.

Noel Haro was previously serving his sentence at a facility in Arizona but was transferred to serve his sentence in Massachusetts upon being deemed a security concern due to his alleged influence over other inmates and repeated introduction of cell phones and narcotics into Arizona facilities.

Beginning in or about April 2019, and investigation began into Noel Haro’s attempts to facilitate the trafficking of narcotics to Massachusetts during his inmate phone calls. Specifically, during his inmate calls, Noel Haro attempted to solicit friends and family members to transport narcotics from Arizona to Massachusetts on his behalf. In April 2022, recorded inmate calls indicated that Noel Haro worked with his brother, Marcos Haro, to allegedly arrange drug deals outside of prison.

In June 2022, Marcos Haro allegedly agreed to supply an individual with samples of multiple narcotics – including fentanyl and methamphetamine. It is alleged that Marcos Haro later mailed the narcotics to the individual concealed in a purple teddy bear inside a postal package. It is alleged that, on July 13, 2022, the package was retrieved and found to contain fentanyl, five fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and approximately 3 grams of black tar heroin. On July 25, 2022, during a recorded inmate call, Noel Haro and Marcos Haro allegedly discussed selling one pound of methamphetamine to the same individual and agreed on a sale price of $5,000. It is alleged that, on July 27, 2022, a package sent from Marcos Haro was retrieved and found to contain approximately 446.6 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine.

During a recorded inmate call on Aug. 10, 2022, Noel Haro allegedly directed Marcos Haro to arrange the sale of five pounds of methamphetamine to the individual. Later, on Sept. 12, 2022, two packages allegedly sent from Marcos Haro were retrieved and each found to contain approximately 892.3 grams of 86% pure methamphetamine and approximately 1,320.2 grams of 95% pure methamphetamine.

Marcos Haro is scheduled to plead guilty on March 19, 2025.

The charge conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting 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 distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; aiding and abetting provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. 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 Shawn Jenkins, Commissioner of the Department of Correction’s made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea E. Porter and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting 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.

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

BOSTON – A California man has been arrested and charged for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor victim who had previously been reported missing.

Ibrahim Abdul-Alim Bin Hajj Yahya Abdul-Malik, 37, of San Jose, Calif., was charged with sex trafficking a minor. Malik was arrested on March 10, 2025 in California and made his initial appearance in the Northern District of California. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, on Dec. 11, 2024, law enforcement received information that a 17-year-old minor victim was being advertised for commercial sex acts online in the Boston area. The minor victim had previously been reported missing from her home in Ohio in August 2024. Investigators identified advertisements containing photographs of the minor victim and a phone number used to use to arrange commercial sex encounters with the minor victim. Law enforcement responded to the advertisement in an undercover capacity and the responding telephone number arranged for a commercial sex date at a hotel in Cambridge. There, law enforcement recovered the minor victim and seized her iPhone as evidence. 
    
A subsequent investigation allegedly revealed that, in or around Nov. 13, 2024, Malik began trafficking the minor victim in other states, posting commercial sex advertisements for the minor victim on various websites. In order to avoid law enforcement detection, it is alleged that Malik raised the minor victim’s listed age on those websites to falsely indicate that she was 20 years old.

During a search of the minor victim’s phone, law enforcement allegedly located messages from Malik about the minor victim engaging in commercial sex acts with sex buyers. On multiple occasions, it is alleged that Malik directed the minor victim to have sex buyer payments sent to a Zelle account he controlled. After the sex buyer sent the payment, it is alleged that Malik would confirm receipt of the money and keep all of the profits.

It is further alleged that Malik fled the Boston area immediately following the Dec. 11, 2024 undercover operation – purchasing an airline ticket to fly from Boston to San Jose, Calif. on a flight that departed at 6 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2024.

The charge of sex trafficking of children carries 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 $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in San Jose, Calif. and the Arlington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – The former CEO, COO and Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs for Magellan Diagnostics, Inc. (Magellan), a medical device company headquartered in Billerica, Mass., have pleaded guilty in connection with concealing a device malfunction that produced inaccurately low lead test results for thousands of children and other patients. The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2023.

Amy Winslow, 53, of Needham Heights, Mass., pleaded guilty to one felony count of introduction of misbranded medical devices into interstate commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled her sentencing for July 23, 2025.

Hossein Maleknia, 66, of Bonita Springs, Fla., pleaded guilty to two felony counts of introduction of misbranded medical devices into interstate commerce. Judge Saris scheduled his sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2025.

Reba Daoust, 68, of Amesbury, Mass., pleaded guilty to one felony count of making false statements. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2025.

Magellan’s LeadCare II and LeadCare Ultra devices detected lead levels and lead poisoning in the blood of children and adults using either venous (i.e., blood draws through the arm) or fingerstick samples. LeadCare II, which was predominantly used to test fingerstick samples, accounted for more than half of all blood lead tests conducted in the United States from 2013 through 2017. LeadCare Ultra was predominantly used to test venous samples.

Winslow, Maleknia and Daoust – Magellan’s former CEO, COO and Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, respectively – misled Magellan customers and the FDA about a serious malfunction that affected Magellan’s LeadCare devices when they were used to test venous blood samples. By hiding the malfunction and later misleading customers and the FDA about when they discovered the malfunction, the nature, extent and frequency of the malfunction, as well as the risks associated with the malfunction, the defendants caused an estimated thousands of children and other patients to receive inaccurately low lead test results.

“We trust that medical devices provide accurate results. We trust that when doctors give us information, it’s based on reliable science. These defendants eroded that trust by misleading regulators and customers about devices they knew could provide inaccurate results, and thereby knowingly endangered the health of children and other patients across the country,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “These convictions should make one thing clear: corporate fraud that puts public health at risk will not go unpunished. Individuals who choose to mislead rather than uphold the integrity of our healthcare system will be held accountable.”

“Medical device makers have an obligation to provide truthful information to protect patients. By deliberately concealing and consistently misleading consumers and the FDA about device malfunctions, Magellan acted with gross disregard for its responsibility to comply with FDA requirements and put patients at risk,” said Fernando McMillian, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office. “We will continue to thoroughly investigate those whose actions undermine the integrity of the FDA regulatory process which exists to protect consumer health.”

“What these three senior executives did was downright deceitful and dangerous,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “They concealed a medical device malfunction that resulted in inaccurate lead test results for thousands of children and other vulnerable patients in order to boost Magellan’s bottom line. The public should know the FBI and our partners are working hard every day to ensure those who put profits over patient safety won’t get away with it.”

“These corporate executives knew about a serious flaw in Magellan’s lead testing devices that produced inaccurate reporting of lead levels in the blood. They chose to conceal that flaw, completely disregarding the well-being of patients, in their corrupt effort to benefit the corporate bottom line,” said Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “These convictions serve as a strong reminder that we will continue to work tirelessly to investigate and bring to justice those who engage in dangerous schemes that put patient safety at risk.”

The FDA ultimately found that the LeadCare devices could not accurately test venous samples, leading to a recall of all LeadCare devices using venous samples and a warning to the public not to use the devices for venous blood samples because of the malfunction.

According to court documents, as referenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no safe level of lead in the blood. Lead exposure may cause irreversible lifelong physical and mental health problems. Young children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to lead exposure, especially those from low-income households and those who live in housing built before 1978 because those homes are more likely to contain lead-based paint and have fixtures containing lead.

If you or a family member believe you received an inaccurate blood lead test result from a LeadCare device between 2013-2017, please complete the questionnaire located on the FBI’s website at www.fbi.gov/MagellanCaseInquiry. Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/press-highlights.

The charges of introduction of misbranded medical devices provide for a sentence of up to three years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley; FDA-OCI SAC McMillan; FBI SAC Cohen; and HHS-OIG SAC Coviello made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Lawrence and Leslie Wright of the Healthcare Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.

Updated to include the quote of Fernando McMillian, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man, who was extradited from Stockholm, Sweden, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for obstructing an investigation of fires set at Jewish institutions in Arlington, Needham and Chelsea, Mass., in May 2019.  

Alexander Giannakakis, 37, formerly of Quincy, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 42 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2024, Giannakakis pleaded guilty to concealing records in a federal investigation; tampering with documents and objects; and tampering with an official proceeding. In February 2022, Giannakakis was indicted by a federal grand jury. In February 2024 he was extradited to the United States from Sweden.

“Rather than assist authorities, Alexander Giannakakis chose instead to impede the FBI’s investigation by lying to investigators and destroying and concealing evidence,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Obstructing law enforcement is a serious crime that can embolden individuals to continue criminal behavior, sometimes with serious or even deadly consequences. Today’s sentence leaves no room for doubt, that this type of deceit and obstruction will not be tolerated.”

"With today’s sentence, Alexander Giannakakis learned the hard way that the family ties that bind you together can also land you in federal prison,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Mr. Giannakakis destroyed evidence and obstructed the FBI’s investigation into his brother’s acts of domestic terrorism that sent shockwaves of fear throughout the Jewish community. Instead of doing what was right and calling out his brother’s vile conduct, Mr. Giannakakis tried to cover for him. Anyone who thinks they can lie to us and get away with it, should think twice. The FBI can’t properly carry out investigations, if the people we interview think they can deceive us without consequence.”

In approximately February 2020, Giannakakis’ younger brother became the prime suspect in an investigation into four fires set at Jewish institutions in the Boston area: the first during the evening of May 11, 2019 at a Chabad Center in Arlington; the second at the same location during the evening of May 16, 2019; the third at a Chabad Center in Needham; and the fourth during the evening of May 26, 2019, at a Jewish-affiliated business in Chelsea. At the time Giannakakis’ brother was identified as a suspect, he was hospitalized in a coma. He remained in a coma until his death later that year.

Shortly after his brother was identified as a suspect, Giannakakis left the United States for Sweden, where he was living at the time, with his brother’s electronic devices and documents. According to court documents, when Giannakakis returned to the U.S. in March 2020, he was questioned by investigators about his brother’s involvement in the arsons and made false and misleading statements. He later concealed and destroyed physical evidence being sought by investigators that implicated his brother in the arsons. Within hours of concealing and destroying that evidence, Giannakakis fled the United States for Sweden. Giannakakis remained in Sweden until his arrest by Swedish authorities in February 2022.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Chief Juliann Flaherty of the Arlington Police Department; Chief John Schlittler of the Needham Police Department; and Chief Keith E. Houghton of the Chelsea Police Department made the announcement today. Substantial assistance was provided by Swedish authorities. Additional assistance was provided by the Quincy Massachusetts Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance to secure the arrest and extradition from Sweden of Giannakakis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case. 
 

BOSTON – Four undocumented Brazilian nationals currently residing in Framingham have been arrested for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to import pharmaceutical-grade controlled substances and other misbranded drugs from Brazil and distribute them throughout the greater Framingham area.

Douglas Reis de Souza, 40; Dekny Marcos de Carvaleho Reis, 33; Dekmara de Carvalho Reis, 34; and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes, 41, all of Framingham, have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. The defendants were arrested yesterday morning and, following initial appearances in federal court in Boston, were detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 13, 2025.

“For years, these defendants allegedly exploited a community’s trust to peddle black-market prescription drugs under the guide of legitimacy. They entered our country illegally and put countless individuals’ health and safety in danger, all for profit,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “If you or someone you know was impacted by this scheme, we urge you to come forward and report it to law enforcement. Our office and our law enforcement partners will not allow reckless, exploitative criminals to operate in the shadows.”

“The DEA is committed to ensuring that anyone prescribing and selling prescription medication is a registrant and they are in compliance with the required regulations, which are enforceable through the Controlled Substances Act said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “Failure to do so increases the potential for diversion and jeopardizes the public health and public safety of our communities. DEA pledges to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure these rules and regulations are followed.”

“Prescription drugs play a vital role allowing individuals to control symptoms, treat illnesses, and improve overall health. The illegal and improper dispensing of prescription drugs to vulnerable individuals without the concurrence from a medical professional or a licensed pharmacist is a deadly combination. The actions of the defendants arrested undermine that trust and endanger the community as they facilitated the distribution of dangerous narcotics to individuals for personal financial gain. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue the mission of eradicating illegal drugs from the U.S. Mail and protecting all those who use it,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.

According to the charging documents, Reis de Souza held himself out to be a legitimate pharmacist to the Portuguese-speaking community in the greater Framingham area, doing business as “Droga Reis” (Portuguese for “Drug King”). In support of his operation, Reis de Souza allegedly distributed the following business card, which has been translated from Portuguese:

Douglas Reis, Pharmacist
[REDACTED PHONE NUMBER]
Remedies from Brazil
Service 24 H
Call me on Whats[App] and I can help you
Don’t miss your work day
Pharmacist with over 22 years of experience
Indication of medicines for adult and pediatric use
Contraceptive pills and injectables
Injectable cocktail to treat muscular and orthopedic problems
Perforation of ear cells.

Reis de Souza allegedly imported pharmaceutical-grade drugs, including controlled substances from various locations in Brazil and then re-sold them to customers. It is alleged that at least 24 packages sent from Brazil to Reis de Souza’s drug trafficking organization were seized during the investigation which began in October 2023 – all of which were found to contain illegally imported pharmaceutical-grade controlled substances.

It is alleged that Reis de Souza employed Carvaleho Reis, Dekmara de Carvalho Reis and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes to process, fill and deliver orders for controlled substances and other prescription drugs that customers paid Reis de Souza for. In total, over the course of the investigation, Reis de Souza’s drug trafficking organization allegedly distributed 154 tablets of Codeine; 60 tablets of Tramadol; 280 tablets of Clonazepam; and 450 tablets of Morphine via controlled purchases or the mail.

This morning, search warrants were executed at an apartment allegedly used by Reis de Souza and his co-conspirators as a black-market doctor’s office. There, law enforcement allegedly observed an examination/consultation area, used syringes ostensibly used to inject “patients,” as well as large quantities of controlled substances and non-controlled prescription and/or misbranded drugs:

At no time did Reis de Souza possess any license authorizing him to dispense these drugs. It is alleged that Reis de Souza collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits as a result of the drug trafficking scheme.  

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The defendants are 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.

If you were a customer of Reis De Souza, or his d/b/a “Droga Reis,” and you suffered any adverse events, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations; Customs and Border Protection; and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A former United States Marine pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to submitting a false Purple Heart application to the United States Marine Corps through his local Congressman.

Paul John Herbert, 54, of Shelburne Falls, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2025. In September 2023, Herbert was indicted by a federal grand jury.

“Military veterans deserve the respect of every citizen for their service to our country.  Veterans know well that the Purple Heart honors those brave service members who were injured or killed in the line of duty. Mr. Herbert knew that he did not deserve this widely recognized and respected award, but that did not stop him from lying about a traumatic brain injury and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability benefits, intended to take care of veterans truly in need.” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Claiming valor for a false injury is an affront to all the members of the military who serve our country with courage and honor.”

“Today’s guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for falsifying his service record to steal funds intended for our nation’s deserving veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate those who would represent themselves as something they are not in order to exploit VA programs and services.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement component of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, will continue to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice to protect the interests of those who selflessly serve our country,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office.  “We are committed to investigating individuals who falsely represent themselves as decorated veterans and steal benefits intended for our nation’s servicemembers.”  

Beginning on Oct. 13, 2010, Herbert submitted numerous false statements to the VA concerning IED-related injuries in support of a claim for disability compensation. Based upon these false claims, between January 1, 2010 and March 1, 2023 the VA overpaid Herbert $344,040.  

On Oct. 24, 2018, Herbert issued a request to his Congressman to assist with the application for a Purple Heart. The request contained a notarized letter from Herbert, that falsely stated he had been injured by a roadside explosion.  

The charge of making a false statement provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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, VA-OIG SAC Algieri and DCIS SAC Hegarty made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Dartmouth woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from two different employers.  

Jasmyne Botelho, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 20 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Botelho was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture orders of $443,122.59. In September 2024, Botelho pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Botelho was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024.

Between September 2017 and April 2020, Botelho stole at least $280,000 from one employer. Specifically, Botelho directed payments purportedly intended for the company’s vendors to bank accounts she controlled and used company funds to make payments on personal credit cards and an auto loan. To hide her scheme, Botelho falsified the employer’s books and records to make it appear as though the payments had in fact been sent to legitimate vendors rather than to Botelho.  

Between May 2022 and December 2023, Botelho improperly inflated her payroll from a second employer by more than $160,000. She concealed her scheme by manipulating this employer’s payroll and accounting software to hide her inflated payroll and phony “reimbursements” she paid herself.  

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

BOSTON – An Allston man has been arrested and charged for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine, as well as ketamine and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) – more commonly known as the “date rape drug” – out of his Allston home. 

Peter Schiepers, 32, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendant was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing set for March 14, 2025. 

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

Specifically, it is alleged that on Nov. 25, 2024, Schiepers sold the cooperating source one ounce of methamphetamine and one vial of Butanediol (BDO), a GHB analogue. During the transaction, Schiepers allegedly discussed his background in cybersecurity and his use of anonymizing tools to mask his IP address when shipping drugs in the mail. Schiepers also allegedly directed the cooperating source to only communicate with him via the encrypted messaging application, Signal.  

Schiepers allegedly conducted another drug transaction out of his Allston residence on Dec. 16, 2024, during which he allegedly sold the confidential source 111 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine and approximately one gram of ketamine. 

In January 2025, it is alleged that Schiepers conducted a third transaction for another ounce of methamphetamine and one liter of BDO. Schiepers allegedly told the cooperating source 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 methamphetamine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and 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 United States Postal Inspectors. 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 defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – Three Dominican nationals residing in Lawrence, Mass. were arrested on March 9, 2025, on drug trafficking charges.  

Juana Luduvina Aguasvivas, 66, Richard Arias-Aguasvivas, 38 and Ariel Ruiz, 31, have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. All three appeared in federal court in Boston on March 10, 2025.

According to the charging documents, in April 2021, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization operating in Lawrence, that was supplying fentanyl, cocaine base and cutting agents to customers. Between April 2021 and November 2024, more than a dozen controlled purchases were conducted using confidential sources, during which it is alleged that Aguasvivas, Arias-Aguasvivas, or Ruiz sold more than 600 grams of fentanyl, more than 60 grams of cocaine base and copious amounts of cutting agents. Through recordings of the controlled purchases and surveillance, Aguasvivas, Arias-Aguasvivas and Ruiz were allegedly identified as the primary distributors for the DTO.

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 a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon on 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 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Andover, Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen and Lowell Police Departments; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Massachusetts State Police; the Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting this case.

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

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

BOSTON — The boyfriend of a senior level employee at the multinational pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) was sentenced in federal court in Boston for setting up a fake consulting company that billed Takeda for services it never actually provided.

Samuel N. Montronde, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 30 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Montronde was also ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution. In December 2024, Montronde was convicted of three counts of wire fraud by a federal jury in Boston. The jury acquitted Montronde of one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Montronde was arrested and charged in January 2023 along with his girlfriend Priya Bhambi – a former senior employee in the technology operations group of Takeda. The two were later indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023.

In 2022, Montronde and Bhambi orchestrated and executed a scheme to defraud Takeda of at least $2.3 million in payments for purported consulting services by submitting fabricated invoices on behalf of a sham consulting company. Bhambi had previously engaged in the same fraud using a different sham consulting company, resulting in payments from Takeda totaling nearly $300,000 for consulting services that were never provided.

In February 2022, Montronde and Bhambi incorporated a sham consulting company, Evoluzione Consulting LLC (Evoluzione). Later, Bhambi created a website for Evoluzione with false information, including fabricated blog posts, to make it appear that Evoluzione was a legitimate consulting business.

After incorporating Evoluzione, Bhambi, in coordination with Montronde, submitted a statement of work to Takeda and caused Takeda to sign a master services agreement with Evoluzione and issue a purchase order to Evoluzione for consulting services with a total cost of $3.542 million. Then, between March and May of 2022, Bhambi and Montronde fabricated and submitted five separate invoices to Takeda for services that Evoluzione had not performed, each in the amount of $460,000. The defendants also created a fictional employee “Jasmine” to handle communications with Takeda. When questioned by Takeda employees, Bhambi made false representations regarding the services purportedly provided by Evoluzione. Before discovering the scheme and terminating Bhambi, Takeda, relying on these false representations, paid all five of the invoices to business accounts opened by Montronde in the name of Evoluzione.

In June 2024, Bhambi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. In October 2024, she was sentenced to 46 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Bhambi was also ordered to pay $2,585,480 in restitution.

In total, Bhambi and Montronde defrauded Takeda of $2.3 million in payments to Evoluzione for services not provided. The couple used the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a Mercedes-Benz Model Class E, a diamond engagement ring, freightliner trucks, a $1.9-million 2-bedroom condo in Boston’s Seaport District and a $50,000 wedding venue deposit. These assets are now subject to the Court’s forfeiture order.

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. Takeda provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Wright and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling the forfeiture matter.
 

BOSTON – A Marlborough man has been arrested on cocaine trafficking charges.  

Ricardo Guzman, a/k/a “Killin” 38, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Guzman was arrested on March 5, 2025 and appeared in federal court on March 6, 2025.

According to the charging documents, on Jan. 6, 20205, a source allegedly purchased 499 grams of cocaine from Guzman in Marlborough, Mass. This purchase was audio and video recorded.  

On March 5, 2025, the source allegedly arranged to purchase three kilograms of cocaine from Guzman in exchange for $75,000. It is alleged that Guzman was observed leaving the building where he resided with an unknown male carrying two large approximately five-gallon plaster buckets and placing them in a truck bed. The two men drove the truck a short distance when Guzman was observed getting out and entering his own vehicle, a red Volkswagen. Allegedly Guzman, alone in his vehicle, drove to a parking lot near the location where he planned to meet the source in Marlborough, Mass. Guzman’s vehicle was followed to this location by the truck. Once at the parking lot, Guzman was taken into custody and approximately half of a kilogram (500 grams) of suspected cocaine was found on his person. According to court documents, a search of the truck resulted in the seizure of approximately three and a half kilograms of suspected cocaine in the buckets in the truck bed.  

The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $5,000,000. 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 and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division and the Hudson, Marlborough and Stoneham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting 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.

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 has been sentenced in federal court in Boston to falsely claiming to be a United States citizen in a passport application.

Ruben Dario Guerrero, 44, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 21 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Guerrero is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In November 2024, Guerrero pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in a passport application and one count of identity theft.

On Aug. 25, 2023, Guerrero submitted an application for a U.S. passport at a post office in Lawrence. Guerrero used the name, date of birth and social security number of a U.S. citizen who died in Puerto Rico in 1997 and signed the application under an attestation in which he declared under penalty of perjury that he was a United States citizen. In fact, however, identity documents from the Dominican Republic show Guerrero to be a Dominican citizen.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A New Bedford woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for stealing federal funds by filing false tax returns to obtain fraudulent tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

Valentina Martinez, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to 12 months of supervised release under home confinement, with electronic monitoring for the first six months. Martinez was also ordered to pay $41,823 in restitution to the IRS. In December 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to five counts of theft of government money.

Martinez previously worked for a national tax return preparation service. After preparing returns for clients and providing them copies of their returns, Martinez added fraudulent claims for business deductions to the clients’ returns without their knowledge and electronically filed the false returns in order to obtain fraudulent refunds. Martinez caused the tax refunds to be deposited onto debit cards that she used to make ATM withdrawals, including paying for a Florida vacation and other personal purchases. Martinez’s scheme was discovered and her employment terminated when a taxpayer client complained to the return preparation service about a missing refund. By then, Martinez had already filed at least 12 false returns and caused more than $40,000 in losses to the IRS.    

The prosecution of Martinez is part of a Stolen Identity Refund Project (“SIRF”) program operated by the IRS to identify tax preparers who use stolen identities to steal money from the United States Treasury by filing false tax returns that claim tax refunds without the named taxpayer’s knowledge.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.  
 

BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Dorchester pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally using the personal identifying information of a United States citizen, which he used to obtain a driver’s license and United States passport.

Luis Alison Roa Lara, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in a U.S. passport application, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of misuse of a Social Security number. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2025. The defendant was arrested and charged in August 2024.

For nearly a decade, Luis Alison Roa Lara has been using the personal identifying information of a Puerto Rican citizen of the United States. Luis Alison Roa Lara used the misappropriated identifying information to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license and attempted to use it to obtain a United States passport.

The charge of false statement in a passport application provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number 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 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 the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, Detroit Resident Office; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and the Lorain (Ohio) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Waltham has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

William Estruado Rodriguez-Botello, 39, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

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 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 – A former American Airlines flight attendant has pleaded guilty to surreptitiously recording or attempting to record a minor female passenger using the lavatory aboard an aircraft in September 2023. The defendant also pleaded guilty to possessing recordings of four additional minor female passengers using lavatories aboard the aircraft he had worked previously.

Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2025. In April 2024, Thompson was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston.  

On Sept. 2, 2023, while working as a flight attendant onboard an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, N.C. to Boston, Mass., Thompson video-recorded or attempted to surreptitiously video-record a 14-year-old female passenger as she used the lavatory. Specifically, before the minor victim entered the lavatory, Thompson told her that he needed to wash his hands, and that the lavatory’s toilet seat was broken and briefly entered the lavatory. After Thompson exited the lavatory, the minor victim entered and observed red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, that stated, “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT” and “REMOVE FROM SERVICE,” and “SEAT BROKEN” was hand-written in black ink on one of the stickers. Beneath the red stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to record a video.

The minor victim informed her parents of what she saw and showed them the picture upon returning to her seat. The victim’s father confronted Thompson, who then locked himself in the lavatory with his iPhone for three to five minutes prior to the flight’s descent.

Upon the flight’s arrival at Boston’s Logan Airport, law enforcement observed that Thompson had restored his iPhone to factory settings. A subsequent search of Thompson’s suitcase was found to contain 11 “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT” stickers, like those observed by the minor victim on the back of the toilet seat. A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using the lavatory on an aircraft. The minor victims depicted in the surreptitious recordings were seven, nine, 11 and 14 years old at the time. Additionally, over 50 images of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor were found in Thompson’s iCloud. The images included photos taken while the minor victim was seated in her seat pre-flight and close-ups of her face while sleeping. Additionally, hundreds of AI-generated images depicting child sexual abuse were also found stored on Thompson’s iCloud account.

All minor victims involved in this matter have been identified and their families have been contacted by law enforcement. 
    
The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Both charges also provide for at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A New Hampshire man who supplied Lawrence-area drug dealers with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston.

Cote Colby, 29, of Derry, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2023, Colby was indicted along with three other defendants in this drug trafficking conspiracy.

An investigation began in September 2022 into a drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl, fentanyl pills, cocaine base and methamphetamine, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Merrimack Valley areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The investigation identified Colby as a significant drug distributor for the organization, making thousands of dollars per transaction. Over the course of the investigation, Colby distributed narcotics to several cooperating witnesses in numerous controlled purchases. In total, it is estimated that Colby is responsible for distributing approximately 422 grams of pure methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; Essex County Sheriff’s Department; Massachusetts Parole Board; and the Derry (N.H.), Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen and Salisbury Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng 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.

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 – A Dominican national living in Manchester, N.H. was sentenced today in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Miguel Angel Martinez Lugo, a/k/a “Jesus Manuel Encarnacion,” a/k/a “Jose Rosado Rabell,” 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 14 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the sentence imposed. In December 2024, Martinez Lugo pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

On April 4, 2024, law enforcement observed a black Acura MDX with a New Hampshire license plate registered to Martinez Lugo under his alias, “Jesus Encarnacion,” and a Chevrolet pickup truck with an Ohio license plate in close proximity to one another that appeared to be travelling together. Law enforcement followed the two vehicles as they drove down a number of streets and then ultimately parked on a street in Salem, Mass. The two vehicles were parked in such a way that their trunks were visible and two males, one of which was identified as Martinez Lugo, transported a heavy-duty black plastic storage bin with a yellow lid from the pickup truck to the black Acura MDX. Two additional heavy duty black plastic storage bins were observed inside of the black Acura MDX.  

When the Black Acura MDX passed the law enforcement vehicle, the driver, Martinez Lugo, made eye contact with the officer and then quickly parked and abandoned the vehicle. A search warrant was subsequently sought for the vehicle and 70 kilograms of cocaine was found inside the three plastic storage bins along with three cellular phones, among other things.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Chief Lucas J. Miller of the Salem (Mass.) Police Department; and Chief Peter Marr of the Manchester N.H. Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.  

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

Florencio Antonio Nuñez Guerrero, 37, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Nuñez Guerrero is currently in state custody for unrelated charges and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, Nuñez Guerrero was deported from the United States on March 3, 2017, after serving a federal sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. It is alleged that sometime after his March 2017 removal, Nuñez Guerrero illegally reentered the United States without permission.

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 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 Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Nigerian national living in Mexico has been extradited to the United States for his role in a scheme to break into Massachusetts tax preparation firms’ computer networks and to file fraudulent tax returns.

Matthew A. Akande, 36, was arrested in October 2024 at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom at the request of the United States and extradited to the United States on March 5, 2025. He appeared in federal court in Boston today. Akande was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 with one count of conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud and to commit theft of government money and money laundering; one count of wire fraud; four counts of unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud; 13 counts of theft of government money; and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.

Co-conspirator, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, a Nigerian national living in North Dakota, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud and to commit theft of government money and money laundering. Oyetunji’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.

Between in or about June 2016 and June 2021, Akande, Oyetunji and others are alleged to have worked together to steal money from the United States government using taxpayers’ personally identifiable information (PII) to file fraudulent tax returns in the taxpayers’ names. In addition, between in or about February 2020, the scheme involved stealing taxpayers’ PII from Massachusetts tax preparation firms via phishing attacks and computer intrusions.

To carry out the scheme, Akande is alleged to have caused fraudulent phishing emails to be sent to five Massachusetts tax preparation firms. The emails purported to be from a prospective client seeking the tax preparation firms’ services but in truth were used to trick the firms into downloading remote access trojan malicious software (RAT malware), including malware known as Warzone RAT. Akande allegedly used the RAT malware to obtain the PII and prior year tax information of the tax preparation firms’ clients, which Akande then used to cause fraudulent tax returns to be filed seeking refunds. The tax returns directed that the fraudulent tax refunds be deposited in bank accounts allegedly opened by Oyetunji and others. Once the refunds were issued, Oyetunji and others withdrew the stolen money in cash in the United States and then transferred a portion to third parties in Mexico, allegedly at Akande’s direction, while keeping a portion for themselves. In total, Akande and his coconspirators are alleged to have filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking over $8.1 million in fraudulent tax refunds over approximately five years. They are alleged to have successfully obtained over $1.3 million in fraudulent tax refunds.

Federal authorities encourage all businesses that suspect they have been the target and/or victim of a cyberattack to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Taxpayers and tax preparation firms that suspect they have been the target and/or victim of a phishing attack can also forward phishing email(s) to phishing@irs.gov.

The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of theft of government money provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $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 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’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with authorities in the United Kingdom to secure the extradition of Akande. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman and an inmate at the federal prison FMC Devens have been charged with conspiring to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” into FMC Devens. The inmate had been granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025 reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution. 

Tasha Hammock, 43, an employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Raymond Gaines, 45, an inmate at FMC Devens, are charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue. Hammock was arrested yesterday and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. Gaines will make an initial appearance at a later date.

On Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal judicial supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. According to court records, in both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison.  

According to the charging document, on Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in the prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. In addition, Hammock allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens, and she allegedly received K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison. The criminal complaint describes how law enforcement became interested in Hammock’s visits to Gaines after obtaining a cellphone that had allegedly been smuggled to an inmate in the prison (“Inmate A”). In September 2023, Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person (“Person 1”), discussing obtaining K2 in prison. Inmate A allegedly told Person 1 that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater – later determined to be Hammock’s residence - and that Inmate A’s “co” would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there.  

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

The charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years 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 and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.   
 

BOSTON – A Lawrence, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for conspiring to commit kidnapping, smuggling drugs into the Essex County Jail, distributing fentanyl and cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Justin Suriel, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In August 2024, Suriel pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine and Suboxone;, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Suriel was charged in November 2021 along with 12 others in connection with a large drug conspiracy centering around the Gangster Disciples in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen, Mass. The investigation, which began in August 2020, intercepted communications between Gangster Disciples’ leaders, members and drug suppliers pertaining to their alleged distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine and southern New Hampshire as well as into the Essex County Jail.

Calls were intercepted between Suriel and other gang members, who conspired to kidnap and assault a marijuana supplier from Maine. Intercepted phone calls also uncovered Suriel’s cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation, wherein he used gang members to sell drugs throughout the Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts. The calls also revealed that Suriel offered protection to his cocaine supplier, remarking that he would “shoot bullets” for anyone bothering his drug supplier. During a search of Suriel’s residence a loaded firearm was recovered.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; and the Andover, Haverhill, Lawrence, Chelmsford and Brockton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is 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 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 Dominican national was arraigned yesterday for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Melvin Villar, 60, of Lawrence, Mass., was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

Villar was arrested by immigration authorities on Feb. 2, 2025, at the Essex County House of Correction in Middleton. Villar was previously convicted of unlawful reentry in February 2021 in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.  

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 Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A federal indictment was unsealed yesterday charging three alleged Gangster Disciple gang members with making threats of physical violence to extort money from two victims.

Damien Willette, 30, of Peabody; William Walley, 30, of Worcester; and Michael O’Shea, 36, of Fall River were indicted with conspiracy to make interstate communications with the intent to extort. Willette and Walley were also charged with making interstate communications with intent to extort. Willette was arrested yesterday and detained pending a hearing on March 10, 2025. O’Shea and Walley, who are serving state prison sentences, will appear in federal court in Boston tomorrow.

According to court documents, Willette was the cellmate of Walley in March 2023 and, later, the cellmate of O’Shea from May 2023 through June 2023. The defendants allegedly threatened two individuals – a former Gangster Disciple who was recruited into the gang by Willette (Victim 2) and their romantic partner (Victim 1) – while serving state prison sentences. Specifically, the defendants allegedly conspired to make threatening communications, including threats of physical violence and to extort money from the victims.

According to the charging documents, Willette expected Victim 2 to provide him with financial assistance during his incarceration from November 2020 to May 2024, as well as to his fellow incarcerated gang members. Gangster Disciple gang members refer to this practice as “aid and assistance.” Willette allegedly told Victim 2 that he would be “blessed out” of the gang if he continued to provide “aid and assistance.” However, Victim 2 attempted to disassociate from the Gangster Disciples gang soon after his recruitment. When Victim 2 stopped providing assistance, Victim 1 continued on his behalf.

It is alleged that, on or about March 2023, the defendants started threatening the victims with physical violence if they stopped providing money to them while they were incarcerated. For example, Willette allegedly warned the victims that if they failed to provide “aid and assistance,” Victim 2 would not be “blessed out” when Willette was released from state prison. Willette allegedly specified that he would have gang members pistol whip the victims that “it’s going to be bad for you and everyone you know” if they failed to provide “aid and assistance.” It is further alleged that O’Shea instructed a non-incarcerated co-conspirator to tell Victim 1 that a Gangster Disciple will “come find you and your family for thinking it’s a game.”

The charge of conspiracy to make interstate communications with the intent to extort 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 charge of making interstate communications with intent to extort provides for a sentence 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.

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 Department of Correction and the Lawrence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & 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 https://www.justice.gov/PSN.

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

BOSTON – A Newton, Mass. man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly making repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old female passenger (minor victim) seated directly in front of him onboard a flight from Puerto Rico to Boston in August 2024.

Jonathan Alan Lefman, 46, was indicted on one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Lefman was previously arrested on Feb. 7, 2025 on a criminal complaint and released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, on Aug. 30, 2024, Lefman was a passenger onboard a JetBlue flight flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Boston with his wife and four children. On multiple occasions during the flight and while on the ground waiting to deplane in Boston, Lefman allegedly engaged in abusive sexual contact with the minor victim. Specifically, it is alleged that Lefman intentionally worked his hand in between and through the area between the back and bottom of the seat directly in front of him, where the minor victim was seated, and touched the minor victim’s buttocks without her permission. On at least one occasion when he did so, the minor victim saw his reflection leaning between the seats in the seatback monitor in front of her. On the last occasion when he allegedly touched or attempted to touch her buttocks, the minor victim was able to use her cell phone camera to take a video of Lefman’s fingers protruding between the back and bottom of the minor victim’s seat. According to court documents, after she exited the aircraft, while still on the jet bridge, the minor victim took a video of Lefman as he got off the aircraft.

It is alleged that, after deplaning, the minor victim’s adult female family member who had been traveling in a different row reported Lefman’s alleged conduct to a JetBlue supervisor and confronted Lefman, showing the video of his fingers to support her statement.

The charge of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, five years 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; 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 Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum 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 Saugus man, formerly of Revere, has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling bank funds while working as a teller at a Boston branch of a national bank.

Derek Aut, 28, was charged by Information with embezzlement by a bank employee and aggravated identity theft. He was previously charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 18, 2024.  

According to the charging documents, while working as a teller at a bank branch in Boston, Aut stole from the bank accounts of two customers by forging the victims’ names on withdrawal slips, among other things. When one of the victims noticed money missing from her account, Aut allegedly attempted to cover his theft by taking money from the other victim’s account and depositing it into the first victim’s account. In total, Aut is alleged to have taken more than $180,000 from the victims’ accounts.  

The charge of embezzlement by a bank employee provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Boston man has pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to a drug distribution offense involving fentanyl. Defendant is currently awaiting trial on murder charges in Massachusetts state court.

Csean Skerritt, a/k/a “Shizz Grimmy,” a/k/a “Black,” 36, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2025. In March 2023, Skerritt was indicted by a federal grand jury.

As part of a drug trafficking investigation, on Feb. 1, 2023, Skerritt agreed to sell 50 grams of fentanyl to an individual in exchange for $1,500. Following a series of communications, Skerritt met the individual at a pre-arranged location. There, Skerritt entered the individual’s car and provided approximately 52.3 grams of fentanyl in exchange for the agreed-upon amount.

On March 9, 2023, Skerritt was indicted for murder in the Massachusetts Superior Court and is awaiting trial.

The charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based 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; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.

Logan Pierre, a/k/a “LO,” 33, pleaded guilty conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, 40 grams and more of fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025. Logan Pierre was charged along with his brother and co-defendant, Isaiah Pierre in June 2024. Isaiah Pierre fled apprehension and is a fugitive.

In the fall of 2023, an investigation began into drug trafficking activities conducted by Logan and, allegedly, Isaiah Pierre. The investigation revealed that the Pierre brothers were allegedly actively selling methamphetamine in the greater Boston area. Between October 2023 and May 2024, Logan Pierre and, allegedly, Isaiah Pierre sold or arranged the sale of a pound methamphetamine on at least five separate controlled purchases. During a search of Logan Pierre’s apartment, an additional 1000g of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine was recovered.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, 40 grams and more of fentanyl, and cocaine provides for a sentence of a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life in prison, 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; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Malden Police Chief Glenn Cronin; and Revere Police Chief David Callahan made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of 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 Hyannis man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to illegally possessing a Chinese SKS .762 caliber rifle.  

Donnell Pina, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young who scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2025. In November 2022, Pina, along with co-defendant Ryan Diefenbach was indicted by a federal grand jury.

In September 2021, Pina and Diefenbach possessed a Chinese SKS .762 caliber rifle. Due to felony convictions, Pina and Diefenbach were both prohibited from possessing firearms.

In October 2024, Diefenbach was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

The charge of being a felon in possession 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. 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 M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division 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 Florida woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for defrauding a Massachusetts housing agency where she worked in 2022, along with defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in connection with the pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Alihea Jones, 51, of Brandon, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Jones was also ordered to pay $222,074 in restitution and to forfeit $222,074. In September 2024, Jones pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud.

In 2022, Jones worked remotely for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for six months where she worked with the Residential Aid to Families in Transition (RAFT) program, which provides funds to assist low-income Massachusetts residents facing eviction and other housing emergencies. Immediately after she was terminated, Jones, who was still logged into the RAFT database, accessed the files of four RAFT program participants and authorized electronic payments to their landlords in the amounts of $7,500, $8,800, $6,925 and $10,000. However, Jones changed the routing and bank account numbers from the landlords’ accounts to four unauthorized accounts in Georgia: an account in the name of Jones’s business, Beauty Concepts by Alihea, LLC (Beauty Concepts); Jones’s personal account; and the accounts of persons identified in the charging document as “Friend A” and “Friend B” – all without knowledge or permission from DHCD. After these transfers went through, Friend A and Friend B each paid Jones a $2,000 kickback.

Earlier, in 2021, Jones also fraudulently obtained a $187,000 PPP loan from a Massachusetts lender, which the SBA later forgave. Jones spent most of the money on personal expenses, including clothing and restaurants.

Under the PPP, authorized lenders issued SBA-guaranteed loans to small businesses during the COVID pandemic to help keep workers employed. If a business spent the money on payroll and other permissible business expenses, the SBA forgave the loan.

Jones submitted a PPP loan application to a Massachusetts lender falsely stating that Beauty Concepts had 17 employees and an average monthly payroll expense of $74,800. In fact, Beauty Concepts did not employ anyone. Unaware that Jones’s information was false, the SBA agreed to guarantee a $187,000 loan to Beauty Concepts. The lender transmitted the loan proceeds to the Beauty Concepts account in Georgia. Jones later applied to have her loan forgiven. Again, she included false employee count and payroll information. Unaware that Jones’s representations were false, the SBA forgave the loan principal and accrued interest.

In total, Jones caused a loss of $222,074, with $33,225 payable to the DHCD and $188,849 payable to the SBA.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Lawrence has been arrested and charged for his alleged involvement in a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel.

Leury Then Rosario, 33, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Rosario was arrested on Feb. 25, 2025 and was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 7, 2025.

“The alleged discovery of this defendant’s hidden trap wall concealing a stockpile of narcotics and weapons lays bare the dangerous reality of drug trafficking today: fentanyl and methamphetamine are flooding our communities, protected by deadly firepower,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Drug traffickers are adapting, but so are we. This office, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to dismantle these criminal networks piece by piece, ensuring those who peddle poison in our communities face the full force of justice.”

“Those who choose to distribute fentanyl, especially fake pills containing the drug, endanger their customers as well as the general public. Maintaining public safety requires that they be investigated and prosecuted aggressively,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “We work closely each day with our law enforcement partners to target those who seek to profit from the sale of deadly substances.”

“The Massachusetts State Police has committed investigatory, intelligence and tactical resources in support of the DEA Strike Force, knowing that it could yield enormous results for the communities we serve,” said Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble. “This arrest, the second successful operation in as many weeks, is a culmination of a complex investigation by local, state and federal partners. Their results and the decision to prosecute these offenses reinforce our shared belief that criminal gangs, illegal guns and illicit drugs have no place in Massachusetts. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our communities.”

According to the charging documents, in January 2023, an investigation began into a DTO operating on the North Shore area of Massachusetts that was being supplied with fentanyl and methamphetamine by an organization based in Sinaloa. The investigation allegedly identified Rosario to be a Lawrence-based drug trafficker operating as part of the DTO.  

Immediately following Rosario’s arrest on Feb. 25, 2025, search warrants were executed at his primary residence and an alleged stash location in Lawrence, Mass. It is alleged that the stash location purported to be a multiservice business with an empty retail counter in the front room. The back room allegedly contained two large casino-style poker tables and video poker-type machines. A high-end video surveillance system was allegedly overserved operating throughout the first floor as well as outside. According to court filings, the basement storage room of the stash location contained two large, locked storage boxes that contained equipment commonly used in drug processing or manufacturing: respirators; gloves; drug packaging materials; scales; blenders; and other tools.

According to court documents, a small remote control with an extendable antenna was also allegedly found. When law enforcement actuated the remote control, an audible alarm sounded and a trap wall within the storage area opened – revealing a hidden closet that allegedly contained, among other things:

• Over 16 kilograms of counterfeit pills, in various colors and sizes, containing controlled substances;
• A brick-shaped object of a white powdery substance, weighing approximately one kilogram, that field tested positive for the presence of cocaine;
• Over two kilograms of suspected fentanyl pressed into 10-gram units, commonly referred to as “fingers” in retail drug trafficking;
• Over two kilograms of suspected fentanyl powder in large bags;
• Over 25 pounds of loose powders in various colors, believed to include cutting agents used with narcotics;
• A commercial pill press used to press counterfeit pills, including over 50 pill die casts with designs to counterfeit Percoet, Xanax, Adderall and others;
• Multiple kilogram presses, as well as branded stamps used to imprint logos onto kilograms of narcotics; 
• One Glock Model 33 .357 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition;
• One High Point .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with eight rounds of ammunition;
• One Ruger .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition;
• Two Glock-style personally made firearms (also known as “ghost guns”) with no serial numbers loaded with 10 and nine rounds of ammunition respectively; and;
• One AR-15 style rifle with a .458 SOCOM caliber, loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
   

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl 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 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.

U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and MSP Colonel Noble made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Natick, Newton, Waltham, Brookline and Lawrence Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting 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.

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 Northborough man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for wire fraud and money laundering charges after embezzling approximately $366,477 from a non-profit organization in Sturbridge.

Kyriakos Kapiris, a/k/a Rick Kapiris, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to two years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Kapiris was also ordered to pay $371, 088.97 in restitution. In June 2022, Kapiris pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

From April 2015 to May 2020, Kapiris worked as the Information Technology Manager at Venture Community Services (VCS), a non-profit organization in Sturbridge, Mass. that services developmentally disabled members of the community. As part of his responsibilities, the organization provided Kapiris access to two company credit cards to purchase equipment and services as needed. Beginning in 2016, Kapiris used the two company credit cards to purportedly purchase equipment from two vendor accounts on the web app Square and one account on Amazon. In reality, Kapiris created the three vendor accounts to embezzle the funds and fabricated sales invoices for purportedly purchased equipment to conceal the scheme. Kapiris used the names of legitimate Massachusetts companies for the two Square accounts and created the Amazon account in the name of a company that he controlled, “NetworkingPlus.”  

Kapiris linked the three vendor accounts to several of his own personal accounts at Bank of America into which he transferred the fraudulent proceeds. Kapiris then used the stolen funds for personal expenses, including to build a house. The house was forfeited by the government and sold.  

At sentencing, the Court noted that the defendant had been previously convicted of stealing from a prior employer and was on probation for that offense at the time of his theft from VCS.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Sturbridge and Northborough Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Newton man has been charged in federal court in Boston with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

James Welch, 29, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Welch will appear in federal court at a later date.

According to the charging documents, on Feb. 28, 2025, during a search of Newton’s residence, two firearms—a pistol and a rifle— and ammunition were recovered. Welch is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions.

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 Foley and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. The Newton Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A former Stoneham Police Officer has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for a bribery and kickback scheme that netted millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts.  

Joseph Ponzo, 51, of Stoneham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Joseph Ponzo was also ordered to pay $115,528 in restitution and a $100,000 fine. In November 2024, Joseph Ponzo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; 24 counts of honest services wire fraud; one count of making false statements to government officials; and four counts of causing false tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service from 2016 to 2019. Joseph Ponzo was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with his brother Christopher Ponzo.

“Joseph Ponzo was a sworn officer, who pledged an oath to uphold the law, not violate it. However, he chose greed over integrity,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Joseph Ponzo’s greed came at the cost of consumers who were left paying the bill. A prison sentence is the price he will now pay for taking bribes and kickbacks.”

“When an officer shrugs off his sworn oath and breaks the law to pad his paycheck like Joseph Ponzo did, he betrays the people of his community – and all of us who wear a badge,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Every year, Massachusetts homeowners spend millions of dollars to fund energy conservation projects for consumers. Joseph Ponzo and his brother cheated them by shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in a steady stream of bribes and kickbacks to an insider who steered contracts their way, ignoring all ethical boundaries. Know that the FBI will continue to tenaciously investigate such corruption, and bring those involved to justice.”

“Today’s sentencing of Joseph Ponzo demonstrates IRS-CI’s commitment to routing out corruption from all levels of the government.” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Ponzo orchestrated an elaborate kickback scheme to improperly obtain contracts from a government backed program designed to aid the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Programs like Mass Save are designed to help all citizens of Massachusetts, especially the less fortunate, who otherwise would not be able to afford these upgrades to their homes.”

Joseph Ponzo, along with his brother and co-conspirator Christopher Ponzo, conspired to pay, and did pay, tens of thousands of dollars in cash bribes, kickbacks, and other in-kind benefits, including a John Deere tractor, a computer, home bathroom fixtures and free electrical work, among other things, to Company A employees (Associates 1 and 2) in exchange for the Associates’ assistance in getting the defendants millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts.

Massachusetts law requires utility companies to collect an energy efficiency surcharge on all Massachusetts energy consumers. These funds, which amount to hundreds of millions of dollars each year, are to be disbursed by the utility companies to fund energy efficiency programs and initiatives in Massachusetts. Under the Mass Save program, the utility companies select lead vendors, like Company A, to approve and select contractors to perform energy improvement work for residential customers. This contracting work – performed by contractors at no-cost or reduced cost to the customer – is then paid for by Company A with Mass Save funds.

On a weekly basis, from 2013 to 2017, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $1,000 in cash. At times, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $5,000 to $10,000 in cash, telling Associate 1 that the extra money was from Joseph Ponzo for his part in the bribery scheme. In return for these payments, Associate 1, among other things, helped Joseph Ponzo set up a shell company, Air Tight, to do insulation work and get approved as a Company A contractor under the Mass Save program. Joseph Ponzo put his spouse’s name on Air Tight incorporation documents and contracting licenses in order to conceal his involvement in his corrupt side business. Despite having no professional experience in residential insulation work, Joseph Ponzo collected over $7 million under the Mass Save program.    

After Associate 1 left Company A in 2017, Christopher Ponzo and Joseph Ponzo recruited Associate 2 to the bribery-kickback scheme from approximately 2018 to 2022, paying Associate 2 thousands of dollars in cash and hiring a relative of Associate 2 as part of the ongoing scheme.

During the course of the bribery-kickback scheme, Joseph Ponzo aided in the filing of false tax returns from 2016 to 2019 by claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in false business deductions. To disguise personal expenses as business deductions, Joseph Ponzo used his company credit card to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases at The Home Depot, Lowes and Staples, claiming to his tax preparers that charges at those establishments were business-related. In reality, Joseph Ponzo used the company credit card at those stores to purchase gift cards that he and his spouse then used to make thousands of dollars in personal expenditures.  

In April 2022, both Joseph Ponzo and Christopher Ponzo falsely denied making bribe payments to any Company A employees when interviewed by federal agents.

In February 2025, Christopher Ponzo was sentenced to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Christopher Ponzo was also ordered to pay a $300,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Foley; FBI SAC Cohen; and IRS Acting SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Dustin Chao of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A former Social Security Administration (SSA) employee pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to persuade a Social Security beneficiary to cross state lines to engage in prostitution.

Dae Sung Kim, 36, of Auburn, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to induce a person to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2025. Kim was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in October 2024 and subsequently charged by Information in December 2024.

In March 2024, Kim handled an in-person visit at the Gardner SSA field office from an individual seeking Social Security benefits after losing her job. After redirecting the individual to another SSA field office near her residence in another state, Kim called the individual, using the phone number he obtained from SSA’s computer system. Kim indicated that he understood she was in a difficult situation and stated that maybe they could “work something out” that would benefit them both.  

During a call monitored by law enforcement later that month, Kim again stated to the individual that they could “help each other out” and proposed giving the individual money in exchange for sex. In several subsequent text messages, Kim suggested that the individual travel to Massachusetts to meet him, offering to pay $100 to have sex in a car at a hotel parking lot. When Kim traveled to the hotel parking lot to meet the individual in October 2024, he was confronted by law enforcement.

The charge of attempting to induce a person to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and 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. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fitchburg and Gardner Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan D. O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A federal grand jury returned indictments today against two Dorchester men for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.  

Rickey Simmons, 46 and Robert Campbell, 35, both of Dorchester were each indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to the charging document, on Jan. 28, 2025, Simmons allegedly possessed a Tisas, Model Zig M1911, .45 caliber firearm, eight rounds of .45 caliber ammunition and nine rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, after having been convicted of a felony.

On Jan. 28, 2025, in Dorchester, Campbell allegedly possessed a Glock 32, .357 caliber handgun, 14 rounds of .357 caliber ammunition, 40 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition and 75 rounds of 9mm ammunition, after having been convicted of a felony.

The charge of being a felon in possession 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 James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Grady and Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A former Worcester resident pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to firearms offenses and distributing cocaine.

Juan Otero, 23, of Franklin, Mass. pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license; one count of receiving a firearm while under indictment; one count of possession of a machinegun; and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2025. In March 2024, Otero Was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Between Nov. 27, 2023 and Jan. 23, 2024, Otero sold five firearms on four different occasions. One of the firearms was a Glock pistol with a machinegun conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch,” attached. Otero also sold large capacity magazines and multiple rounds of ammunition. In addition, Otero distributed or possessed with intent to distribute cocaine on or about Dec. 6, 2023.

In 2022, Otero was indicted in Worcester Superior Court for multiple state crimes, including the unlawful possession of a large capacity weapon, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm and ammunition and attempted assault and battery. Otero was on release pending trial on the state court charges at the time of his firearm sales in this matter.  

The charges of dealing in firearms without a license and receipt of a firearm while under indictment both provide 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 unlawful possession of a machinegun 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 distribution of cocaine carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $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; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Paul Saucier, Interim Police Chief of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Franklin, Mansfield and Auburn Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office 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 https://www.justice.gov/PSN. 

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

Manuel A. Padilla, 36, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

According to the indictment, Padilla was previously deported on June 28, 2013. It is alleged that, sometime after this removal, Padilla unlawfully reentered the United States.

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 is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and David G. Tobin 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 Guatemalan national was indicted today for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Domingo Valentin Solis-De Leon, 29, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Solis-De Leon was arrested on Jan. 28, 2025 in Lynn, Mass. and was subsequently taken into custody by immigration authorities. Solis-De Leon was indicted this morning and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later.

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.

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 Guatemalan national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Rudy Manfredo Navichoque-Barrera, 27, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He is currently in the custody of immigration authorities and will be brought to federal court for arraignment at a future date.

According to the charging document, Navichoque-Barrera was previously deported in August 2018. It is alleged that sometime after removal, Navichoque-Barrera unlawfully reentered the United States. He was identified in the country by immigration authorities in July 2024.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 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 Jessica Soto of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Brooklyn, N.Y. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.

Rongjian Li, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025.

In May 2023, Li was among 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization led by Jin Hua Zhang. The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than a year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million worth of drug proceeds and funds from other illegal businesses through undercover agents. Funds were eventually traced to, and seized from, accounts in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China, India, Cambodia and Brazil, among other locations.

The investigation identified Li as a member of the money laundering conspiracy who, from 2021 through 2022, used his position as a Bank of America employee to knowingly open several accounts through which the organization laundered illicit funds. Li was also aware that some of the accounts were opened using fraudulent passports. As part of his involvement, when the bank's financial auditing systems flagged or froze accounts, Li misused the branch customer information system to help Zhang move illicit funds elsewhere. In addition, Li was observed sitting next to Zhang at a dinner in New York, where Zhang discussed the different fee percentages he charged various criminal groups for drug trafficking and scams.

Zhang pleaded guilty in September 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025.

The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the amount involved, whichever is greater. 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. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division 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 Dorchester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) obtained via Zoom chat rooms.

Beau Christopher Benson, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In March 2024, Benson pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography. Benson was charged by criminal complaint in November 2023.

In April 2023, law enforcement was notified that Benson participated in Zoom video chat rooms used to share and view CSAM. Benson recorded his participation in the chat rooms and saved the recordings – which featured videos of CSAM and conversations between Benson and others about the CSAM – to his social media account. Approximately 15 video files depicting CSAM were found saved in his Dropbox. In addition, Benson was identified as an online user who had uploaded two files containing CSAM to a Dropbox account. Specifically, the files depicted children who appear to be approximately two to four years old.

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 David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

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

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

Jose Manuel Carvajal Gonzalez, 35, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

According to the indictment, Gonzalez was previously deported on Feb. 15, 2022. It is alleged that sometime after this removal, Gonzalez unlawfully reentered the United States.

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 David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Luis Alberto Arias, a/k/a “Jose Folchrivera,” 32, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

According to the indictment, Arias was previously deported on Feb. 15, 2022. It is alleged that, sometime after this removal, Arias unlawfully reentered the United States.

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 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 David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Danny Miguel Tejada Hernandez, 29, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He is currently in custody and will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging document, Tejada Hernandez was previously deported in August 2021. It is alleged that sometime after removal, Tejada Hernandez unlawfully reentered the United States.

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 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 Jessica Soto of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Chicago man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for his role in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy that victimized businesses and individuals across the United States.  

Terrence Bender, a/k/a “Blends,” a/k/a “Dopeblends,” 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years of probation. Bender was also ordered to pay $103,000 in both restitution and forfeiture. In November 2024, Bender pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Bender was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2020 along with five co-defendants, including rap promoter Antonio Strong, rap artists Herbert Wright and Joseph Williams, their associate Demario Sorrells and one other co-defendant.

According to court documents, beginning in at least March 2017 through November 2018, Bender, Strong, Williams, Sorrells, Wright and, allegedly, one other co-defendant conspired to defraud numerous businesses and individuals throughout the United States by using unauthorized and stolen payment card account information of real individuals – including the actual cardholders’ names, addresses, security codes and account expiration dates. Generally, because the payment card information was authentic, the defrauded businesses and individuals successfully processed the fraudulent transactions and provided the goods and services to Bender and his co-conspirators. The actual cardholders discovered these transactions on their accounts and disputed the charges with their card companies who then charged back the transactions to the businesses and individuals, who consequently suffered losses in the amounts of the unauthorized transactions.

Strong was a music promoter and Bender was a rap artist and celebrity barber in the area around Chicago. Bender and his co-conspirators used illicit account information to obtain, among other things, a private jet chart flight, a New York City villa rental, designer puppies from a pet boutique and car insurance in Bender’s own name. In total, Bender was responsible for $103,000 in victim losses.

On July 28, 2023, Wright pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official, and on Jan. 11, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968 and a $5,500 fine. On Feb. 2, 2024, Sorrells pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on Aug. 29, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $106,481. On March 8, 2024, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on Aug. 13, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $155,392. On May 22, 2024, Strong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud and, on Oct. 29, 2024, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $2,159,874.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office and Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Kyle Crawford of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Russian national residing in Portugal has been extradited to the United States for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to allegedly manipulate cryptocurrency markets on behalf of client cryptocurrency companies.

Aleksei Andriunin, 26, was arrested in Portugal on Oct. 8, 2024 and extradited to the United States on Feb. 25, 2025. He appeared in federal court in Boston today and was ordered detained pending a hearing to be scheduled at a later date. On Oct. 31, 2024, Andriunin was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud. The indictment also charges Gotbit and two of its directors, Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili.

According to court documents, Gotbit was a well-known “market maker” in the cryptocurrency industry. It is alleged that between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit provided market manipulation services to create artificial trading volume for multiple cryptocurrency companies, including companies located in the United States. Aleksei Andriunin was Gotbit’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. In a 2019 interview, Andriunin allegedly described how he developed a code to “wash trade” cryptocurrencies to artificially inflate trading volume for the purpose of getting cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap (a website that published information about “trending” cryptocurrencies) and trading on larger cryptocurrency exchanges. Andriunin and Gotbit’s employees, including Jalili (Gotbit’s Director of Sales) and Kedrov (Gotbit’s Director of Market Making), allegedly marketed these wash trading tactics to prospective clients and explained how Gotbit used multiple accounts to avoid detection of the wash trades on the public blockchain. Gotbit allegedly made wash trades worth millions of dollars on behalf of clients and received tens of millions of dollars in proceeds in connection with these fraudulent services. It is alleged that Andriunin transferred millions of dollars of Gotbit’s proceeds into his personal Binance account.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Legal Attaché (Madrid) and Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria European Network of Fugitive Active Search Team (ENFAST). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Portuguese authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Andriunin. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A repeat convicted felon was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing a firearm, multiple rounds of ammunition and fentanyl intended for distribution while on federal supervised release.

Francisco Gabriel Diaz, 33, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In July 2024, Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Diaz was charged by criminal complaint in December 2021.

On June 24, 2021, a search of the residence where Diaz was staying resulted in the recovery of a black Taurus G2S 9mm firearm, a 9mm magazine containing seven live 9mm rounds, a 9mm magazine containing one live 9mm round, over 40 grams of fentanyl, several plastic bags containing crack cocaine, a box of sandwich bags and a digital scale. Diaz was on federal supervised release at the time of the search.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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