District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – An Indian national unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with a conspiracy to conduct staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications.

Mitul Patel, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2026. The defendant, along with 10 others allegedly involved in the scheme, was previously charged by criminal complaint in March 2026.

According to the charging documents, beginning in March 2023, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere. It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to falsely claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U non-immigration status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.  

During the staged robberies, the “robber” would allegedly threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then allegedly wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” are alleged to have each paid Rambhai Patel to participate in the scheme. In turn, Rambhai Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.

The organizer Rambhai Patel, the “robber,” and the getaway driver Balwinder Singh were previously charged and later convicted in May 2025.  Mitul Patel, charged today, paid Rambhai Patel so that he could participate as a “victim” in a staged armed robbery of a store in Worcester, Mass. in October 2023.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, the Western District of Washington, the Northern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Missouri and the Eastern District of Kentucky; FBI’s New York, Seattle, Louisville, Cleveland and St. Louis Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Boston, Dedham, Hingham, Malden, Marshfield, Randolph, Somerville, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. 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 remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Newtonville man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a drug distribution offense involving cocaine.

Trevor Headley, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In April 2026, Headley pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Headley was arrested and charged in October 2025.

In August 2025, Headley distributed cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions. On Aug. 12, 2025, after arranging the first transaction through a series of communications, Headley met the undercover officer at a pre-arranged location and sold approximately 112 grams of cocaine. On Aug. 27, 2025, Headley conducted a second controlled transaction, this time distributing approximately 451 grams of cocaine.

Additionally, on recorded phone calls with the undercover officer in September 2025, Headley discussed obtaining an additional kilogram of cocaine for sale and expressed interest in obtaining firearms and machinegun conversion devices – stating that the firearms would be included as part of the negotiation, in exchange for the cocaine.

During a search of Headley’s residence following his arrest in October 2025, approximately three kilograms of cocaine packaged for distribution, along with more than $32,000 in cash and other items consistent with drug trafficking were recovered.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Stoughton, Mass., man has been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare of over $5 million by submitting claims for durable medical equipment (DME) that was medically unnecessary and tainted by kickbacks. The charges filed today in federal court in Boston are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. 

The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.  

Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:

• Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers;
• 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers;
• Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million; and
• 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since Oct. 1, 2025.

Bhamin Chhatrapati, 40, of Stoughton, Mass., was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with over $5.1 million fraudulently billed to Medicare, of which over $2.6 million was paid. It is alleged that from approximately February 2023 through in or around September 2024, Chhatrapati and co-conspirators conspired to commit health care fraud by: working with telemarketers or call centers to obtain medical information from or about Medicare beneficiaries; using that information to prepare medical documentation for Medicare beneficiaries that made it appear that medical practitioners had legitimately prescribed medically necessary DME; submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for orders for DME; receiving reimbursement from Medicare for these DME orders; and paying the telemarketers per brace order approved by Medicare.

The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Hoefle and Lauren Graber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ Criminal Division.

Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.

The District of Massachusetts worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

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

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

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

BOSTON – A New Hampshire woman, formerly employed at a daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., and her former intimate partner have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for child exploitation and child pornography charges. 

Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, N.H., was sentenced on June 2, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 262 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, of Nashua, N.H., a former New Hampshire State Representative, was sentenced on June 18, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 400 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October and November of 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children. Groves also pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Groves and Laughton were arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023 and July 2023, respectively. They were both subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023. 

“Parents rely on daycare centers to provide safe, nurturing and heathy environments for their children. These defendants exploited parents’ trust in the most egregious way imaginable. All to satisfy their disgusting prurient interests. The victims in this case were toddlers – children who were not yet old enough to care for themselves and, in some cases, not even fully verbal. Everyone who learns about the conduct in this case should be outraged. The defendants stripped these children of their innocence – something that can never be undone,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The sentences imposed reflect the depravity of the conduct and the seriousness of the crimes. My office will seek the most serious charges and the stiffest sentences for anyone who preys on children.”

“This is one of the most abhorrent and disturbing crimes ever investigated by this office. It represents a profound violation of trust and the safety of vulnerable children. Groves and Laughton exploited their positions and betrayed the trust of parents and the community,” said Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual assault of a child, and no person more disturbing than one who stands accused of preying upon the most innocent members of our communities. HSI New England will continue to prioritize public safety by working tenaciously to remove child sex predators from our New England neighborhoods.”

Groves worked at Creative Minds located in Tyngsborough, Mass. Between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took nude images of children at the daycare and sent the photos to Laughton, with whom she was previously in an intimate relationship. Specifically, Groves used natural bathroom breaks for the children (routine diaper/pull-up changes prior to “naptime”) to take multiple photos of the prepubescent children in a private bathroom and then sent the photos to Laughton via text message at Laughton’s request. 

Forensic review of Grove’s and Laughton’s cellphones revealed over 10,000 text messages between them during an approximate one-month period in 2023. These messages included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds – including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old. 

All minor victims involved in this matter have been identified and their families have been contacted by law enforcement. 

U.S. Attorney Foley, HSI Acting SAC Grimming and Nashua (N.H.) Police Chief Kevin Rourke made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hudson, N.H. Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Soto and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed a complaint on behalf of the Department of Labor alleging the Boston Musicians’ Association, Local 9-535 of the American Federation of Musicians (the “Union”), violated the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (the “Act”), during its December 2025 election of union officers. 

The Act regulates labor unions and requires unions to ensure that every member in good standing is eligible for candidacy for office. The Act also requires unions to conduct elections in accordance with their constitution and bylaws. The United States alleges the Union failed to uniformly apply one of its candidate qualifications when it allowed some, but not all, candidates to run for office despite membership suspensions. This violation of the Act affected the outcome of the election for the offices of Secretary-Treasurer and Board of Directors. The Complaint seeks an order declaring the election for Sectary-Treasurer and Board of Directors void and requiring the Union to rerun an election for those offices under the supervision of the Department of Labor. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Benjamin of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit is handling the matter. 

The claims in the United States’ Complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

BOSTON – A Randolph man pleaded guilty on June 15, 2026 in federal court in Boston to cocaine trafficking and firearm charges, following a series of arrests targeting gangs in the Brockton and Randolph areas.

London Cohen, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2026. Cohen was charged in February 2026 along with seven co-conspirators.

Cohen was arrested on Dec. 17, 2025, after authorities executed search warrants at numerous residences and stash houses associated with the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates. During a search of Cohen’s residence three handguns and ammunition were located in a bathroom trash can.

Elsewhere in Cohen’s residence, controlled substances including cocaine, fentanyl, MDMA and marijuana were recovered. In the basement living room, there were various items commonly used in large-scale drug trafficking, such as a kilogram press device, a respirator mask, digital scales, plastic bags and bottles of cutting powder.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for at least three years and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, supervised release for up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Division; the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; and the Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Plymouth man has been found guilty by a federal jury of wire fraud for submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of business entities he owned and controlled. 

Joseph Kerrissey III, 49, was convicted on June 18, 2026 of three counts of wire fraud relating to three fraudulent PPP loans submitted between July 2020 and April 2021. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 16, 2026. Kerrissey was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in April 2024 and later indicted by a federal grand jury. 

Evidence presented at trial established that, between 2020 and 2021, Kerrissey submitted multiple fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of companies he owned and controlled. The applications falsely stated that Kerrissey had not been convicted of a felony involving fraud within the previous five years and that he was not serving a term of probation for such a conviction, when in fact he was on probation stemming from prior fraud-related felony convictions. The applications also contained false claims regarding payroll expenses and business income and were supported by fabricated tax returns.

As a result of the scheme, Kerrissey obtained over $43,000 in PPP loan proceeds to which he was not entitled. Evidence further showed that after receiving the funds, Kerrissey transferred substantial portions of the money from business accounts into his personal bank account and subsequently directed much of those funds into personal brokerage and investment accounts. The fraudulent loan applications were submitted to multiple PPP lenders and caused interstate wire transmissions in furtherance of the scheme.

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

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

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Sullivan and Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A North Andover man was charged on June 17, 2026 in federal court in Boston in connection with the May 2026 armed robbery of a CVS Pharmacy in Danvers, Mass., where the defendant allegedly robbed the store of various prescription drugs at gunpoint.

Gareth Francis, 45, has been charged with one count of robbery interfering with interstate commerce, commonly known as Hobbs Act robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Francis is currently held in pretrial custody on state charges in Salem District Court. Francis will make his initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging document, on May 11, 2026, minutes before 8:00 PM, Francis allegedly entered the store wearing a ski mask and carrying a black plastic bag and a firearm and walked over to a door to the pharmacy area, which was locked. It is alleged that he turned and pointed his gun at a pharmacy technician standing at the register before climbing over the counter.

Francis allegedly then made it to a back counter in the pharmacy, telling another pharmacist to “open the [narcotics] safe now or I’ll shoot you” as he pointed a gun at her.

Over the next few minutes, the pharmacists retrieved various bottles and boxes of prescription drugs at Francis’s demand and placed them into his bag. It is alleged that Francis again demanded the pharmacist open the safe, telling her that she had “30 seconds” or he was “gonna shoot [her].” After a cellphone alarm was heard going off, Francis allegedly told the pharmacist that she was “lucky,” and he left the pharmacy.

An officer arrived outside the store and saw Francis run out the rear entrance through which he had entered. It is alleged that the officer ordered Francis to stop, but Francis kept running as the officer chased him on foot. The officer eventually caught up to Francis, tackling him to the ground in the middle of the street, where a physical struggle ensued. While on the ground, the officer saw Francis holding a silver firearm in his hand, which he was allegedly attempting to raise toward the officer. The officer was eventually able to disarm Francis and maintain control over him until additional officers arrived to assist, at which time Francis was placed under arrest. A loaded 9mm firearm, multiple magazines of ammunition, and a bag containing the stolen drugs were recovered from the scene.  

According to the charging document, Francis has prior federal convictions for providing false information in connection with firearms purchases and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

The charge of Hobbs Act robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm 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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Danvers Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potapchuk 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 – The owner of a construction company doing business in Berkshire County was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for a multi-year income tax fraud scheme.

Dennis Condron, 76, of Cheshire, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to a year of probation and a $40,000 fine. Condron was also ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution. The government recommended six months in prison. In February 2026, Condron pleaded guilty to four counts of tax fraud.

Over a three-year period, in addition to depositing customer payments to his company, D Condron Construction, Condron hid over half a million dollars in customer checks by cashing them and diverting them to his personal accounts. When Condron had his taxes prepared, he did not tell his preparer about the customer checks he was cashing and diverting – resulting in his tax returns underreporting the gross receipts of the business by hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result, Condron kept hundreds of thousands of dollars that he should have paid in federal and state income taxes.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Carver, Mass., man has agreed to plead guilty to his participation in a multi-year dogfighting conspiracy involving the breeding, training and fighting of dogs, as well as related animal cruelty and illegal gambling activities.

Corey Elliott, 49, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to participate in an animal fighting venture in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Elliott was arrested and charged in April 2026.

According to the charging document, the defendant participated in a long-running dogfighting conspiracy spanning several years and involving the breeding, training and fighting of dogs, as well as related gambling and animal cruelty offenses. The defendant and his co-conspirator allegedly maintained a close partnership over a period of years, during which they communicated extensively about dogfighting activities, including arranging fights, discussing outcomes, placing wagers and coordinating the acquisition, sale and conditioning of dogs for fighting purposes.

The United States also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against four pit bull-type dogs, seized in June 2025 from Elliott’s residence in Carver. As alleged in the civil forfeiture complaint, the seized dogs were housed separately in locked cage structures; several of the seized dogs had evidence of scarring; and, at the location where the dogs were seized, items commonly associated with an illegal dogfighting operation were found, including training equipment, veterinary supplies and dog fighting literature. The dogs are currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) being cared for by a USMS-contractor. Pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act, animals involved in violations of 7 U.S.C. § 2156 are subject to forfeiture to the United States.

The civil forfeiture complaint also alleges that Elliott messaged with another dogfighter through WhatsApp about training dogs to fight, the planning and results of dogfights, injuries sustained by and the death of fighting dogs and disposing of dog carcasses.

In June 2023, a search warrant was executed at the co-conspirator’s residence, which allegedly resulted in the seizure of multiple pit bull-type dogs and evidence consistent with dogfighting activity, including veterinary supplies, training equipment and implements associated with dogfighting. Analysis of electronic devices seized during the investigation allegedly revealed numerous videos and communications related to dogfighting, including messages between the defendant and his co-conspirator spanning several years.

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region; Geoffrey D. Noble, Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Karen LoStracco, Director of Law Enforcement at the Animal Rescue League of Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; United States Marshals Service; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and the Acton, Boston, Carver and Hanson Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Caitlyn F. Cook of ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section are prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.

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

BOSTON – A self-admitted member of the Bailey Street gang in Boston was sentenced today in deferral court in Boston for illegal possession of five firearms and ammunition.  

Kenneth Bigby-Williams, 30, of Hyde Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 90 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2026, Bigby-Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Bigby-Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025.

On Aug. 7, 2025, five firearms, approximately 73 rounds of various caliber ammunition, along with numerous high-capacity magazines and other firearms accessories were seized during a series of search warrants. Due to a prior conviction in 2019 for possession of a firearm without a permit in Suffolk Superior Court, Bigby-Williams is prohibited from possessing firearms.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – Fifteen individuals, 11 illegal aliens and four U.S. Citizens, have been charged and arrested for benefit fraud in Massachusetts. The defendants are charged with more than $1.4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit fraud, MassHealth benefit fraud and disability and unemployment benefit fraud, just to name a few. 

The following individuals have been charged over the past week. Several defendants’ names are currently unknown at this time, as they have been living under stolen identities: 

1. Heriberto Rodriguez of Framingham, Mass., is charged with passport fraud, SNAP fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with $546,463 in total benefit fraud loss ($175,182 in MassHealth fraud; $146,944 in Social Security fraud; $185,194 in HUD fraud; and $39,000 in SNAP fraud);
2. Mirian Chalas, 33, a U.S. Citizen living in Salem N.H., is charged with making false statements in connection with $266,000 in MassHealth fraud; $25,000 in Social Security Disability fraud; and $12,000 in SNAP fraud;
3. Santo Escolastico Cuello, 56, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Worcester, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $162,180 in MassHealth fraud; 
4. John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, is charged with false representation of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with MassHealth fraud totaling $75,000 and aggravated identity theft; 
5. John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally living in Quincy, Mass., is charged with illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft in connection with SNAP benefit fraud totaling $11,000;
6. Mario Baez Romero, 45, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Somerville, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and passport fraud in connection with $26,942 in SNAP fraud and $48,785 in MassHealth fraud. Baez Romero was allegedly encountered during an interdiction of a recreational vessel near Key Biscayne in Miami, Fla. in May 2026;
7. Richard Odelis Vallegas Nunez, 35, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Allston, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and unlawful production of an identification document in connection with $48,865 in MassHealth fraud;
8. Miguel Diaz Matos, 54, a Dominican national living in Lynn, Mass., is charged with illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft in connection with $13,431 in SNAP fraud and $50,494 in MassHealth fraud;     
9. John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, is charged with making false statements related to a health care program in connection with $32,717 in MassHealth fraud; 
10. John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, living in Lynn, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $38,776 in MassHealth fraud;
11. Mitul Patel, 40, an Indian national unlawfully living in Worcester, Mass., is charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, in which co-conspirators staged a false armed robbery of a convenience store to allow “victims” such as Patel, to seek U Visas as victims of violent crimes; 
12. Santo Tejada Sanchez, 48, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government funds and SNAP benefit fraud totaling $4,054;
13. Jennifer Ferran, 48, a U.S. Citizen living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with theft of government property, Social Security fraud and furnishing false information to Social Security in connection with over $29,000 in Social Security fraud;
14. Owen Landry, a/k/a “Oski,” 24, a U.S. Citizen living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with theft of government property, Social Security fraud and furnishing false information to Social Security in connection with over $29,000 in Social Security fraud; and
15. Yahaira Diaz Gomez, 45, a Dominican national living in Mattapan, Mass., is charged with making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $48,694 MassHealth fraud. 

“Today’s announcement is just the beginning of what will be a sustained and ongoing effort to arrest and charge individuals for benefit fraud in Massachusetts. The defendants charged today stole from a number of programs, including SNAP and MassHealth – which are designed to assist U.S. citizens in need of food and health care. They allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars each in benefits for which they are not entitled,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. “There isn’t any place else in the world where you can go and be handed free food, free housing, free healthcare and free monthly checks, while being in the country illegally. However, it appears that you can come to Massachusetts and steal as many benefits as you want without fear and without any accountability. This is all ending on my watch. Beginning today, we will be announcing benefit fraud charges on a rolling basis.”

“These cases highlight a broader, deeply troubling pattern: the exploitation of America’s safety-net by illegal aliens,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Fraud by illegal aliens carries real and substantial costs to American taxpayers and places enormous strain on our public benefits systems. The Fraud Division remains laser-focused on rooting out fraud — whether committed by illegal aliens or anyone else — and recovering money wrongfully taken from the American people.”

“Stealing someone’s identity to rip off unemployment benefits isn’t just breaking the law — it's stealing from every American who plays by the rules,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor. “We will continue working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, and our federal and state partners to hunt down these criminals and ensure they pay the price for stealing from hardworking Americans.”

“During this short surge operation, we have uncovered over $1 million of fraud — but we’re just getting started. In response to rampant fraud in Massachusetts, and with the support of our task force partners and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, we’re redoubling our efforts to root out fraud and bring these criminals to justice,” said Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “HSI is making real progress identifying government benefits fraudsters, dismantling identity document dealers, and arresting those who steal from taxpayer-funded programs.”

“This investigation determined that several defendants submitted fraudulent SNAP and other benefits applications in the names of stolen identities. Identity theft affects the lives of many people. Our collaborative work to combat this type of fraud and promote the integrity of government programs remains a priority,” said Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region.

“Medicaid enrollment fraud undermines the integrity of our health care system and inflicts real harm on the victims whose personal information is exploited and whose medical records are compromised,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.  “Every fraudulent dollar paid out through these schemes is a dollar taken from those who are truly entitled to these benefits —and we will not allow that theft to go unanswered.”

The charge of SNAP fraud of over $5,000 provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of SNAP fraud of over $100 provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of passport fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of unlawful production of an identification document provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of Social Security 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 making false statements to federal officials provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of making false statements relating to a health care program provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of furnishing false information to Social Security 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 aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald for the National Fraud Enforcement Division; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor; Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. 

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

BOSTON – Two Massachusetts men were sentenced in federal court in Boston for a conspiracy involving the distribution and manufacturing of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other controlled substances.

Elmidio Crisostomo, 30, of Lynnfield, was sentenced on June 10, 2026, by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 53 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. David Depena, 32, of Lynn, was sentenced on Dec. 10, 2025, by Judge Stearns to 53 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On Sept. 9, 2025, Crisostomo and Depena both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. In November 2023, Crisostomo and Depena were indicted by a federal grand jury.

From late 2022 through June 2023, Crisostomo and Depena used an apartment in Lynn to manufacture thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, which they then distributed around Malden, Saugus and Revere. During a search of the Lynn apartment in June 2023, more than three kilograms of fentanyl and 500 grams of methamphetamine were recovered as well as a large hand-crank-style pill press.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lynn Police Department and the Revere Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced on June 15, 2026 in federal court in Springfield for possessing a firearm and cocaine possession and distribution.

Joshua Garcia, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 75 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In March 2026, Garcia pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm if furtherance of drug distribution. Garcia was charged in March 2025.

Garcia possessed with the intent to distribute drugs and a firearm on Oct. 3, 2024. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announced today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A New Bedford man, with multiple prior criminal convictions, pleaded guilty on June 16, 2026 in federal court in Boston to unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.  

Calvin Rosa, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns who scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2026.  Rosa was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.

On March 12, 2025, during a search of a residence, a Smith & Wesson, SD40 VE, .40 caliber pistol and ammunition were recovered and believed to be Rosa’s. Rosa is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to 2022, 2021 and 2020 convictions of crimes punishable by more than one year in prison.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and New Bedford Police Chief Jason Thody made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Lowell, Mass., was convicted by a federal jury in Boston on June 12, 2026 of conspiring to distribute narcotics, possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Juan Riquerbin Garcia Rivera, 44, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine; possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Nov. 10, 2026. In June 2024, Garica was indicted by a federal grand jury along with co-conspirator and nephew Christian Raphael Paredes, who previously pleaded guilty.

Garcia conspired with Paredes to distribute $5,000 worth of fentanyl to an undercover officer over three separate occasions. During a search of his home, over 19,000 fentanyl pills, two kilos of methamphetamine, cocaine and acetyl fentanyl were recovered. Located next to the drugs was pressing and mixing equipment. Evidence at trial showed that Garcia would have the drugs shipped to him in girls backpacks as a way to hide the drugs from detection.  

Also recovered during the search were four handguns, two of which were loaded, and hundreds of bullets matching those guns. Three of the guns were found next to the drugs and pressing equipment, and the fourth gun was loaded in a dresser drawer under thousands of dollars in cash. Investigators also seized over $30,000 in cash from Garcia’s bedroom. Evidence at trial showed Garcia threatening to use those guns on a drug dealer over a dispute about drug quality.

Garcia, who was previously deported in 2007, was communicating with a Mexican drug supplier to obtain narcotics. On Garcia’s phone were dozens of pictures of drugs, a video of a drug delivery, and pictures of Garcia packaging and pressing the drugs.

In May 2026, Paredes pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sep. 8, 2026.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and cocaine provides for a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and cocaine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, to be served consecutively to the other crimes, five 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 that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John O. Wray, Charles Dell’Anno and Lauren Graber of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit and Annapurna Balakrishna of the Asset Forfeiture Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – The former Assistant Admissions Director for Emmanuel College in Boston was sentenced for soliciting an underage college applicant to engage in commercial sex with him as well as cyberstalking an 18 year old.

Jacob Tyler Henriques, 27, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2025, Henriques pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of cyberstalking. Henriques was arrested and charged in May 2025. 

“When applying to colleges, the last thing on an applicant’s mind should be their safety. As the Assistant Admissions Director, Henriques’s focus should have been on the well-being of the applicants, not his own sick perversions,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The United States Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting the community from predators like Henriques, and we will continue to hold them accountable for their actions.”

“A college admissions director soliciting underage college applicants to engage in commercial sex with him is the stuff of parents’ nightmares — and an instant priority for the FBI,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Boston Division. “Jacob Tyler Henriques is a clear danger and has earned every minute behind bars to which he’s been sentenced. Our Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force works around the clock to identify, investigate, and lock up predators like him— and, sadly, there are many. We’d urge adults to remind the kids in their lives that not everyone is who they say they are online.”

Henriques victimized a staggering number of girls and young women online between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. At the same time, Henriques used his position as an Assistant Admissions Director to gain access to the personal information of various admitted or prospective students who he later contacted to solicit to engage in commercial sex with him. Specifically, Henriques met with multiple admitted or prospective students. After meeting or speaking with at least eight such students, Henriques used his access to their personal information and began contacting them, offering to “pay them for some fun,” offering to provide them with pornography, and, in some instances, sending them pornographic videos or images. Henriques began contacting one such victim after she formally committed to attend the college on April 25, 2025. 

Henriques also attempted to traffic a 17-year-old prospective student after meeting her and reviewing her tour registration form which contained her date of birth. Henriques asked the victim what grade she was in and the victim told Henriques what local high school she attended. Within hours of finishing the tour, Henriques began texting the victim on her phone number provided on her admissions form. Henriques offered to pay the victim $400 for “some fun” and told her that he had pornographic videos and pictures for her. Henriques continued to contact the minor victim that night, refusing to tell her who he was or how he got her number. He told the victim that “porn” and “$” was ready for her. Henriques then sent the minor victim five pornographic videos depicting men and women engaged in sex acts and asked whether she wanted to participate in a “gangbang” and to have sex with him. Despite the victim rejecting Henriques’s offer multiple times, Henrique continued to text the victim telling her to let him know if she changed her mind and that he would buy her anything she wanted. Between April 25, 2025, and April 28, 2025, Henriques accessed the minor’s profile multiple times after business hours and from his personal cell phone. After the victim blocked his phone number, Henriques began soliciting the victim via email.

U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Emmanuel College Campus Police and the Boston, Ware, Lunenburg, Agawam, Springfield, Ludlow and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig E. Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dedham, Mass. man was sentenced on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Boston for bank fraud and money laundering.

Wyoming Killingbarrows, 31, who was born with the name Patricio Junio Brito Pontes Barros, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Killingbarrows was also ordered to pay $329,002 in restitution. In July 2025, Killingbarrows pleaded guilty to four counts of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. Killingbarrows was charged in April 2025.

Between June 2, 2021 and July 17, 2021, Killingbarrows submitted 18 fraudulent bank loan applications. In the various loan applications, Killingbarrows used his birth name of Patricio Barros, misrepresented his income and submitted fraudulent paystubs from a company in support of his applications. Based on these misrepresentations, various banks issued loans to Killingbarrows totaling $329,002. Killingbarrows failed to pay back any of the loans and used the money for various personal expenses, including investments.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Mason Brayman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, was sentenced on June 15, 2026 in federal court in Boston for drug conspiracy charges.

Dominique Carpenter-Grady, a/k/a “8 Zipp,” a/k/a “Eight,” “a/k/a “Eighty,” 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 12 months and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In February 2026, Carpenter-Grady pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute PCP, synthetic cannabinoids (K2).

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

Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H-Block. Current members of H-Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.

Carpenter-Grady was a long-time H-Block gang member and one of three members and associates of H Block charged with a conspiracy to smuggle illegal drugs into a Massachusetts prison. Carpenter-Grady facilitated intercepted calls coordinating the smuggling of drugs on saturated papers into the prison where alleged co-conspirators were incarcerated. Several sheets of paper containing PCP (Phenylcyclidine) and illegal K2 were seized over the course of the investigation. It is estimated that a single sheet of such paper would be worth as much as $80,000 inside the prison.

According to court documents, the Massachusetts Department of Correction has seen a significant increase in the smuggling of synthetic cannabinoids, a/k/a “K2,” and other dangerous substances into the prison system. A common method of introducing the drugs is by exploiting the Department of Correction’s inmate mail policies, which prohibit delivery to inmates of original copies of any materials contained in incoming mail except for legal mail, original copies of which are inspected and delivered via the U.S. postal system. Sheets of paper are saturated or sprayed with liquid narcotics, dried, printed with fake legal correspondence and then mailed to inmates in an envelope marked as legal mail, in an effort to deliver the drug-laced paper undetected.

Carpenter-Grady is the seventh defendant to be sentenced in the case.

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

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

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

BOSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals pleaded guilty on June 12, 2026 in federal court in Worcester to using fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit cards to illegally purchase food to stock a local restaurant. This criminal conduct is a part of a larger fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The stolen identities were used to create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, R.I.

Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, also a Venezuelan national, both residing in living in Leominster, Mass. have pleaded guilty to use, transfer, acquisition and possession of SNAP benefits in an Unauthorized Manner. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencings for Sept. 22, 2026. The defendants were chargedin February 2026 along with Joel Vicioso Fernandez and Raul Fernandez Vicioso.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense. With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

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

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

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service; Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit; Massachusetts State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; and the Fitchburg and Leominster Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. 

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

BOSTON – A Fitchburg man and former Quincy official was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a scheme to embezzle funds from the City of Quincy, Mass.

Thomas F. Clasby, Jr., 62, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to six months in prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement and one year of supervised release. Clasby was also ordered to pay $136,061.71 in restitution. In March 2026, Clasby pleaded guilty to embezzlement, mail and wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property. Clasby was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025.

“Clasby’s actions misdirected taxpayer funds, degraded government services and eroded the public’s trust,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “I hope that today’s sentence sends a deterrent message to others, that if you steal from taxpayer funded programs you will be held accountable.”

“Stealing money from taxpayer funded programs dedicated to supporting our seniors is an egregious breach of public trust, and utterly disgraceful,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Boston Division. “As the Director of Quincy Elder Services, Thomas Clasby used his position to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars that should have been spent on the city’s residents to instead fund a framed self-portrait, treat himself to 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips and a snow blower, and buy gifts for his wife, his son, and a Toyota Prius for his secret girlfriend. Public corruption does so much damage to people’s trust in the system, at every level, and cases like this one only fuel the FBI’s commitment to tackling it to ensure crooked public employees like Mr. Clasby are brought to justice and held fully accountable.”

Clasby was the Director of the Quincy Department of Elder Services (Elder Services) between approximately 1999 and April 2024. Beginning in 2019, Clasby used the City’s purchasing process to pay personal expenses and generate cash for himself. For example, Clasby arranged for the City to pay $8,950 to a music studio to produce recordings of Clasby singing songs; $2,236 to food service vendors for 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips; $4,800 for a Toyota Prius; and $1,658 for a signature, lacquered, mounted and framed self-portrait, all of which were personal expenses.

In addition, Clasby arranged for the City to pay over $38,000 to a New York consulting company owned by Clasby’s friend. The consulting company never provided goods or services to any City department. Instead, Clasby’s friend cashed the City checks and delivered the cash to Clasby at a rest stop in Framingham, Mass., a ferry terminal in Bridgeport, Conn. and at the friend’s New York apartment. Starting in June 2021, Clasby stole the majority of cash receipts generated by Elder Services at the Kennedy Center in Quincy.

U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of the Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON –A Southbridge man pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Worcester to conspiring to distribute cocaine in Central Massachusetts.

Luis Sastre Pagan, 37, of Puerto Rico and formally of Southbridge, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 15, 2026. Pagan was charged in November 2024, along with co-conspirators Eric Rivera and Miguel Lopez.

From in or about April 2023 through April 2024, Sastre Pagan participated in a conspiracy that shipped kilograms of cocaine into Central Massachusetts from Puerto Rico. Evidence showed that the defendant was in communication with co-conspirators before and after the deliveries and that Sastre Pagan was directing the activity of his co-defendants and other co-conspirators as to the activity of the drug trafficking organization in and around Southbridge and Worcester. Over the course of the investigation, four packages related to the drug trafficking organization were seized, each of which were found to contain cocaine. In total, between 15-50 kilograms of cocaine is attributable to Sastre Pagan as part of his participation in the conspiracy.  

The charge of conspiring 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 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 other statutory factors.

In August 2025, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. In November 2025 he was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2026, Lopez was sentenced to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Puerto Rico and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Serbian national was extradited to the United States on June 5, 2026 to face charges for allegedly assisting in the possession and transportation of over 260 stolen luxury watches valued at $1.4 million. The defendant was arrested by Dutch authorities at an airport in Amsterdam while attempting to flee to his native Serbia.

Dusan Pericic, 41, was charged with possession and sale of stolen goods, transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen goods. The defendant made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on June 6, 2026 and is detained pending trial.

According to the charging documents Pericic allegedly obtained 36 luxury watches stolen from the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Barthelemy. These watches were traced back to a retail burglary in Saint-Barthelmy of 269 luxury watches valued at $1.4 million. Pericic allegedly transported and arranged for the transportation of the stolen watches into the United Sates for sale to luxury watch dealers. He is alleged to have sold one of the stolen watches to an identified watch dealer for $34,300 in Florida. On Dec. 21, 2021, Pericic allegedly transported 36 of the stolen watches from Miami to Peabody, Mass. and enlisted a watch dealer to assist him in selling the watches.

The charges of possession and sale of stolen goods and transportation of stolen goods provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshal Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Dutch authorities in securing Dusan Pericic’s arrest and extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Lawrence, Mass. man was sentenced on June 12, 2026 in federal court in Boston for distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Jhonatan Monegro Rosario, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2026, Monegro Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Over a five-month period, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Monegro Rosario distributed thousands of counterfeit Oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. Additionally, the investigation revealed that Monegro Rosario possessed a pill press which could be used to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Dell’Anno and Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A former United States Post Office employee pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to failing to deliver approximately 14,700 pieces of mail to U.S. Postal customers in Brighton, Dorchester and Mattapan.

Khalea Turner, 29, of Hull, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of mails. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Turner was charged in May 2026.

From approximately November 2022 to January 2026, Turner worked as a full-time letter carrier and covered routes in the three Boston neighborhoods, as well as the Fort Point neighborhood. During his time as a letter carrier, Turner obstructed approximately 14,700 pieces of mail by storing the mail in a U-Haul storage locker that he rented in Weymouth, Mass. On Jan. 9, 2026, the mail was recovered by law enforcement. Included in the recovered mail were U.S. passports, jury notifications, government checks, education documents and immigration paperwork, addressed to USPS customers along Turner’s delivery routes in Brighton, Dorchester and Mattapan.

The charge of obstruction of mail provides for a sentence of up to six months in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
        
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Colin T. Missett of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A former Haverhill man pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026 in federal court in Boston to receiving stolen Social Security disability benefits over a period of more than five years.

Christopher D. Leon, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money or property. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2026. Leon was charged in May 2026.

Leon received approximately $87,817 in stolen Social Security disability benefits from November 2019 through August 2025. According to a statement of agreed facts, Leon lived with an applicant for Social Security disability benefits at the time of her death.  After her death, the Social Security Administration (SSA) mailed a notice of award to Leon’s address. Once the Social Security benefits began to be paid via direct deposit to the decedent’s bank account, Leon used the deceased beneficiary’s debit card to access the improperly paid funds through ATM cash withdrawals each month.

The charge of receiving stolen government money or property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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, Boston–New York Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

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

BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Boston to the robbery of a local bank. The defendant has a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and state convictions for armed and unarmed robberies.

Joseph Wilcox, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in relation to the robbery of Santander Bank in East Boston. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept 17, 2026. In October 2025, Wilcox was indicted by a federal grand jury. Wilcox was arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 1, 2025.

At approximately 11:40 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2025, Wilcox entered a Santander Bank in East Boston, approached the bank teller, showed a note stating, “give me all 20’s” and told the teller, “don’t **** with me.” The teller ultimately gave Wilcox $4,150 in cash.

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Brockton woman pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Boston to stealing a nearly $1 million United States Treasury tax refund check.

Lana Ruel, 70, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Oct. 1, 2026. In December 2025, Ruel was arrested and charged.

Ruel attempted to deposit a United States Treasury tax refund check issued to a healthcare company in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to the attempted deposit, Ruel incorporated a company in Massachusetts and opened a bank account in the same name of the healthcare company that was the payee on the tax refund check. After the attempted deposit, the bank froze Ruel’s account. Ruel then called the bank and said that she could “explain what the check was, where it came from, and what it’s for…”

Over a period of two years, Ruel created four additional companies in Massachusetts that did not have a legitimate business purpose. For one of those companies, Ruel opened an account at approximately 10 different banks. Ruel also received wire transfers in some of the accounts and then wired the funds to different accounts or made cash withdrawals. The banks have closed all these accounts.

The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester, Mass. was sentenced on June 9, 2026 in federal court in Boston for trafficking thousands of fentanyl pills.

Waner Bernabel Presinal, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In Novembre 2025, Bernabel Presinal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

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

In September 2024, Bernabel Presinal was charged with Andujar Echavarria and two other co-conspirators. Thousands of fentanyl pills and hundreds of grams of fentanyl were seized from Andujar Echavarria at the time of his arrest. In December 2025, Andujar Echavarria pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10, 2026.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – As part of Freedom 250 – the nationwide celebration commemorating America’s 250th birthday – the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts will host a Hometown Hero ceremony recognizing Marshfield native, Corporal Alfred Lopes, Jr., who was declared missing in action in the Korean War in February 1951.

The ceremony will be held on June 16, 2026, at 3 p.m., at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, 2nd Floor Jury Assembly Room in Boston.

During the event, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley will present a Hometown Hero recognition award to the family of Corporal Alfred Lopes Jr., who served with the 15th Field Artillery Battalion, supporting infantry units of the 2nd Infantry Division near Hoengson, Korea. After fighting their way through enemy roadblocks under heavy and continuous attack from Chinese forces, the unit reached the town of Wonju, Korea. According to members of Lopes’s unit, Lopes was captured by enemy forces and seen uninjured in a POW camp. Witnesses also described Lopes as later becoming sick and dropping out of a march enroute to the Suan POW camp. While U.S. authorities have been granted access to various battlefield sites, cemeteries and POW camps, Corporal Lopes remains unaccounted for. He was presumed dead on Dec. 31, 1953. 

Corporal Lopes is the recipient of the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal; Korean Service Medal; Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation; United Nations Service Medal; and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Corporal Lopes is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. He was also memorialized on a monument at Marshfield Town Hall and the Korean War veterans chapter in Marshfield bears his name. 

More than seven decades later, Corporal Lopes’s sacrifice continues to be honored through ongoing efforts to recover and identify missing American service members. 

“Freedom 250 is an opportunity to celebrate 250 years of our nation’s history and reflect on the enduring ideals of freedom, courage and sacrifice that have shaped America and continue to unite us today. Corporal Alfred Lopes Jr. answered the call to serve his country during the Korean War and made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom. It is a privilege to honor his legacy and ensure that his service is never forgotten,” said U.S. Attorney Foley. “We are also proud to support the New England Center and Home for Veterans through our charity drive – recognizing the extraordinary contributions of veterans in our communities and reaffirming our commitment to those who have served our nation.”

As of 2024, approximately 7,400 American service members remain unaccounted for from the Korean War (1950 – 1953) with 5,300 believed to be in North Korea. In addition, over 36,000 American soldiers lost their lives. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Korean War Identification Project continue to recover, identify and repatriate remains from North Korea. 

Freedom 250 is a national initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States and encouraging communities across the country to celebrate service, sacrifice and civic engagement at the local level. As part of the nationwide Freedom 250 initiative, United States Attorneys’ Offices nationwide are recognizing individuals who exemplify dedication to public service and commitment to their communities.

Additionally, in honor of Freedom 250, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts conducted a two-week charity drive benefiting the New England Center and Home for Veterans. The organization provides support and services to veterans facing or at risk of homelessness, including programs focused on housing, employment, recovery and independent living. Employees from the U.S. Attorney’s Office donated nonmonetary donations including clothing, bedding and toiletries. 

The ceremony will be open to the public and media. Additional details regarding media availability and logistics will be announced at a later date.

BOSTON – Twenty-six alleged leaders, members and associates of the Trinitarios, a violent transnational criminal organization, have been indicted on federal racketeering (RICO) conspiracy and drug trafficking charges in connection with five murders and 19 attempted murders. In addition to the 26 defendants charged today, the superseding indictment also includes eight previously charged Trinitarios who are facing RICO conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. 

Over the past two years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been relentless in its efforts to dismantle and decimate the Trinitarios in Massachusetts, charging a total of 56 members who are alleged to have committed or participated in 11 murders and 30 attempted murders since 2017. The investigation also resulted in the apprehension of seven illegal aliens from the United States who have either been deported or are currently in deportation proceedings.

The charges unsealed today are part of a multijurisdictional, multiphase investigation that began in 2024 in the aftermath of four murders and a series of attempted murders and shootings in Lynn, Mass., allegedly committed by the Trinitarios. In February 2025, the investigation led to federal RICO conspiracy charges against 22 leaders, members and associates of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios and its state leadership. Court documents in that case described the Lynn Trinitarios’ alleged participation in six murders and 11 attempted murders. Documents unsealed today describe state convictions of alleged Trinitarios in Essex County Superior Court in connection with four additional murders over the past decade. 

The individuals charged today are alleged leaders, members and associates of the Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston Chapters of the Trinitarios. Court documents unsealed today describe the gang’s alleged participation in five murders, 19 attempted murders, efforts to kill witnesses, the trafficking of dozens of kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine to New Hampshire and Maine, extortion of legitimate businesses with the threat of violence, kidnappings and robberies. 

According to court documents, the Lawrence, Lynn, Boston and Haverhill Chapters of the Trinitarios allegedly dominated their communities by intimidating rival gangs and establishing control over certain neighborhoods. Each individual Chapter allegedly had a “Cabinet” of leaders who were responsible for recruiting new members, providing discipline to members in violation of Trinitarios directives and collecting money for a communal account used to support illegal operations and incarcerated Trinitarios members and their families. It is further alleged that the Trinitarios employed a written “Magna Carta” that defines the structure and rules of the organization, as well as slogans, symbols, colors and practices. 

The Massachusetts Trinitarios allegedly undertook extensive efforts to recruit new members among communities of legal immigrants and illegal aliens from the Dominican Republic – particularly juveniles in local high schools in Lawrence and Lynn. The gang allegedly appealed to the recruits shared Spanish language and culture, Dominican patriotism and used the appearance of prosperity and brotherhood.

It is further alleged that members were generally initiated into the gang after a period of observation or probation and were often inducted following the completion of a “mission” – which were generally significant acts of violence such as shootings, beatings, or fist fights with rival gang members that were the same age or stature. Upon induction, new members were “blessed” into the organization during a formal ceremony, administered oaths by the State Supreme and awarded ceremonial beaded necklaces. Younger members were allegedly tasked with lesser roles during many violent “missions,” including standing lookout during shootings, holding or concealing weapons on behalf of full members and transporting weapons after a shooting.

The gang allegedly produced music and music videos featuring Trinitarios pageantry and symbolism; gang members in Trinitarios colors and clothing holding weapons, cash and other items; and lyrics that boasted about the Trinitarios proclivity for violence and the scope of their successful drug distribution operations and other money-making criminal endeavors as warnings and threats to other rival gangs.

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios, Ricardo Bratini-Perez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios, Rodderith Peralta and Isiah Medina, were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter, Aaron Liranzo, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. In May 2026, Westyn Lantigua pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. In June 2026, Luis Jeffrey Santana pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. 

The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for up to life 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; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; Lawrence Police Chief Maurice Aguiler; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service; Customs and Border Protections; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Massachusetts Army National Guard – Counterdrug Office; Attorney General’s Office for the State of Maine; New Hampshire State Police; Maine State Police; Maine State Drug Enforcement Administration; Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department (Maine); Middlesex District Attorney’s Office; Essex County Sheriff’s Department; and the Andover, Boston, Haverhill, Tewksbury and Littleton, New Hampshire Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

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.

###

APPENDICES

LIST OF DEFENDANTS CHARGED TODAY

#

FIRST

LAST

ROLE

CHAPTER

Yordali

Yorro

Primera

Lawrence Chapter

James

Cabrera

Senior Member

Lawrence Chapter

Luis

Crispin

Senior Member

Lawrence Chapter

Angel

Castillo-Garcia

Senior Member

Lawrence Chapter

Osviallis

Serrano

Senior Member

Lawrence Chapter

Jervis

Almanzar

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Enrique

Duran

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Abigail

Arias

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Justane

Garcia

Member

Haverhill Chapter

Riky

Montilla

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Jeremy

Felix

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Jose

Martinez

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Jayden

Muniz

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Geovane

Fernandes

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Jahir

Davila

Discipline

Lawrence Chapter

Yanuel

Mejia

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Luis

Fernandez Lopez

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Victor

Diaz

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Xavier

Puello

Member

Lawrence Chapter

Joelfry

Cabrera

Associate

Lawrence Chapter

Richard

Pena

Member

Haverhill Chapter

Hector

Mota

Member

Haverhill Chapter

Jean

Delgado

Associate

Haverhill Chapter

Luis

Cabral

Primera

Boston Chapter

Yoldari

Tejeda Coronado

Member

Boston Chapter

Martin

Taveras

Member

Boston Chapter

LIST OF PREVIOUSLY CHARGED RELATED DEFENDANTS AND STATUS

(*) Defendants charged in superseding indictment unsealed today are marked with asterisk.

#

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

DOCKET NO.

CASE STATUS

1

Ricardo

Bratini-Perez

24-CR-10310

Sentenced

2

Rosnel

Polanco

24-CR-10263

Pleaded Guilty

3

Eric

Rosario

24-CR-10263

Pleaded Guilty

4

Robert

Santana

24-CR-10263

Pleaded Guilty

5

Yeferson

Vallecillo Cambar

24-CR-10335

Pending

6

Elvis

Trujillo

24-CR-10336

Pending

7

Abel

Severino-Reyes

24-CR-10373

Pleaded Guilty

8

Warly

Ruiz

24-CR-10380

Pleaded Guilty

9

David

Garcia

25-CR-10006

Pleaded Guilty

10

Tomy

Sanchez

25-CR-10007

Pleaded Guilty

11

Carlos

Ramirez

25-CR-10008

Pleaded Guilty

12

*Justin

Alba

25-CR-10058

Pending

13

*Darwin

Batista

25-CR-10058

Pending

14

*Janoy

Batista

25-CR-10058

Pending

15

Aaron

Diaz Liranzo

25-CR-10058

Sentenced

16

*Israel

Garcia-Vasquez

25-CR-10058

Pending

17

James

Jimenez

25-CR-10058

Pleaded Guilty

18

*Ery

Jordani Rosario

25-CR-10058

Pending

19

Westyn

Lantigua

25-CR-10058

Pleaded Guilty

20

*Kelvin

Liranzo Roman

25-CR-10058

Pending

21

Michael

Miliano

25-CR-10058

Pleaded Guilty

22

*Enmanuel

Paula-Cabral

25-CR-10058

Pending

23

Luis Jeffrey

Santana

25-CR-10058

Pleaded Guilty

24

Luis Enrique

Santana

25-CR-10058

Pleaded Guilty

25

*Angel

Santos

25-CR-10058

Pending

26

Wilving

Lopez

25-CR-10062

Pleaded Guilty

27

Leonardo

Espinoza

25-CR-10236

Pleaded Guilty

28

Isiah

Medina

25-CR-10302

Pending

29

Rodderrith

Peralta

25-CR-10302

Pending

30

Derek

Mercado

25-CR-10411

Pleaded Guilty

LIST OF TRINITARIOS HOMICIDES

DATE

VICTIM NAME

LOCATION

STATUS

BOSTON – The former Assistant Superintendent at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) pleaded guilty on June 5, 2026 in federal court in Boston to using his official position to order NCSO employees to perform maintenance at his residence. The defendant is also convicted of witness tampering.

Thomas Brady, 54, of Norwood, pleaded guilty today to one count of witness tampering and one count of use of interstate facilities to commit bribery and extortion. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for Sept. 28, 2026.

From 2021 through May 2023, Brady served as the Assistant Deputy Superintendent (ADS) for Jail Operations at NCSO. Brady was promoted in May 2023 to Assistant Superintendent. In October and November 2022, Brady utilized his official position and authority as an ADS to order an NCSO maintenance officer (Maintenance Officer A), who was subordinate in position to Brady, to perform home repairs at his residence during and after work hours. Because of Brady’s official position and authority as an ADS at NCSO, Maintenance Officer A feared that if he refused Brady’s request to help fix the heating system, Brady would use his official position and authority to negatively affect Maintenance Officer A’s job position at NCSO—including the possibility of causing Maintenance Officer A to lose his preferred shift schedule, position and/or employment at NCSO.  

Maintenance Officer A complied with the order, and on or about Oct. 6, 2022, drove to Brady’s residence to troubleshoot his heating system during NCSO work hours. After Brady had subsequent problems with his heating system and contacted Maintenance Officer A to replace the circulator pump. On or about Oct. 15, 2022, Maintenance Officer B learned that Brady was looking for Maintenance Officer A and the two exchanged the following text messages:

On two occasions between Nov. 1, 2022 and Nov. 2, 2022, Maintenance Officer A returned to Brady’s residence, with Maintenance Officer B assisting, where they drained the hot water system, removed the old circulator pump and installed the new circulator pump.

On or about June 16, 2023, another maintenance officer at NCSO, Maintenance Officer C, reported Brady to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission (SEC) for Brady having subordinate NCSO employees perform work at his private residence. The SEC subsequently initiated an investigation into Brady, interviewing Maintenance Officer A and Maintenance Officer B.

At some point prior to Oct. 5, 2023, Brady learned about the SEC investigation and Maintenance Officer B’s involvement. On or about Oct. 5, 2023, Brady mailed a letter to the SEC, falsely signing the letter from Maintenance Officer C. The letter to the SEC was handwritten and divulged information about a confidential, internal NCSO investigation into Maintenance Officer B. Brady listed himself as a witness to the investigation in the letter.  

Federal investigators examined the postage stamp on the envelope to the SEC and confirmed that a fingerprint found underneath the stamp belonged to Brady. In addition, the flap and corresponding region of the envelope to the SEC were examined and it was confirmed that male DNA obtained from envelope belonged to the Brady.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A federal complaint was unsealed today against five members of a drug and gun trafficking network that spanned multiple New England states. Ninety-four firearms were allegedly identified during the investigation, and one defendant is an alleged Trinitarios gang associate who operated a drug trafficking network in Maine.

The following individuals are charged with conspiracy to distribute, manufacture and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking:

1.    Mackenzie Ray Bimpson, a/k/a “Mack,” 28, of Berlin, N.H.; 2.    Michael David Miller, 31, of Littleton, N.H.; 3.    Ernest Charles Laplante Jr., a/k/a “Chucky,” 56, of Littleton, N.H.; 4.    Steve Perez, a/k/a “Bebo,” 34, of East Haven, Conn.; and
5.    Nilbel Ventura Amaro, a/k/a “Nino,” a/k/a “Megamind,” a/k/a “Ben,” a/k/a “Migo,” 26, of Lawrence, Mass.

Miller, Laplante, Perez and Ventura Amaro were arrested this morning on federal arrest warrants in connection with the investigation. Bimpson is currently serving a state sentence in New Hampshire.

According to court documents, it is alleged that Bimpson was the leader of the drug and gun trafficking organization until his 2024 arrest and conviction on state drug charges in New Hampshire. Bimpson and Miller were allegedly the primary drug dealers for the organization, cultivating bulk amounts of marijuana and selling large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs to their network of customers in New Hampshire and Maine. Perez and Ventura Amaro allegedly supplied Bimpson and Miller with drugs in exchange for cash and firearms.

Bimpson and Miller could not legally possess or own firearms due to their prior criminal convictions. It is alleged that they discussed and acquired up to 94 identified firearms either through straw purchases, from private sales, or from Laplante, who allegedly manufactured homemade firearms (also known as “ghost guns”) in his residence. Laplante allegedly supplied privately made firearms to Bimpson and Miller in exchange for drugs and money.

Ventura Amaro was allegedly an associate of the Trinitarios transnational criminal organization who operated a drug trafficking network in Maine in coordination with the Trinitarios and under their protection. In May 2024, Ventura Amaro was allegedly kidnapped by members of the Trinitarios after he took over drug distribution in certain areas of Maine without including the Trinitarios or paying tribute.

Investigators recovered numerous photos and videos of, and conversations between, the defendants documenting their drug and gun conspiracy.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute, manufacture and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for up to five years 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; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Division; Colonel Mark B. Hall, Director of the New Hampshire State Police; and Chief Paul J. Smith of the Littleton, New Hampshire Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Division; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; Massachusetts State Police; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Grafton County (N.H.) and Coos County (N.H.) Sheriff’s Departments; and the Berlin (N.H.), Lebanon (N.H.), Norway (Maine), Rumford (Maine), Lawrence (Mass.), New Haven (Conn.), Andover (Mass.), and Lowell (Mass.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Holyoke, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for conspiring to distribute fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

Jose Heredia Jr., 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to seven years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In January 2026, Heredia Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and carrying a firearm in in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

Over an eight month period, Heredia Jr. conspired with others to distribute massive amounts of fentanyl in Western Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast. On one occasion, Heredia conspired to distribute one and a half kilograms of fentanyl, which was intercepted by law enforcement. The investigation revealed a number of other occasions during which Heredia supplied mid-level drug dealers with large amounts of fentanyl.    

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; the Berkshire, Hampden and Franklin County Sherriff’s Offices; and the Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Merck and Neil L. Desroches, Chief of the Springfield Office prosecuted the case.  

BOSTON – A former Brookline, Mass. physician was sentenced on June 5, 2026 in federal court in Boston for health care fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  

Dr. Pankaj Merchia, 52, of Brookline, Mass. and Boca Raton, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 58 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Merchia was also ordered to pay $1,847,931 in restitution. In January 2026, Merchia was convicted of one count of health care fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Merchia was indicted for money laundering and health care fraud in December 2022 and later charged with tax offenses in a superseding indictment along with alleged co-conspirator Dr. Shona Pendse in February 2023. 

Merchia perpetrated two distinct health care fraud schemes. First, Merchia billed former patients’ insurance companies for monthly rentals of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPap) machines from 2017 to 2019, despite not having treated the patients since at least 2011. In some cases, the patients had returned the devices to him. Merchia used the proceeds of this fraud to purchase an expensive home in Brookline.

Additionally, Merchia defrauded another insurance company out of over $390,000 by submitting claims for a CPAP machine provided to his brother. After he was told that the insurance carrier would not pay for treatment rendered by a family member, Merchia created a new medical business and submitted new claims so that the company would pay. Merchia used the proceeds of this fraud to fund a wire transfer of $250,000 and to purchase at least $140,000 in securities.  

Finally, from 2009 to 2019 Merchia did not report, or pay taxes on, over $6.5 million in income he earned from his medical businesses by falsely claiming that those businesses were owned by his co-conspirator. To defraud the IRS, Merchia fabricated a sham transaction by which he claimed to have sold his medical businesses to his co-conspirator in 2008. To ensure that his co-conspirator did not owe taxes, they claimed large amortization deductions, spread across many years, for the fabricated sale.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Anthony M. DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil J. Gallagher, Jr. of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.  

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

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

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

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

BOSTON – A Boston man was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in U.S. District Court for producing and possessing child pornography.

Tramonte Jamier Queen, 27, was convicted of two counts of the sexual exploitation of children (commonly known as “production of child pornography”) and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 17, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said, “Tramonte Queen preyed on children for profit and his exploitation of vulnerable victims ends now. The conduct in this case is abhorrent, selling young girls for sex and forcing them to film it. Today, Tramonte Queen is finally being held accountable for all his crimes. We will continue to root out sex traffickers like Queen and aggressively prosecute them to ensure that justice is served.”

“Anyone willing to sexually exploit children deserves to feel the full force of the law,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “With today’s verdict, Tramonte Queen isn’t just a sex trafficker, but a producer of child sexual abuse material – a heinous act that perpetrates the sexual exploitation of children. May this case be a warning to others involved with such repulsive material. Our Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force could soon be knocking at your door.”

Between October and December 2021, Queen used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. According to evidence presented at trial, Queen had sex with a minor victim and participated in the filming of those sex acts. He also directed the victim to engage in commercial sex with sex buyers, instructing the victim to film those sexual encounters as well. At the time of his arrest in February 2022, Queen possessed a cell phone that contained the videos depicting him having sex with the minor victim.

At a previous federal trial in January 2026, Queen was convicted of sex trafficking of a child and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Those convictions arose from Queen’s recruitment of a different minor victim, who was then 16 years old, to engage in commercial sex. Queen caused the victim to engage in commercial sex act in the basement of his Dorchester home and at hotels in Rhode Island.

The production of child pornography charges each carry a sentence of no less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. The sex trafficking of a child and transportation charges each carry a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison. The possession of child pornography charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Queen faces at least five years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI SAC Docks and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

 

BOSTON – A New Hampshire woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for attempting to obstruct and interfere in a grand jury investigation involving her brother, former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran.

Tuyet T. Martin, 56, of Pelham, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine. In January 2026, Martin pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice. In June 2024, Martin was charged along with her brother, Dean Tran.

In November 2023, Tran was arrested and charged in a 28-count federal indictment for his fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

As part of the investigation into Tran’s unemployment benefits and tax fraud schemes, an investigation began into a job offer and employment offer letter from Martin to Tran at the New Hampshire-based business where Martin was the owner and the CEO. During a July 2023 grand jury session, Martin provided false testimony regarding the employment offer letter. 

Tran was sentenced in in January 2026 to one year in prison with 11 months to run concurrent with his current sentence and one month to run consecutive, to be followed by 18 months of supervised release to run concurrent with his current sentence.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The Chairman of the Needham Parks and Recreation Commission has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to defraud a local little league out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Christopher Gerstel, 50, was charged in an 17-count indictment with 12 counts of wire fraud, two counts of filing false tax returns and three counts of failure to file tax returns. Gerstel was arrested today and will appear in federal court in Boston at 1:00 PM.

Gerstel currently serves as Chairman of the Needham Parks and Recreation Commission.  From approximately early 2019 to early 2025, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Needham Baseball and Softball (NBS), a little league organization based in Needham, Mass. In his role as Vice President of Baseball Operations for NBS, Gerstel was the only NBS board member with access to the payment software system, ArbiterPay, that NBS used to pay professional umpires.  

Beginning as early as June 2019, it is alleged that Gerstel was facing personal financial difficulty, including owing thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt. According to the indictment from in or about June 2019 to October 2024, Gerstel stole over $200,000 of NBS funds. It is alleged that Gerstel transferred the funds via wire transfer from the umpire payment system into his own personal account. From June 2019 to October 2024, Gerstel allegedly made over 200 separate wire transfers.

Gerstel allegedly used the majority of the stolen NBS funds to pay down thousands of dollars in credit card debt, make car payments and other personal expenditures, including at country clubs and cash withdrawals at casinos.

According to the indictment, the alleged theft was revealed after a new treasurer was appointed to the NBS Board of Directors and discovered that large transfers had been made from the NBS bank account into the umpire payment system. Once the treasurer gained access to the umpire payment system, they discovered over $250,000 in transfers had allegedly been made from that system to Gerstel’s personal bank account.

The indictment also alleges that for tax years 2019 and 2022, Gerstel failed to report the funds that he stole from NBS on his tax returns and that in 2020, 2021, and 2023, Gerstel failed to file tax returns. As a result, Gerstel allegedly lowered his federal income tax liability.  

The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of falsification of records carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of filing false tax returns carries a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The charge of failing to file tax returns carries a maximum of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions 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 Fall River, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for drug distribution resulting in the death of a minor, as well as multiple other charges associated with his sale of drugs, machineguns and firearm parts on the Telegram app.

Benjamin Hunt, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 23 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Hunt pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl, MDMA, MDA, Ketamine and LSD resulting in death; two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; two counts of unlawful transfer and possession of a machinegun; and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and cocaine.

Hunt was arrested and charged in August 2024 on drug and firearm charges and was later charged with additional crimes, including drug distribution resulting in the death of a minor.

From at least 2022 through 2024, Benjamin Hunt operated an online marketplace on the Telegram application through which he advertised and sold large quantities of controlled substances and firearms to customers across the United States. Hunt controlled multiple Telegram accounts and used the platform to conduct drug and weapons transactions while concealing his identity and seeking payment primarily in cryptocurrency.

Through his Telegram marketplace, Hunt offered for sale numerous dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, ketamine and counterfeit pharmaceutical pills made to resemble oxycodone but containing fentanyl. Hunt also advertised firearms and firearm components, including privately made firearms (“ghost guns”) and machinegun conversion devices (“switches”), some of which he manufactured himself using 3-D printing technology. Hunt typically required payment via Bitcoin, though in some instances accepted CashApp, and then shipped the contraband through the U.S. Postal Service, either directly or through suppliers.

In February, May and June 2024, Hunt sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer, including quantities exceeding 40 grams of fentanyl. During one of these transactions, Hunt simultaneously sold a privately made Glock-style firearm and multiple machinegun conversion devices along with an extended magazine and 3D printed brass knuckles.

In August 2024, Hunt mailed an additional package containing approximately 1,600 fentanyl pills to undercover law enforcement in exchange for cryptocurrency. Law enforcement intercepted multiple packages being sent to or from Hunt, including one package sent by him that contained a smoke grenade and one package sent to an address associated with him that contained 13 switches or machinegun conversion devices.

A search at Hunt’s residence resulted in the seizure of significant quantities of drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and ketamine, as well as an arsenal of firearms and firearm components, including dozens of privately made firearms, machinegun conversion devices, silencers, extended magazines, large quantities of ammunition and 3-D printers used to manufacture firearm parts. In total, approximately 95 firearms and related items were seized.

Law enforcement in Massachusetts learned about an overdose death of an out of state 17-year-old minor in May 2023. Investigators uncovered evidence of Hunt having communicated with the victim through the Telegram app and offering various drugs for sale. The minor purchased multiple drugs from Hunt. Hunt sought payment in Bitcoin, but when the minor did not have access to Bitcoin, Hunt agreed to receive payment via Cashapp. Hunt then mailed drugs to the minor out of state through the U.S. mail.

Messages between Hunt and the minor in the hours leading to the minor’s death were uncovered, including messages discussing the minor’s consumption of drugs that had been supplied by Hunt. The drugs distributed by Hunt—including fentanyl, MDMA, MDA, ketamine and LSD—were determined to be the but-for cause of the minor’s death, which was ruled an acute mixed drug intoxication. As part of his plea, Hunt admitted that his distribution of these drugs resulted in the minor victim’s death.

“Benjamin Hunt’s decision to sell lethal drugs and guns online is the reason a family lost their child,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This case is a stark reminder that drug dealers are no longer just on street corners. They are online preying on our children via phones and computers and pushing highly addictive and deadly drugs. We will continue track them down wherever they are and hold them accountable. Today’s sentence is warranted and a step in the right direction to ending the opioid epidemic.”

“Today’s sentence holds Benjamin Hunt accountable for a crime that ended a young life and forever changed a family,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Drug traffickers who distribute dangerous substances without regard for human life are fueling a public safety crisis in communities across Massachusetts and the nation. DEA and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who profit from the distribution of deadly drugs. We hope this substantial sentence provides a measure of justice for the victim’s loved ones and serves as a reminder that those responsible for overdose deaths will be aggressively pursued and held accountable.”

“The severity of this sentence highlights the dangers of distributing both drugs and machinegun conversion devices. Independently, each has the potential to ruin lives and endanger the public. Taken together, Benjamin Hunt’s conduct could only lead to harm, and in this case a seventeen-year-old was killed as a result. Today’s sentence not only imposes a measure of justice but should serve to remind anyone considering selling fentanyl or machinegun conversion devices: you are responsible for the consequences of those actions,” said Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division.

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: those who profit from poisoning and endangering our communities with drugs and guns cannot remain anonymous through the Internet. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is relentlessly targeting the individuals and networks responsible for distributing deadly narcotics and firearms through the U.S, Mail. With strong enforcement, intelligence-driven investigations, and strategic partnerships, we are working every day to disrupt these groups and save American lives,” said Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division

U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA SAC Forget, ATF SAC Greco, USPIS Acting INC Buckley, New Bedford Police Chief Jason Thody and Fairhaven Police Chief Daniel Dorgan made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New England; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Attleboro, Fall River, Norton, Scituate and Taunton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kunal Pasricha and J. Mackenzie Duane of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for threatening a federal law enforcement officer.

Kenneth Pacheco, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 16 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2028, Pacheco pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal law enforcement officer. Pacheco was arrested and charged in October 2025.

In May 2025, law enforcement received a tip from an anonymous complainant alleging that an individual using the online moniker “Amir Haqqani” was using a Facebook account to make threats against the complainant and other individuals. In response, Pacheco was interviewed by law enforcement. In July 2025, a relative of Pacheco expressed concern that Pacheco may pose harm to himself and in response law enforcement spoke with Pacheco again. On Oct. 7, 2025, Pacheco responded to these interventions by lashing out with threats aimed at friends, acquaintances and a federal agent.  Specifically, Pacheco threatened that people would “get hurt,” that he would “put people in the [] hospital” and that he would “blow” the agents “brains out.”  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Looney of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case. 
 

BOSTON – An illegal alien has pleaded guilty to illegally selling a firearm and ammunition while he was unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. The defendant, a Mexican national, was previously deported from the United States twice.

Luis Angel Rodriguez-Celaya, a/k/a “Menor,” a/k/a “La Gargola,” 27, pleaded guilty to one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. United States District Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2026.

According to charging documents, Rodriguez-Celaya met with a cooperating witness in Chelsea on Feb. 26, 2025 to conduct an illegal firearm transaction. Rodriguez-Celaya sold the witness a .22 caliber semiautomatic “Draco” pistol and eight rounds of .22 caliber ammunition for $1,500 cash. Rodriguez-Celaya was illegally present in the United States at the time of the transaction. He was deported from the United States twice before and warned not to return: first in March 2017 and again in May 2022.

The charge of being an alien unlawfully present in the United States in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for drug offenses involving methamphetamine and materials used for pressing illicit pills.

Tong Tran, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 138 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In March 2026, Tran pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances after being charged in April 2025.  

On or about Sept. 19, 2024, Tran was identified shipping a package at a Worcester Post Office. A search of the package revealed approximately 2.4 kilograms of orange pills containing methamphetamine – concealed in the packaging of a children’s toy. A partial fingerprint on the wrapping materials inside the box belonged to Tran. Tran was also photographed shipping two other packages containing methamphetamine pills.

On April 14, 2025, during a search of Tran’s residence, a pill press, binding agent and additional equipment used to manufacture pills, including pill dyes were located. The search also resulted in the seizure of 3.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately $8,000 in cash.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Auburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A New Hampshire man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for committing a string of five bank robberies across Northern Massachusetts.

Reinaldo Ortiz, 47, of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 57 months in prison, to be followed three years of supervised release, with six months in home confinement. In November 2025, Ortiz pleaded guilty to five counts of bank robbery. Ortiz was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in January 2023 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.

Between March 9 and March 24, 2022, Ortiz drove from New Hampshire to Massachusetts and robbed a string of banks in Fitchburg, Lowell, Chelmsford, Wilmington and Lexington, obtaining approximately $21,709. Ortiz entered each of the banks disguised in a mask and demanded cash from the teller’s drawer. When the tellers complied, Ortiz made off with several thousand dollars in cash and fled the scene of the robbery. A subsequent investigation found Ortiz’s fingerprints on a glove discarded outside one of the robbed banks and that his cellphone movement was consistent with the robbery route.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Tolkoff and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Chicago man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old minor victim from Massachusetts.

Joshua Rogers, 31, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2026.  Roger was arrested in December 2025 in Chicago.

According to the charging documents, in July 2025, local law enforcement were notified of an individual purporting to be a 17-year-old boy named ‘John’ –later identified as Rogers – engaging in sexually explicit communications with a 14-year-old female minor victim on Snapchat. A review of cell phone data revealed numerous communications from Rogers in which he coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit acts – many of which he demanded be documented by photo or video. In his communications, Rogers also discussed kidnapping the minor or the minor running away.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Chief Jennifer Paster of the Brookline Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Randolph man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for cocaine trafficking and firearm charges, following a series of arrests targeting Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates.  

Giovany Fouyolle, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Fouyolle pleaded guilty on March 25, 2026, to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Fouyolle’s co-defendant, Adonis Graham pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and is scheduled for sentencing on July 2, 2026.

Fouyolle and Graham were arrested on Dec. 17, 2025, after search warrants were executed at numerous residences and stash houses associated with the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates. One of the places searched was a unit at the Imprint Apartments in Dorchester, which Fouyolle used as a stash location. Approximately 1,170 grams of cocaine, along with two loaded guns and $2,000 cash in bare kitchen cabinets, were located in the apartment.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A member of the Manchester Chapter of the Trinitarios pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges, including his participation in two murders and two other attempted murders.

Luis Jeffrey Santana, a/k/a “Sopita,” 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9, 2026. Luis Jeffrey Santana was arrested and charged in February 2025.

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

Luis Jeffrey Santana admitted to his participation in an August 2021 shooting outside of a store in Salem, Mass. During this incident, Luis Jeffrey Santana and other Trinitarios members confronted two victims they believed to be rival gang members and engaged in a verbal altercation with them in the store. The Trinitarios and victims separated, exited the store and proceeded in different directions. The Trinitarios members, however, called for reinforcements who arrived shortly thereafter. The victims proceeded to their vehicle and as they turned out of the parking lot,  a black sedan containing multiple Trinitarios pulled up and a shooter began firing multiple rounds at the victims. At the same time, a second vehicle pulled out and blocked traffic while the shooting took place.

Luis Jeffrey Santana was one of the leaders who convened a gang meeting in Dec. 1, 2024. During the recorded meeting, the Trinitarios discussed the reorganization and restructuring of the Trinitarios chapters, including the need for members to pay dues and contribute to the gang’s operations. During one portion of the recording, the leaders discussed the need to have money on hand to help members who commit shootings and to fund a war against rival gang members. They also discussed the potential violence that will be visited upon members who betray the gang.

During today’s court proceedings, Luis Jeffrey Santana admitted to his membership in the gang. Photographs and videos recovered in the investigation showed Luis Jeffrey Santana wearing Trinitarios beaded necklaces, making Trinitarios gang signs with his hands and associating with other members and leaders.

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Machetes, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members.  In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to ten years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded guilty. In May 2026, Westyn Lantigua pleaded guilty. Luis Jeffrey Santana is the eleventh Defendant to plead guilty in the case.

The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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

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

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

BOSTON - A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Boston, has pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud and Social Security offenses. 

Victor Suazo Reynoso, 69, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2026 to illegal acquisition of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits and false representation of a Social Security number. Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Sept. 2, 2026. Reynoso was charged and arrested in March 2026.

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

The charge of illegal acquisition of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250000, as well as restitution. The charge of false representation 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 $250000. 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 Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lowell has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief funds and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, previously known as food stamps.

Arvaro Montero Diaz, 40, was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of theft of government money and one count of SNAP fraud. Montero Diaz was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on March 9, 2026. He was subsequently released on pretrial conditions following a detention hearing on March 12, 2026. Montero Diaz will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. 

According to the indictment, Montero Diaz – a citizen of the Dominican Republic who has been unlawfully residing in the United States since approximately 2007 – used the identity of a U.S. citizen to apply for and receive approximately $30,000 in unemployment benefits made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. It is further alleged that Montero Diaz also used this identity to apply for and receive approximately $14,000 in SNAP benefits. 

The charges of wire fraud and SNAP fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of theft of government money 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 charges for aggravated identity theft provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, one of supervised released and a fine of up to $250,00. 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; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potapchuk of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

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

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

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Marlborough, Mass., has been charged with allegedly using a fake passport to open and access business bank accounts.

Jose De Freitas Junior, 30, was charged with one count of false use of a passport. He is currently in ICE custody and is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, De Freitas, under a false name, presented a fraudulent Brazilian passport to a bank teller at a bank in Andover, Mass., to access a business account at that bank. The fraudulent passport included a photograph of De Freitas, the false name and a passport number that belonged to a different Brazilian citizen. De Freitas also allegedly presented the fraudulent passport to local law enforcement upon their arrival at the bank. De Freitas was immediately taken into custody.

It is further alleged that a subsequent biometric check of De Freitas’ fingerprints taken at booking confirmed that he was a citizen of Brazil who has not been lawfully admitted to the United States. Further investigation allegedly revealed that De Freitas had opened multiple business accounts using several different fraudulent Brazilian passports as identification. The accounts were listed as auto sales-related businesses and were used to accept numerous large wire transfers, some of which were later recalled for fraud by the sending bank.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Andover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dorchester man has been arrested and charged for allegedly receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Javier Alberto Baez Infante, 31, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of receipt of child pornography. Infante was arrested at his home on May 27, 2026 and, following an initial appearance, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for June 5, 2026 in federal court in Worcester. 

According to the criminal complaint, Infante was identified as a user in an online private chat group dedicated to the viewing, download and exchange of CSAM. 

It is alleged that during a search of Infante’s residence on May 27, 2026, approximately 30 videos depicting CSAM were located in various “download” folders on Infante’s phone. It is further alleged that the videos depicted the abuse of minor victims as young as approximately two to four years old.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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

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

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