District of Massachusetts

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

Luis Enrique Santana, a/k/a “Chiquito,” 32, 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 Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19, 2026. Enrique Santana was arrested and charged in February 2025.

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

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, 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 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Luis Enrique Santana is the ninth defendant to plead guilty.

During today’s court proceeding, Luis Enrique Santana admitted to his membership in the gang and his participation in a shooting March 2019, where the Trinitarios intended to kill three rival gang members.

Enrique Santana also admitted to his participation as an accessory after the fact to two murders in September 2023. During this incident, three members of the Trinitarios drove by a party in Lynn and discharged numerous rounds at the people gathered outside celebrating someone a recent graduation and heading off to college. Seven people were shot during this incident, including two who later died from the gunshot wounds they sustained. After the shooting, Enrique Santana assisted the Trinitarios in moving the vehicle used in the shooting from Lynn to Lawrence in order to conceal it from law enforcement and destroy evidence that it contained.

The charge of 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, 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. 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 Brockton man was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with wire fraud.

Jesus Abreu, 38, who worked as a Food Service Worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs from November 2021 until March 2022, was indicted on three counts of wire fraud.

As alleged in the Indictment, in July 2020, Abreu submitted an application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and received $32,400. In the application for the EIDL, Abreu made false claims regarding gross revenues. Subsequently, in April 2021, Abreu submitted two applications seeking Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. In those applications, Abreu allegedly made false claims regarding gross income purportedly earned from a sole proprietorship. To support these false claims, Abreu allegedly attached fraudulent tax documents as part of the applications. The PPP loan applications were approved and Abreu received $41,666. Abreu allegedly used that money on personal expenses. However, in September 2021, Abreu allegedly submitted loan forgiveness applications that falsely claimed the entire $41,666 was spent on payroll. Based on the misrepresentation the loans were forgiven.    

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office; and Kelly M.  Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Norwood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

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

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 Chelsea man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail.

Josman Romero-Delgado, 24, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to time served (approximately four months in prison) and three years of supervised release. Romero-Delgado was also ordered to pay $39,157 in restitution. In November 2025, Romero-Delgado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.  

From at least June 2023 until February 2024, Romero-Delgado and his co-conspirators stole mail from USPS collection boxes, looking to steal checks. After they stole these checks, they washed the hand-written ink from the checks using commercially available chemicals. The checks were then re-issued to the co-conspirators or other bank accounts that they controlled. After the checks were fraudulently deposited, the defendants and their co-conspirators withdrew money from ATMs or bought money orders with the fraudulently obtained funds. A review of the co-conspirators’ cellphones revealed that they had collaborated to advance this criminal scheme.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge for the Boston Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston and Wellesley Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng 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 ninth defendant has been charged as part of an ongoing investigation into the theft of U.S. Treasury tax refund checks in eastern and central Massachusetts.

Victor Vasquez, 40, of Gardner, was charged by complaint with the theft of approximately $988,000 in government funds. Vasques was arrested yesterday and released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. In June 2025, eight others were charged with theft of government funds or bank fraud related to approximately $8.8 million in stolen Treasury checks.  

According to the charging documents, in June 2024, Vasquez deposited a Treasury check for $988,744 that had been issued to another taxpayer but altered to bear Vasquez’s name as the payee. Vasquez allegedly deposited the check into a credit union account in the name of a business he had closed years earlier, Victor Northeast Construction, LLC. Shortly after depositing the check, Vasquez allegedly transferred $8,000 to another bank account he controlled in order to pay outstanding loan balances. When the credit union spoke with Vasquez by telephone and asked about the source of the deposited funds, it is alleged that Vasquez falsely stated that the check was a tax refund for his business, despite the fact that his business had not yet been incorporated during the tax year associated with the Treasury check and that he never filed a tax return on its behalf.  

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 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 Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Frauds Unit is prosecuting the case.  

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

BOSTON – Two Lowell men with allegiances to the Asian Boyz gang have pleaded guilty to distributing and conspiring to distribute thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine.

Owen Landry, a/k/a “Oski,” 24, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine; and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026.

Zachary Hansen, 31, pleaded guilty on March 31, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine. Judge Burroughs scheduled sentencing for March 31, 2027.

The defendants were among five charged in January 2025.

In 2021, an investigation began into the Asian Boyz gang to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution of substantial quantities of methamphetamine pills impacting Lowell.

The investigation revealed that Landry, an Asian Boyz gang member, and Hansen, a gang associate, allegedly formed a conspiracy with another gang member, Sovath Yern, a/k/a “Stryke”, to profit from the sales of bulk quantities of the counterfeit Adderall pills. Hansen agreed to let Landry use his residence in Lowell, as one of the group’s storage and distribution centers. At Landry’s direction, Hansen also sold the counterfeit Adderall pills and collected payments.

Specifically, Landry negotiated two large counterfeit Adderall pill deals in July and August 2024 and directed the buyers to Landry’s Lowell residence to complete the transactions. Unbeknownst to Landry and Hansen, the pill deals were part of law enforcement operations to surveil and record the purchases. In July 2024, a cooperating witness met Hansen inside the Lowell residence and paid him $2,000 in exchange for 5,000 pills. In August 2024, a co-conspirator was observed, travelling back and forth from Landry’s residence in Lowell during a deal with a second cooperating witness, who paid another $2,000 in exchange for 2,000 pills.

Later in 2024, Landry himself sold pills he had allegedly obtained from Yern’s apartment in Billerica to a cooperating witness. Specifically, on two separate occasions in November 2024 and December 2024, Landry directed the cooperating witness to meet him in the garage of Yern’s apartment complex. After meeting the cooperating witness and taking the cash payments, Landry then entered the building where Yern allegedly escorted him inside. Landry was seen entering Yern’s apartment with the money and then leaving with large bags of pills. Landry then returned to the cooperating witness to deliver methamphetamine pills – 4,000 pills in the November 2024 instance, and 5,000 pills in the December 2024 instance.

The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, each provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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

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

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

BOSTON – Ten Indian nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. The defendants were previously charged by criminal complaint in March 2026. 

The following defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:

1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.; 
2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 
3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.; 
4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.; 
5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.; 
6. Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.; 
7. Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.; 
8. Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 
9. Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and
10. Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio. 

All 10 defendants were previously charged by criminal complaint and released on conditions. Rameshbhai Patel and Ronakkumar Patel have been taken into immigration custody. The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. This case stems from an investigation into Rambhai Patel, the organizer of the scheme, and getaway driver Balwinder Singh – both of whom were charged in December 2023 and later convicted in May 2025.

According to the charging documents, 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.  

In the course of the alleged 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 wait five or more minutes until the alleged “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 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 convicted in May 2025. The 10 defendants indicted today are alleged to have either arranged with Rambhai Patel to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”

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 defendants are subject to deportation after any sentence imposed.

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. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Southbridge man was sentenced today for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, including possessing a machinegun and cocaine intended for distribution. 

Miguel Lopez, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to six years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; and one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun.

From in or about April 2023 through in or about April 2024, Lopez conspired with others to distribute cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts. On at least four different occasions during that period, Lopez was observed collecting packages suspected of containing controlled substances. On or about Jan. 29, 2024, a package addressed to Lopez was seized and one kilogram of cocaine was found hidden inside. During an April 2024 search of Lopez’s residence, approximately two kilograms of cocaine was found hidden inside a package that had been delivered earlier that day. A Glock pistol with a machinegun conversion device attached to the back along with ammunition, a 30-round magazine and a 50-round drum magazine were also found at Lopez’s residence.
 
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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown 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 Lynn man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements.

James C. Burdulis, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Burdulis was charged on March 26, 2026.

Burdulis received approximately $63,959 in stolen Social Security benefits from June 2019 through June 2025 that were intended for a beneficiary that had died. Prior to the beneficiary’s death in May 2019, Burdulis had been appointed as the beneficiary’s representative payee to manage their Social Security benefits and provide regular accountings to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Between June 2020 and June 2024, Burdulis submitted five fraudulent representative payee reports to the SSA under penalty of perjury in which he stated that he spent money received from the SSA on behalf of the deceased beneficiary after their death. Further, Burdulis submitted a fraudulent verification form to the SSA in September 2020 stating that the deceased beneficiary continued to live at the same location.

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. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

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

BOSTON – A Fall River woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to her role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that victimized two minors and one adult.

Christy Parker, a/k/a “Lula,” 28, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and one count of sex trafficking a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2026. Parker was arrested and charged in June 2024 along with five others in connection with the sex trafficking conspiracy. She has remained in federal custody since.  

Between January and August 2023, Parker used physical beatings, threats, intimidation, sleep deprivation, starvation and other means to coerce at least one adult victim and two minor victims to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in and around Fall River, Mass.

Specifically, in early 2023, Parker coerced the adult victim to engage in repeated commercial sex acts by physically beating, threatening and verbally abusing the victim; imposing manufactured debts on the victim; supplying the victim with alcohol and subsequently withholding it; and threatening to have the authorities take the victim’s three-year-old child away from her.

Parker later worked with a minor to recruit two minor victims for commercial sex with false promises of easy money. Parker and her co-defendants harbored the minor victims in a house and a Somerset, Mass., hotel and provided them for commercial sex over the course of two months in July and August 2023. Parker physically beat at least one minor victim and threatened both minor victims, prohibited them from sleeping so they could engage in more commercial sex, starved them and confiscated all of their earnings.

Parker’s scheme ended in August 2023, when one of the minor victims called her social worker and asked for help. The social worker contacted law enforcement, and Parker was arrested at the Somerset, Mass., hotel where she was harboring the victims.

Parker is the fifth defendant to be convicted in the case. In November 2025, Tyreik Reid and Cory Primo were each sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in June 2025. Avvani Jeffers and Tre’sean Reid were sentenced in January 2026 after each pleading guilty to their roles in October 2025. Alexander Smalls has pleaded not guilty is pending trial.

The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $ 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; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; 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 Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Somerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case alongside Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section.  

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

BOSTON – An East Boston man has been arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Three privately made firearms (ghost guns), four machine gun conversion devices, a 3D printer, five magazines and 31 privately made firearm receivers found during search.

Angel Negron, 47, of East Boston, was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Negron was arrested at his apartment on March 31, 2026 and remains detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

According to the charging documents, between Jan. 14, 2026, and March 2, 2026, Negron ordered 29 firearm parts to his apartment via his eBay account. Additionally, on March 3, 2026, Negron allegedly submitted an online complaint to a firearm company, saying that a trigger he purchased from the company’s eBay store did not fire his firearm properly. In that communication, Negron allegedly included a photograph of a firearm with a 3D printed frame:

During a search of Negron’s apartment on March 31, 2026, investigators seized three privately made firearms (ghost guns), four machine gun conversion devices, a 3D printer, five magazines and 31 privately made firearm receivers.  

In 2007, Negron was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of possession of a firearm without a license and carrying a loaded firearm, for which he was sentenced to 30 months in the house of correction.

The charge of 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 $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 Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Boston Police Department.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson of the Criminal Division 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 Fall River man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and distributing cocaine.

Carlos Perez, 40, pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of distributing a controlled substance. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2026. In November 2025, Perez was arrested and charged.

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

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

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River and New Bedford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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 Brazilian national illegally residing in Boston was sentenced today for conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants, principally illegal aliens.  

Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to time served (450 days in prison). The defendant is now subject to deportation. On March 6, 2026, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents. 

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

Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade and his alleged co-conspirators conspired to fraudulently obtain New York driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in New York, including Massachusetts residents, and after July 2023 to fraudulently obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in Massachusetts. The co-conspirators collected money from the customers in exchange for fraudulently obtaining the driver’s licenses for them. In one instance, on April 24, 2024, Nascimento De Andrade requested and accepted $450 in cash from a customer in the parking lot of a Plymouth RMV location in return for providing the customer with a fake cable bill to provide to the RMV, falsely showing that the customer lived in Massachusetts.

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

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

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

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

Nascimento De Andrade is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case. In September 2025, Cesar Agusto Marin Reis was sentenced to 290 days in prison and, in October 2025, Helbert Costa Generoso was sentenced to nine months in prison. 

 United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the NY DMV Division of Field Investigation; the Boston, Danbury (Conn.) and Waterbury (Conn.) Police Departments; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut; and the New York State Inspector General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted 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.

A Massachusetts woman pleaded guilty today for her role in conspiring with others and committing sex trafficking of two minors and one adult.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Christy Parker, also known as “Lula,” 28, of Fall River, Massachusetts, used physical beatings, threats, intimidation, sleep deprivation, starvation and other means to coerce at least one adult victim and two minor victims to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in and around Fall River, Massachusetts between January and August 2023. Starting in January 2023, Parker coerced the adult victim to engage in repeated commercial sex acts by physically beating, threatening and verbally abusing the victim; imposing manufactured debts on the victim; plying the victim with alcohol and subsequently withholding it; and threatening to have the authorities take the victim’s 3-year-old child away from her. 

Parker later worked with a minor to recruit two minor victims for commercial sex with false promises of easy money. Parker and her co-defendants harbored the minor victims in a house and a Fall River hotel and provided them for commercial sex over the course of two months in July and August 2023. Parker physically beat and threatened the minor victims, prohibited them from sleeping so they could engage in more commercial sex, starved them, and confiscated all of their earnings. Parker’s scheme ended in August 2023, when one of the minor victims called her social worker and asked for help. The social worker contacted law enforcement, and Parker was arrested at the Fall River hotel where she was harboring the victims.

Parker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking a minor. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Restitution is also mandatory for offenses involving sex trafficking.

Four of Parker’s co-defendants were previously convicted and sentenced. Tyreik Reid, 22, and Cory Primo, 44, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking each and sentenced to 70 months in prison. Avvani Jeffers, 24, was convicted of two counts of forced labor and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Tre’sean Reid, 23, was convicted of one count of forced labor and sentenced to time served, which amounted to 8 months in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming of the HSI New England Field Office made the announcement.

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

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

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

BOSTON – A Saugus man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl.

George Krabey, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2025, Krabey pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, involving 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; three counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; and one count of distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. In July 2025, Krabey was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Between December 2024 and April 2025, Krabey repeatedly met with a cooperating source and sold thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. On April 22, 2025, Krabey was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by law enforcement in Danvers. Krabey was enroute to Salisbury to sell the cooperating source 4,000 counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine. During a search of the vehicle, a shoebox was located containing 5,296 pills containing methamphetamine with a weight of approximately two kilograms.

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

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

Carlos Alexander Martinez-Jimenez, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to one year in prison, to be served consecutive to his current state prison sentence. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In January 2026, Martinez-Jimenez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025.

In February 2017, Martinez-Jimenez was convicted of Furnishing a False Name or Social Security Number as well as Identity Fraud in Fall River District Court, for which he was sentenced to 134 days in state prison. He was subsequently removed from the United States in April 2017 after serving his sentence.

Sometime after his April 2017 removal, Martinez-Jimenez unlawfully reentered the United States.

On Jan. 31, 2024, Martinez-Jimenez was convicted of Trafficking 18 grams or more (Less Than 36 grams) of Heroin/Morphine/Opium/Fentanyl in Essex Superior Court. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half to five years in state prison and is currently serving that sentence.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Zachary Stendig of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Randolph man and a Boston man have pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to cocaine trafficking charges, following a series of arrests targeting gangs in the Brockton and Randolph areas. The charges stemmed from the search of a luxury apartment in Dorchester, where over a kilogram of cocaine and two loaded guns were recovered.

Giovany Fouyolle, 31, of Randolph, 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. Adonis Graham, 34, of Boston, pleaded guilty today to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencings for May 26, 2026 and July 2, 2026, respectively.

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.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. 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, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by 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; and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A New York man has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cargo and sell the items for illicit profit. The goods allegedly stolen include beer worth approximately $35,200; 33,750 pounds of frozen snow crabs worth approximately $325,000; pallets of blueberries; and more than $430,000 worth of designer cologne.

Romoy Forbes, 31, a Jamaican national living in Deer Park, N.Y., has been indicted for interstate transportation of stolen goods, and conspiracy to commit that offense. Forbes was previously arrested on Feb. 5, 2026 in Long Island, N.Y., after being charged by complaint in the District of Massachusetts. He was later released on conditions and will be arraigned in federal court in Worcester at 3:15 p.m. today.

According to the indictment, Forbes and his co-conspirators were able to steal the goods, partly through fraudulent emails that they sent to shippers. The emails were made to appear as though they were being sent by legitimate trucking carrier companies, offering and agreeing to receive and deliver goods that the shippers had advertised as in need of transportation.  

On July 15, 2025, Forbes allegedly obtained the frozen snow crab from a storage warehouse in Worcester, Mass. that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Maine, to a customer in Jacksonville, Fla. Forbes allegedly procured the seafood by falsely representing that he was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in Illinois. Instead of delivering the goods to the true customer in Florida, Forbes allegedly transported it to a loading dock in Queens, N.Y.  

According to the charging documents, on June 6, 2025, before the alleged seafood heist, Forbes allegedly obtained a shipment of beer worth approximately $35,200, from a brewery in Newark, N.J. that was intended for delivery to a customer in Portland, Maine. Instead of delivering the beer to the true customer in Maine, Forbes allegedly drove the beer to Long Island, N.Y., where he provided it to an individual in return for payment.

In addition, on June 26, 2025, Forbes allegedly obtained blueberries from a storage business in Winslow Junction, N.J., that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Maine, to a customer in Illinois, by falsely representing that Forbes was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in New Jersey. Forbes allegedly did not deliver the fruit to the customer. Instead, on June 27, 2025, a contact in Forbes’ cellphone named, “My customer for everything,” allegedly texted Forbes, “You bringing the blues,” to which Forbes texted “Yes, just text me the address,” “we can do 4000 and I will bring it to you right now,” and “OK, so I will be there tomorrow to drop off the blueberries.”  

After the seafood, beer and blueberry thefts, on July 25, 2025, Forbes allegedly conspired to steal cologne in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Illinois, to a customer in Los Angeles, by falsely representing that Forbes was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in Illinois. Instead of delivering the fragrances to the true customer in California, Forbes allegedly contacted his “customer for everything” offering to sell the cologne and sent the contact a video of the cologne, to which the contact replied, “Ok.”

The charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit that offense carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.  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, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI in New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office 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.

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 Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a string of smash and grab burglaries.  

Ronald Patterson, Jr., 35, was sentenced on April 1, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Patterson was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution. In September 2021, Patterson, Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Patterson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with two co-conspirators.

Patterson was a member of a group of individuals who conducted “smash and grab” burglaries of luxury stores from Florida to Massachusetts. Patterson admitted his participation in 14 such burglaries with a total of $506,532 worth of merchandise stolen. Many of the burglaries were recorded by store surveillance cameras. The videos show a group of men breaking into a store by smashing the glass doors. After entering the closed stores, the men grabbed and stole armfuls of high-end merchandise. The investigation revealed that Patterson listed for sale stolen merchandise on his social media account.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and the Wrentham Police Chief William R. McGrath made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Woodbury Police Department (N.Y.), Pocono Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), Leesburg Police Department (Virginia) and the Tilton Falls Police Department (N.J.). Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.    

BOSTON – A Stoughton, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges relating to thousands of injections she performed using counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers imported from China and Brazil. The defendant, who was not licensed to perform injections, received more than $1 million in client payments for these procedures.

Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, pleaded guilty to four counts of importing merchandise contrary to law, two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug and two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit device. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2026. Fadanelli was arrested and charged in November 2024.

According to the charging documents, beginning in at least March 2021, Fadanelli, the owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa with locations in Randolph and South Easton, Mass., imported counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvéderm from China and Brazil and performed thousands of injections using these and other counterfeit drugs and devices for which she received more than $1 million in client payments. Fadanelli falsely represented to her clients and employees that she was a nurse; in fact, Fadanelli is an aesthetician and was never licensed to perform injections or otherwise dispense or administer prescription drugs or devices.

The charge of importing merchandise contrary to law provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of knowingly selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. 

If you or a family member believe you received services involving a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device from Fadanelli and/or Skin Beaute Med Spa between 2021 and 2025, please complete the questionnaire located on the FDA’s website at https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/criminal-investigations/oci-vw-assistance. Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/united-states-v-rebecca-fadanelli.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The Medicaid Fraud Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Stoughton and Randolph Police Departments also provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Sarah Hoefle of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – An associate of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for drug conspiracy charges.

Mark Linnehan, 26, of West Roxbury, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2026, Linnehan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

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

The investigation of H Block began in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. Since the start of the investigation in 2021, law enforcement attributed 12 incidents of gunfire to growing tensions involving H Block gang associates. Six H Block members and associates were arrested and charged with drug dealing in Boston and the surrounding communities. Four additional H Block members and associates were already in state custody at the time of the arrests. Additional drugs and four firearms were seized during the subsequent arrests.

From 2022 through 2023, Linnehan, a long-time H Block gang associate, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, in particular, fentanyl and cocaine. According to court filings, Linnehan was a supplier of fentanyl to his co-conspirators and also engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer.

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

Linnehan is the 6th 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; Randy Maloney, 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.

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

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

BOSTON – A former United States Postal Service (USPS) employee was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for the theft of mail and theft of government funds.

Michael Murray, 38, of Lynn, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 30 months’ probation. Murray was also ordered to pay $8,553 in restitution and forfeiture of $5,130. In January 2025, Murray pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter by an employee and one count of theft of government money. In April 2024, Murray was indicted by a federal grand jury.

From approximately September 2022 through July 2023, Murray worked as a USPS postal clerk at the Beach Street Post Office in Revere and the Melrose Post Office. From approximately April 2023 through July 2023, Murray used his official position to steal the contents of hundreds of pieces of mail entrusted to him, including gift cards, cash and checks totaling approximately $3,422. During the same time period, Murray stole and fraudulently negotiated USPS money orders by generating them for postal customers for his own use totaling approximately $5,131.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, prosecuted the case. 
 

BOSTON – A former accounting and real estate executive in Sudbury was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a multi-year scheme to cheat the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by getting paid more than $1.6 million in compensation and fringe benefits under the table, all while lying to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about his income to avoid paying restitution he owed to victims of an earlier fraud scheme.

Stephen L. Hochberg, 78, of Marlborough, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to two years in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release. Hochberg was also ordered to pay $2,888,288 in restitution to the IRS, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as to victims of his prior crimes of securities and wire fraud. In January 2026, Hochberg pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to obstruction of justice. Hochberg was charged in December 2025.

Hochberg and Charles D. Katz, the owner of a Sudbury accounting firm and a real estate company, agreed in as early as 2014 to cheat the IRS. They agreed that Hochberg, who served as the Director of Corporate Services at Katz’s accounting firm and as Chief Operating Officer at Katz’s real estate firm, would be paid significant compensation off the books so that Hochberg would have tax-free income and so that Katz’s firms – CD Katz LLC and Gebsco Realty Corporation – would owe less employment taxes. Over time, Katz paid Hochberg’s family, provided rent-free housing to Hochberg’s ex-wife, paid college tuition for his children and paid personal expenses that Hochberg and his ex-wife charged on corporate credit cards.

All told, Katz paid Hochberg at least $1,668,487 in unreported income and avoided taxes of at least $835,105.

In 2008, Hochberg was convicted of eight counts of wire fraud and nine counts of securities fraud, for which he was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,791,500 to his victims. In addition to his and Katz’s tax scheme, Hochberg lied to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about his income from Katz’s firms and obstructed the collection of restitution Hochberg owed to victims.

Katz was charged and agreed to plead guilty in October 2025. The Court accepted his plea and scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 29, 2026.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of 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 Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – As part of the United States Attorney’s ongoing enforcement priority to investigate and prosecute benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs, a Worcester man has been charged with using the identity of a deceased U.S. citizen to obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

John Doe, an individual whose true identity is alleged to be that of a 57-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic believed to be unlawfully present in the United States, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and false representation of a Social Security number. The defendant was arrested on April 2, 2026 and remains detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester.

According to the charging documents, since at least 2001, John Doe has been living in Massachusetts under the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico who died in 2006. It is alleged that under the deceased citizen’s identity, the defendant fraudulently obtained Massachusetts identification cards and a Social Security card.

According to court documents John Doe has criminal convictions in Massachusetts under the deceased citizen’s identity, including assault and drug convictions. Specifically, in September 2012, John Doe was convicted in Worcester Superior Court of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (gun) as well as trafficking cocaine, for which he was sentenced to state prison for 8-10 years and 11-15 years in state prison, respectively. 

Upon his release from prison in January 2022, the defendant allegedly used the stolen identity to apply for SNAP benefits. It is alleged that, in connection with his SNAP application, John Doe spoke with an employee of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) in April 2022, claiming that he was the individual listed on the application, that he was a U.S. citizen, and verified his purported Social Security number. According to the charging documents, the DTA employee noted in the file: “Death match ??? – reviewing with suoervisor [sic]” – apparently indicating that the Social Security number that John Doe allegedly provided corresponded to a deceased person. However, the application was ultimately approved by Massachusetts DTA, and John Doe allegedly proceeded to collect SNAP benefits.

In total, from April 2022 through February 2026, John Doe allegedly applied for and obtained approximately $12,623 in SNAP benefits under the stolen deceased citizen’s identity.

The charge of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of misrepresenting a Social Security number 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. 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; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office 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 Brazilian national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for selling 11 firearms, including one equipped with a large capacity magazine and another with an obliterated serial number.

Guilherme Fernandes-Tavares, 32, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to four years in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In November 2025, Fernandes-Tavares pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license. Fernandes-Tavares was arrested in May 2024 in an unrelated state case. Fernandes-Tavares was charged in federal court by criminal complaint in March 2025 and subsequently indicted in July 2025.

Between January and May 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold firearms in Eastern Massachusetts. Specifically, on March 27, 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold a pistol with a high-capacity magazine capable of holding 29 rounds. On May 7, 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold a pistol with an obliterated serial number. When asked about the serial number, Fernandes-Tavares told a cooperating witness that Fernandes-Tavares’ source of the firearm required him to obliterate the serial number. In addition, Fernandes-Tavares sold nine other firearms to the cooperating witness during this time period.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An associate of the Asian Boyz gang was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a distribution network that produced homemade methamphetamine pills, branded as “Adderall.”

Richard Nguyen, a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Cheeseburger,” 30, of Lowell, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to 128 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2025, Nguyen was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Nguyen was arrested and charged in January 2025.

In 2021, an investigation began into the Asian Boyz gang to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution of substantial quantities of methamphetamine pills impacting the City of Lowell. Nguyen was part of the large drug distribution network that profited from the sale of thousands of these counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine. Between March 2022 and January 2025, Nguyen and other defendants sold counterfeit Adderall pills to undercover officers and cooperating witnesses on 47 different occasions.

Nguyen sold counterfeit Adderall pills to a cooperating witness at least three times between January 2024 and April 2024. Each time, Nguyen directed the cooperating witness to meet him at his home to conduct the deal, on a back porch covered with a tarp and accessible only from a narrow alleyway. Nguyen negotiated the deals with the cooperating witness using an Instagram account, “Cheese.” He gave the cooperating witness a price of $0.80 per pill, explaining that he could only get the pills for $0.70 per pill, and that he had to “make [his] dollar.” During the first deal on his back porch, Nguyen sold the cooperating witness approximately 1,000 pills. During the next two deals, Nguyen sold the cooperating witness twice as much – approximately 2,000 pills each time.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Superintendent Greg C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred M. Wyshak, III and Brendan D. O’Shea of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Reading, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for trafficking in wildlife parts from endangered and protected species.

Adam Bied, 40, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to eight months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Bied was also ordered to pay a $75,000 fine to fund wildlife enforcement efforts. In January 2026, Bied pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, specifically, illegally imported wildlife parts, and two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in wildlife. The wildlife that Bied unlawfully imported and conspired to import was protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  None of the wildlife Bied imported was declared as required by law. Bied was charged in June 2024.

“Trafficking in the remains of endangered and protected animals is not a collector’s hobby – it is a crime that fuels the exploitation of vulnerable species around the world,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “As the Department of Justice has made clear, protecting animal welfare and enforcing our wildlife laws is a priority. This defendant knowingly smuggled and profited from the killing of protected animals – some of which were slaughtered at his direction – undermining global conservation efforts. Today’s sentence holds him accountable and sends a clear message: those who traffic in wildlife will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Our agency works diligently to combat the illegal international trafficking of wildlife parts due to its devastating effect on a wide variety of vulnerable species,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “In their quest for quick profit, wildlife smugglers push critically endangered animals toward the edge of extinction and undermine global conservation efforts. Halting this illegal trade remains one of our highest priorities and together with the Department of Justice, we will bring those responsible to justice.”

Beginning in at least January 2018 and continuing until at least June 2021, Bied bought, sold and traded in wildlife parts and products from threatened and endangered species knowing that many of the transactions violated U.S. laws and regulations, including the ESA and the Lacey Act. Bied also knowingly failed to declare the wildlife to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) upon importation into the United States.

Specifically, Bied placed orders with individuals in Cameroon and Indonesia who were in the businesses of killing and acquiring wildlife, including endangered and protected species, received the parts in the United States unlawfully and then resold or traded the wildlife to customers in the United States.

In text messages, Bied and a co-conspirator in Cameroon (CC-1), a person Bied knew to be a poacher of native species, discussed hunting and killing wildlife. For example, in June 2018 when CC-1 told Bied that he was unable to obtain bullets for hunting wildlife due to the ongoing civil war, Bied offered to send him bullets. After CC-1 said he could go to jail if he is caught receiving ammunition during the ongoing civil war, Bied offered to send him money for bullets in exchange for skulls including, as they discussed, chimpanzee skulls. Bied also requested a gorilla skull. Both gorillas and chimpanzees are endangered, and most gorilla species are critically endangered. Bied also sought to purchase skulls from elephants, lions, hippos and other “rare” and “large animals.”

Bied repeatedly instructed CC-1 not to send him skulls with bullet holes, writing “stop sending me skulls with holes” and “Just send me a lot of big skulls. Also no skulls with bullet holes.” In various messages with CC-1, Bied referred to his customers, advising CC-1, “I need rare things for my customers.”

Bied was aware of the laws protecting wildlife and governing wildlife importation and that it was illegal to trade in endangered and protected species. For example, on Dec. 26, 2019 Bied took photographs of an educational exhibit at a zoo about illegal wildlife trafficking, that prominently featured pangolins as the “most heavily trafficked wild mammal.”  Later that day, Bied texted CC-1, “I'd like to buy the pangolin skull – I'd like to buy this pangolin still.”  All subspecies of pangolins are protected under CITES.

Bied and his conspirator in Indonesia (CC-2) exchanged electronic messages about the acquisition, purchase, and sale of wildlife, and protected wildlife. Among other wildlife, Bied purchased multiple orangutans and Javan leopard skulls from CC-2. Both species are critically endangered.  

Bied later sold two illegally imported leopard skulls to an undercover federal agent. During the negotiations over one skull, Bied lied about its origin, falsely claiming to the agent that the leopard skull was at least 60 years old, that he had purchased it at an auction, and that he believed the sale of this skull to be legal. In fact, the skull had been recently illegally imported from Indonesia. Bied neither sought nor obtained the necessary USFWS import/export licenses or CITES permits before importing these items, nor did he declare the wildlife to the USFWS upon import as required. Instead, Bied and his co-conspirators took steps to conceal the wildlife parts from U.S. authorities by falsely labeling them as “decorative masks” and “rodents,” among other things. Bied unlawfully imported skulls from the following wildlife species, among others: baboon, chimpanzee, pangolin, orangutan and leopard.

Bied has consented to the civil forfeiture of over 100 wildlife parts from endangered, threatened, or protected species seized by the USFWS in July 2021 from Bied’s residence, storage unit and vehicle.

The wildlife parts identified in the civil forfeiture complaint include:

• Orangutan skulls
• Tiger skulls
• Leopard skin, skulls and a claw
• Jaguar skin and skull
• African lion skulls
• Polar bear skull
• Narwhal tusk
• Otter skeleton
• Harp seal skull
• Pangolin skull
• South American fur seal skull
• Elephant seal skull
• Babirusa skulls
• Mandrillus skulls
• Wallaby skull
• Jackal skull

Federal wildlife statutes and regulations prohibit international and illegal trade in vulnerable wildlife species. The ESA, the Lacey Act and CITES, as well as the accompanying regulations, prohibit the import, export, possession, transport, purchase and sale of protected species. The restrictions apply to live and dead wildlife specimens, as well as the skins, parts and products made in whole or in part from listed species. Additional documents are also required for wildlife protected by the CITES treaty, which regulates trade in endangered or threatened species through permit requirements.

The lawful importation of vulnerable wildlife species requires a CITES permit. The lawful importation of any foreign species requires a USFWS wildlife declaration. Individuals are also required to have a USFWS import/export license to import wildlife for commercial purposes.

U.S. Attorney Foley and USFWS Assistant Director Ault made the announcement. This case was worked jointly with the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Casey and Carol E. Head are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.

BOSTON – A Haverhill man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining $350,000 in investor funds.

Luciano Schipelliti, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2026. Schipelliti was charged in March 2026.

In the fall of 2018, Schipelliti established the Superstars Fund and raised roughly $275,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. By 2019, through a series of bad investments, Schipelliti lost all the money in the Superstars Fund. He did not, however, tell any of the investors that he had lost the money. Instead, beginning in approximately November 2020, Schipelliti began sending monthly newsletters to investors that falsely reported that the Superstars Fund continued to grow in value. 

Based on the misrepresented performance of the Superstars Fund, in approximately February 2021, Schipelliti launched a new fund, the TTM Fund, through which he raised approximately $350,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. Schipelliti lost all the money in the TTM fund by September 2021. According to the charging documents, Schipelliti lost most of the money in the TTM Fund investing in cryptocurrency and also used some of the money in a manner inconsistent with the terms of the TTM Fund’s operating agreement.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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 Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case. 
 

BOSTON – A former corrections officer employed by the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to submitting fraudulent information in an effort to obtain loans through CARES Act programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Jasmine Murphy, 39, of Boston, pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, arising out of PUA and PPP loan benefits obtained prior to her employment at the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits obtained prior to, and during, her employment there. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2026. In December 2025, Murphy was indicted along with another officer Christnel Orisca.

Murphy had been a Corrections Officer with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department from approximately January 2022 to December 2024. Prior to her employment with the Suffolk Sheriff’s Department, Murphy fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits while working for trucking and workforce services companies. While working at the Sheriff’s Department, Murphy fraudulently collected UI benefits for a brief period of time early in her tenure.  In total, Murphy obtained approximately $44,346 in unemployment benefits and small business loan funds to which she was not entitled.

In their PUA applications, both Murphy and Orisca made fraudulent representations about their employment status and thereafter falsely claimed, on a weekly basis, that they did not work and did not receive any income during the prior week. In their PPP loan applications, Murphy and Orisca submitted false statements to SBA-approved lenders, including about the income and/or payroll of their purported small businesses, in order to obtain their loans. According to the charging documents, they also made false representations on forms submitted to request that their PPP loans be forgiven.

Orisca pleaded guilty in November 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12, 2026.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements to a financial institution provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million 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; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, is prosecuting the case.

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

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline via the https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

BOSTON – A Duxbury man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Daniel Debreczeni, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. Debreczeni was arrested and charged in August 2025.

Between Nov. 29, 2023 and Dec. 12, 2023, Debreczeni distributed three videos containing CSAM in a private chat room dedicated to child sexual abuse on the Kik Messenger platform. The children in the three videos appeared to be between approximately two, three and eight years old. During a subsequent search of Debreczeni’s residence, five images and 19 videos depicting CSAM were located on Debreczeni’s Kik account.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Duxbury and Quincy Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass. was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Jose Alberto Tejeda Turbi, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In March 2026, Tejeda Turbi pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In January 2026, Tejeda Turbi was indicted by a federal grand jury.

In July 2015, Tejeda Turbi was convicted in federal court in Boston of heroin distribution and conspiracy, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. Tejeda Turbi was deported from the United States in March 2020 upon his completion of the sentence imposed.

Sometime after his March 2020 removal, Tejeda Turbi illegally reentered the United States without permission.

In June 2024, Tejeda Turbi was sentenced in Lawrence District Court to two years in prison for assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury and three years of probation for remaining charges.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Boston has been charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Angel Daniel Cruz-Sanchez, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Cruz-Sanchez was arrested on April 1, 2026 and made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 7, 2026.

According to the charging documents, Cruz-Sanchez is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who was deported in 2019 and 2023. In 2003, 2008 and 2018, Cruz-Sanchez was convicted in separate drug trafficking cases.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Brighton man has been arrested and charged with receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

John Tapley, 33, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. Tapley was arrested at his home yesterday, and following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 6, 2026.

According to the charging documents, Tapley was identified as a member of 15 group chats on the Signal messenger application. Many of these chats had group names that were indicative of the exchange of CSAM. During a search of Tapley’s residence yesterday, it is alleged that five CSAM files were found to have been received by Tapley on his Signal account. The victims in these videos appeared to be between approximately seven and 11 years old.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by United States Postal Inspection Service and Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

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

BOSTON – A Brazilian national currently serving a two-year sentence in the Middlesex House of Correction for Operating Under the Influence (4th or greater offense) has been charged in federal court with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Jose Antonio Ramos, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on April 8, 2026.

According to the charging documents, the defendant was removed from the United States in November 2008.

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 and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A Newtonville man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a drug distribution offense involving cocaine.

Trevor Headley, 32, 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. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2026. 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.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; 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 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 Great Barrington, Mass., man has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening President Donald J. Trump. Defendant allegedly posted messages on Facebook threatening to injure and kill the President.

Andrew D. Emerald, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications. Emerald was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Springfield, Mass., at 2:30 p.m. today.

According to the indictment, from May 2025 to July 2025, Emerald intentionally made eight separate Facebook posts in which he threatened to injure President Trump. Specifically, it is alleged that Emerald made the following posts:

• May 3, 2025: “When I see to it that Trump is put to death. It will be the the day the purpose creation put me here for beyond creating. My daughter is fulfilled. (because what she is destined to do for the world is far greater than mine, taking out the orange menace!)”
• May 13, 2025: “Oh, I’m not just watching!! Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026 or I am hunting him down and putting him there. Do you hear that FBI and any other organization that wants to show up at my f****** door? 🚪Put the enemy of the United States in a f****** body bag or I will.”
• May 15, 2025: “Cause and effect. Trump being a monster to humanity caused this family suffering, and they might never choose to have children because of him  Affect we’re going to f****** kill Trump on public television so the world sees what we do to f****** monsters and then we’re gonna hang him from the Statue of Liberty until his pathetic bloated corpse rots off falls in the ocean, and I swept out the to see with humanities trash 🚮 After what I just heard if Trump is not dead by 2026 I’m going to Mar-a-Lago and I’m going after myself.”
• May 15, 2025: “That’s not a threat that’s a f****** promise and I don’t have Trump arrangement syndrome. The bulls*** they made up. I’m going after him for taking my second amendment rights on constitutionally for calling him the Russian asset that he is!  Cause and f****** affect!!!’ I’m going after him because I’m an actual f****** patriot. By the way, if there’s any arrangement syndrome caused by Trump it’s what his cult is inflicting on the rest of us!!!! That is going to end up going down in the psychological history books. Including the bulls*** that is Trump arrangement syndrome. I have very good reason to threaten his life and to go after it whether I have my second amendment rights or not. If the people that are supposed to have not gone after him by the new year, I am hear Trump I’m coming for you you little b****.”
• May 30, 2025: “If others have not taken care of you before the end of the year, Trump, I will, and I won’t make the mistake of not knowing where the f*** you are when I come for you. I’ll make sure you’re at Mar-a-Lago when I burn it to the f****** ground.”
• May 30, 2025: “And you shouldn’t have listened to my father when he said I wasn’t dangerous.  I burned a house to the ground once in my life on accident when I burn you to the ground, it will very much be by intention, and I will revel in it instead of regret it for the rest of my life.”
• June 14, 2025: “Because killing is not wrong defending your life or putting down a predator you see taking others through murder. Which is why I’m coming for you, Trump. You’ve killed millions of people by proxy. And you’re a monster to f****** humanity and it is my mission in this life to end your f****** existence. And I won’t be murdering you I will be executing a monster. I will be fulfilling my constitutional duty to execute a criminal citizen that’s committed high treason just like the constitution tells me too, tells us all f****** too.”
• July 7, 2025: “Trump either you’re dead by 2026 or I’m coming for you personally and if I’m the one that kills you, you’re gonna suffer you little f****** b****.”

The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communications 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 Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Secret Service; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and the Great Barrington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office 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 Lynn man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for benefitting financially from trafficking two women for sex and knowingly persuading and coercing both women to travel to another state to engage in prostitution.

Anthony Coleman, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 12 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman was also ordered to pay $77,000 in restitution. In December 2025, Coleman pleaded guilty to two counts of benefitting financially from trafficking and two counts of knowingly persuading and coercing a person to travel to engage in prostitution. Coleman was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024 and subsequently arrested in April 2024. He has remained in federal custody since.

Coleman targeted victims who had lost their jobs or homes during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in March through August of 2020. Coleman had his victims move in with him, posted or controlled online commercial sex advertisements for them, provided them scripts to negotiate payment and terms with commercial sex buyers and transported his victims to hotels and other places to engage in commercial sex. The victims were required to give Coleman all the money they made. Coleman also regularly coerced his victims to have sex with him.

Specifically, in March 2020, Coleman recruited one victim who had lost her job due to the pandemic. The victim would sometimes be forced to engage in sex acts with 10-16 clients per day, with Coleman taking all the profits. Coleman also took the victim to Florida on multiple occasions to engage in commercial sex. Coleman also physically abused the victim – one time holding the victim underwater and threatening to drown her.

Around March and April 2020, Coleman recruited a second victim, convincing her to come live with him after she was kicked out of her home. The victim was unable to get a job because many businesses were closed due to COVID-19. The victim began engaging in commercial sex for Coleman and in May 2020, Coleman persuaded the victim to travel to California to engage in commercial sex. After she left him, Coleman threatened the victim – telling her he would hurt her mother and her sibling.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Revere and Cambridge Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Ludlow man has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening the father of a victim in a pending federal sex trafficking case.

Christopher Barbaro, 72, was charged with harassing and threatening a witness in an ongoing sex trafficking prosecution. The defendant was arrested on March 27, 2026 and made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson in federal court in Boston. The defendant was released on conditions.

According to the charging document, in May 2025, Barbaro’s grandson was charged with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor and with transporting a victim to engage in prostitution. While those crimes were under investigation in the fall of 2024, government investigators interviewed multiple people, including one of the victims and that victim’s father. After the individuals had been interviewed, Barbaro allegedly sent the victim’s father a text message in November 2024 that stated: “You and your kid are a couple of f***** rats [rat emoji] and you know what happens to rats they choke on cheese you no good mother f***** I know what you guys did.”

It is further alleged that in December 2025, Barbaro allegedly called the victim’s father and left the following voicemail: “You c***sucker. I’m gonna get ahold of you at your f****** office, you prick. Be ready!” Five minutes after leaving that voicemail, Barbaro allegedly called the victim’s father again and told him, among other things, that he was a “rat.”

In March 2026, Barbaro allegedly told federal agents that he made communications to the victim’s father. It is further alleged that Barbaro confirmed that he knew where the victim’s father lives and works. Barbaro allegedly stated that if he saw the victim’s father he would “beat the s*** out of him…after what he did to my grandson.” When asked again if he would beat up the victim’s father, Barbaro allegedly stated, “I’d like to smash his face is what I’d like to do, for what he did miss. I’ll be honest with you. You can write that down. Take it as a threat. Whatever you wanna do. But that’s my feelings towards him. Alright? He’s a slippery SOB.”

“My office is committed to vigorously prosecuting anyone who threatens or harasses victims or witnesses,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This office is committed to protecting the brave individuals who report crimes and assist in prosecutions to hold defendants accountable for their criminal conduct.”

“Christopher Barbaro learned today that witness tampering can land you in handcuffs,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Mr. Barbaro is accused of harassing and threatening to harm a federal witness in a sex trafficking conspiracy case involving his grandson. Let me be clear: ensuring the safety of federal witnesses both before and after a prosecution is paramount, and the FBI takes Barbaro’s alleged acts extremely seriously.”

The charge of harassing another person and thereby hindering a person from assisting in a criminal prosecution, or attempting to do so, provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of threatening to cause bodily injury with intent to retaliate against a witness, or attempting to do so, provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Ludlow, Wilbraham and East Longmeadow Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings, Craig Estes and Kunal Pasricha of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – An Everett man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for selling more than half a dozen firearms, including AR-15 style rifles.

Joao Victor Da Silva Soares, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to time served (18 months in prison), to be followed by two years of supervised release. In December 2025, Da Silva Soares pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Da Silva Soares was arrested in September 2024 in a related state case. Da Silva Soares was charged in federal court by criminal complaint in January 2025 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025.

Between August and September 2024, Da Silva Soares supplied firearms for sale in Eastern Massachusetts. Specifically, on Aug. 26, 2024, Da Silva Soares delivered two AR-15 style rifles and sold them for $6,000 in a parking lot in Malden. On Sept. 11, 2024, Da Silva Soares participated in another sale involving a total of five firearms (consisting of rifles, pistols and a shotgun) outside a residence in Milford.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Malden and Milford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An associate of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine.

Daniel Loughman, a/k/a “Swiss,” 40, of Wakefield, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Loughman pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.

Loughman was one of four individuals charged in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Eastern Massachusetts by members and associates of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club.  

In approximately October 2023, Loughman was identified as a drug trafficker who distributed methamphetamine to customers throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Investigators conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Loughman, as well as from his co-conspirators James Snow, of Tewkesbury, Danielle Steenbruggen, of Peabody, and James Adams, of Byfield. Approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms were seized throughout the investigation from controlled purchases, motor vehicle stops and search warrants.

Loughman is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in the case. Steenbruggen pleaded guilty in August 2025 and was sentenced to 93 months in prison in November 2025. Snow pleaded guilty in December 2025 and was sentenced to 90 months in prison on March 23, 2026. Adams pleaded guilty in December 2025 and was sentenced to 151 months in prison on March 20, 2026.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Steven A. Skory of the Wakefield Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Newbury, Newburyport, Haverhill, Peabody and Hampton (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Wilbraham, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for making numerous violent threats on social media targeting public figures, private individuals, children in Wilbraham and Boston, and an elementary school in Springfield, Mass.

Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, a/k/a “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” a/k/a “Michael Jacobs,” a/k/a “Robert Jacobs,”a/k/a “Carl Fields,” 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 32 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In July 2025, Nyawo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and one count of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce. Nyawo was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.

Between July 30, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo posted various threatening communications on X (formerly known as Twitter). These threats explicitly referenced killing, shooting, or bombing; targeted a wide variety of public figures, private individuals and sensitive public locations such as shopping malls and an elementary school; and often urged Islamic terrorist groups or holy warriors to commit these acts of violence.  

Nyawo’s threats included threats to kill an elected United States official (and their family); a former United States official (and their family); a former member of a Massachusetts police department (and their family); two private individuals; local officials and their family members; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department and Wilbraham Fire Department (and their families); and targeted two shopping malls and an elementary school in Springfield, among others.

In addition, between Aug. 17, 2024 and on or about Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo used X to engage in a course of conduct with the intent to harass and intimidate the elected United States official, their spouse, their child, their child’s spouse and their grandchildren.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and J. Thomas Manger of the United States Capital Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Wilbraham Police Department, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and the Miami-Dade Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Sudbury man, formerly of Hudson (Mass.), pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to carrying out a scheme from at least 2015 to 2024 to steal money from his two former employers, both medical practices.

Adam Gentile, 39, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. Gentile was charged in December 2025.

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

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

The charge of wire fraud 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 or twice the gross loss involved. 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 Leominster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – The owner of a small convenience in Boston has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars’ worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The defendant’s monthly SNAP redemptions in his 150 square foot store ranged from $100,000 - $500,000 per month, far outpacing full-service supermarkets which redeem approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.

The defendant also sold liquor and emergency food supplies intended for food-insecure children overseas.

Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of food stamp fraud and one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Bonheur was arrested and charged in December 2025. As part of today’s plea, Bonheur agreed to forfeit nearly $400,000 in fraudulently obtained proceeds that were seized during the investigation.

Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store, which operated as a small variety store within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Jesula Variety Store occupied approximately 150 square feet.

According to the charging documents, despite the store’s limited size, inventory and food offerings, Jesula Variety Store exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales. Transaction data revealed that the store had exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly situated businesses of the same size, type and location. Specifically, Bonheur’s monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store regularly exceeded $100,000 – with many months exceeding $300,000 and, at times, $500,000. By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.

Additionally, transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10% of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70% of transactions exceeded $95. Such transaction patterns are typically associated with large supermarkets, not small variety stores with limited food inventory.

During undercover operations conducted over the course of the investigation, SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash from Jesula Variety Store on four occasions. In each instance, the defendant worked the cash registers and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Bonheur also sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.

Additionally, Jesula Variety Store also sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. These meals are paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for shipment and distribution to food-insecure children overseas and are never authorized for retail sale. Bonheur sold donated MannaPack meals in his store for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.

Jesula Variety Store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, therefore Bonheur relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, Bonheur maintained numerous secondary bank accounts through which SNAP proceeds were transferred, withdrawn as cash and redeposited to create the appearance of legitimate business activity while obscuring the true source of funds.

Despite receiving millions of dollars per year in SNAP redemptions through Jesula Variety Store, Bonheur was issued a SNAP card for himself by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. In applying for his SNAP benefits, Bonheur made multiple false statements concerning his income and assets.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region; 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – A former executive secretary at the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to falsifying overtime forms. The defendant lied about working overtime and forged her supervisor’s signature on the overtime forms.

Helen Murray, 41, of Malden, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2026.

From 2017 to 2024, Murray worked as an executive secretary at BHA. As an executive secretary, Murray was responsible for collecting weekly BHA timesheets, as well as overtime forms from other BHA employees. Murray was also eligible to work overtime and receive overtime pay.

To collect overtime, Murray’s overtime work had to be pre-approved by her senior management. Specifically, Murray would have to perform the overtime work, accurately and truthfully fill out an overtime form and submit it to her immediate supervisor via email to be approved electronically.

However, in January 2023, Murray began submitting false overtime forms to BHA payroll. Instead of submitting the forms to her supervisor for approval, Murray entered overtime hours that Murray had not worked and then falsified her supervisor’s signature on the form, without her supervisor’s knowledge nor permission. Murray would then submit the falsified overtime forms directly to BHA Payroll via email, after which BHA payroll would include Murray’s fraudulent overtime pay in her weekly paycheck.

In total, Murray submitted over 100 falsified overtime forms between January 2023 to August 2024 – ultimately collecting approximately $72,131 in fraudulent overtime pay.

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

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; 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. The Boston Housing Authority provided valuable assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Worcester man has been sentenced for sexually exploiting three minor females.

Antonio Merced, 29, was sentenced on March 26, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 30 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to his state prison sentence. In July 2025, Merced pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.

In July 2024, Merced exposed two minor victims to pornography and sex toys. A subsequent investigation revealed that Merced had been sexually abusing three minors and producing videos of their sexual abuse. Documentation of the abuse occurring in 2023 of a six year old child, and videos created in 2024 of two other children being sexually abused by Merced were found during the investigation. At a plea hearing in July 2025, Merced admitted to using the three minors to create sexually explicit videos and to possessing hundreds of photos and videos of child sex abuse material of children unknown to him.

Merced was arrested in September 2024 and was subsequently indicted in Worcester Superior Court. He was convicted of 10 counts of aggravated rape of a child and sentenced to 25-30 years in state prison.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.  

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

BOSTON – A South Carolina businessman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to COVID relief fraud.

David Breen, 54, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property, for misappropriating COVID-19 funds for personal use. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026.

Breen spent more than $1.2 million in Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) money that he obtained from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to build a home and purchase motor vehicles. Through the EIDL program, the SBA provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Specifically, in March 2022, Breen applied for EIDL funds on behalf of ‘Fun Zone,’ an entity through which he operated ‘Pinz,’ a bowling alley and other entertainment venue in Milford, Mass. To obtain the loan, Breen entered into a loan agreement with the SBA in which he agreed, among other things, to use the loan proceeds as working capital for his business. After receiving approximately $1.5 million from the SBA, Breen used more than $1.2 million of this money, through June 2023, to build a home for himself in Mount Pleasant, S.C., and for down payments on a $111,000 truck and a $98,289 Mercedes.

The charge of theft of government property carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan D. O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug trafficking and firearm offenses. 

Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 33, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base and methamphetamine. The defendant also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026. Hernandez was indicted in March 2025, along with his alleged co-conspirator Lexus Perez. 

During a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were found inside Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $10 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. 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 Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.  

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

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

BOSTON – A Gardner woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits for 10 years.  

Michelle M. DiSalvo, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of stolen government money or property; one count of Social Security fraud; and one count of false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. DiSalvo was charged in February 2026.

In 2001, DiSalvo began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Eligibility for SSI is based, in part, on the applicant having limited income and resources. In assessing a married individual’s eligibility for SSI, the income and resources of the applicant’s spouse is considered if they live together. If an applicant is awarded SSI, they have a continuing obligation to notify SSA of any changes in their marital status, living arrangements and household income and resources.

In June 2014, DiSalvo truthfully reported to SSA that she was married, but falsely stated that she and her husband had separated in September 2013, when, in fact, they were living together. In five additional redetermination interviews with SSA between December 2014 and August 2023, DiSalvo continued to conceal that she lived with her husband with the intent to fraudulently obtain SSI benefits. DiSalvo also submitted a fraudulent lease agreement to SSA in October 2023 that DiSalvo omitted her husband because she knew that if she reported living with him, DiSalvo’s husband’s income and resources would have made her ineligible for SSI.

From October 2013 through October 2023, DiSalvo fraudulently received $93,640 in SSI disability benefits.

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

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

BOSTON – A Burlington, Mass. man was sentenced on March 26, 2026 for sending obscene material to an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl on Kik messenger.

Stephen James Lemelin, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2025, Lemelin was convicted of three counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Lemelin was arrested and charged in May 2024 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.

Over the course of five months, Lemelin –a Burlington High School wrestling coach at the time – sent sexually explicit messages and obscene material over Kik Messenger to an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. In the messages, Lemelin sent three separate obscene photographs of his genitals to the purported child and proposed meeting in person for sex.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and the Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Burlington, Salisbury and Winchester Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Eric L. Hawkins 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 – An Amherst, Mass. man has been sentenced in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for possessing more than 100,000 files of sexual abuse material (CSAM). The defendant possessed disturbing images of violent acts including a female being shot in the head, a cat in a blender and a dog being beaten to death.

Daniel Tocci, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of 70 months in prison. In September 2025, Tocci pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

During a search of Tocci’s Amherst residence in November 2023, it was revealed that Tocci possessed over 100,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors. More than 100,000 CSAM files were found saved across five thumb drives and more than 10,000 CSAM files were found on Tocci’s laptop. Some CSAM files portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or sexual exploitation of a toddler.

Tocci’s laptop also contained extremely disturbing images of violent acts, such as a cat being killed by being put in a blender; a male shooting a female in the head; a dog being beaten to death; severed limbs; as well as images and videos of bestiality. Tocci’s devices also revealed Google searches related to child sexual abuse, such as “countries with legal prostitution under 18.”

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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Amherst Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

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

BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley has named two federal prosecutors to lead the newly formed Benefit and Voter Fraud Team in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered in Massachusetts. The Team’s mission will be to actively and aggressively root out benefit fraud in Massachusetts, including SNAP fraud, MassHealth fraud, childcare subsidy fraud and voter fraud, just to name a few. In support of this effort, a new hotline has been established for members of the public to report suspicion of benefit fraud: 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).

The District of Massachusetts is committed to assisting the Administration’s war on fraud and will support the work of the Vice President’s Anti-Fraud Task Force and the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division through independent investigations brought by the Benefit and Voter Fraud Team.

The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will be led by two Fraud Coordinators, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Mallard and Mark Grady. AUSA Mallard will be responsible for overseeing the district-wide effort, coordinating with multiple federal agencies to identify benefit fraud and develop a plan of action. AUSA Mark Grady will supervise the federal investigations and prosecutions for the office, working closely with partner agencies.

“Both Phil and Mark are seasoned federal prosecutors who each bring tremendous assets to the Fraud Team. With a combined 40+ years of prosecutorial experience, they will hit the ground running and make a lasting impact on the widespread and prolific benefit fraud we are seeing across the state,” said Foley.

AUSA Mallard is a longtime state and federal prosecutor, first serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County where he investigated and prosecuted gangs, murders and numerous types of fraud. He has extensive experience prosecuting SNAP fraud, procurement fraud, identity theft and embezzlement, among others. AUSA Mallard joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit in 2018 where he is responsible for investigating violent crime, including complex gang and murder cases such as the Latin Kings and Trinitarios.

AUSA Mark Grady is Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit where he manages and prosecutes a range of immigration, child exploitation, violent crime and fraud cases. He has deep prosecutorial experience in the fraud space, including fraud cases against the Massachusetts State and Boston Police, SNAP, housing, Social Security and employment fraud. He previously served in the Public Corruption Unit, Worcester Branch Office and the Civil Division. AUSA Grady has been a federal prosecutor for nearly 25 years and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County.  

Since December 2025, Foley’s office has charged 15 individuals with nearly $9 million in fraud including SNAP benefit fraud and MassHealth fraud.

“It has become apparent that there are insufficient guardrails in place in Massachusetts to address the rampant benefit fraud across the state. It is time to hold criminals stealing taxpayer benefits accountable. This has gone on far too long and the buck stops with me,” said Foley.

Earlier today, Foley’s office announced charges against nine individuals, including a Dominican national for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 in SNAP, Social Security and MassHealth benefits in Massachusetts using a stolen identity. The charges in these cases were brought after an analysis of recipient data showed the same identity was receiving benefits at the same time in two or more states post COVID. According to the charging documents, in December 2024, Massachusetts DTA issued SNAP benefits to approximately 495 identities simultaneously receiving SNAP benefits in Puerto Rico.

“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said Foley. “We have dozens of investigations in the pipeline that will come to fruition in the coming weeks. My office is committed to stepping up and taking benefit fraud seriously.”

The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will employ resources from Homeland Security Investigations in New England; U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.