District of Maine

BANGOR, Maine: A New York man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for submitting a false mortgage loan application and maintaining a marijuana-involved premises.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Ken Yiu, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, to time-served (one day) prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Yiu pleaded guilty on December 10, 2025.

According to court records, Yiu purchased a house in Saint Albans using an $80,000 residential mortgage loan he obtained from a Maine bank. To receive the funding, Yiu submitted a loan application in which he answered “Yes” to the question, “Do you intend to occupy the property as your primary residence?” Yiu never intended to occupy the property as a residence. From September 2020 through January 2024, he instead used the property to grow and distribute marijuana.

In December 2024, federal law enforcement agents interviewed Yiu. During the interview, Yiu admitted selling marijuana he grew at his Saint Albans property to buyers in Massachusetts. Investigators executed a federal search warrant at the property in January 2025. The search confirmed that Yiu had used and maintained the property to grow and distribute marijuana.

Neither Yiu nor his property was licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.

The FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case with assistance provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office.

This prosecution 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. The Maine HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; HSI; DEA; IRS-Criminal Investigation; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man and a South Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to court records, from May 2024 through April 2025, a group of drug traffickers worked with a Massachusetts supplier to distribute drugs in southern Maine. In November 2024, as part of the investigation into this drug ring, law enforcement officers arrested Daniel Lydon, 46, who was located in a hotel room with over 100 grams of methamphetamine, over 700 grams of fentanyl powder, and approximately $4,000 in cash. A search of Lydon’s phone confirmed he had been working with the Massachusetts supplier and communicating about the distribution of drugs. Later in the investigation, law enforcement developed information that Michael Myrick, 48, was using his South Portland residence to distribute drugs for the same Massachusetts supplier. In March 2025, investigators received evidence of ongoing communications between the Massachusetts supplier and Myrick, which confirmed he was receiving drugs, including fentanyl, and distributing them to associates and customers in southern Maine. 

Lydon faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Myrick faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. 

Both men will be sentenced after the completion of presentence investigative reports by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Additional subjects have been charged with offenses related to the same drug-trafficking ring. Maximo Pepin, aka Manny, 30, of Massachusetts, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on May 7, 2026, having pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy. Alec Dodge, 35, of South Portland, Matthew Estes, 47, of Falmouth, and Patrick McCarthy, 34, of Scarborough, have previously pleaded guilty to a federal drug conspiracy offense. Peter Call, 31, of Portland, Cassandra Smith, 36, of Old Orchard Beach, and Nicholas Porter, 35, of Windham, are indicted co-defendants with Lydon and Myrick, and are all scheduled for change of plea hearings in U.S. District Court. 

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case, with assistance from the FBI, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, the Portland Police Department, the South Portland Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Attorney General’s Office. 

This prosecution 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. The Maine HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; IRS-Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Biddeford man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl. 

According to court records, in October 2025, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was investigating James Anderson, 21, for drug trafficking offenses. As part of that investigation, an undercover officer met Anderson and purchased drugs from him. In one exchange, Anderson sold the undercover officer over 100 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl. 

Anderson faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Alabama man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to engaging in a hoax to detonate a bomb at an airport.

According to court records, on February 13 and 14, 2025, an individual threatened to detonate a bomb at the Bangor International Airport (“BIA”) in text messages to American Airlines (“AA”) employees and calls to the BIA switchboard. FBI investigators traced the texts and calls to Robert Tyler Wicks, 25, in Alabama. When investigators interviewed Wicks, he admitted that he made the bomb threats. He further admitted that he had used a mobile app that allowed the user to communicate from a personal cellular telephone using a different telephone number. A subsequent forensic review of Wicks’s cellular telephones revealed multiple calls to the BIA on February 13 and 14, 2025.

During the investigation, the FBI determined that Wicks was in an online relationship with an AA employee working at the BIA. As a result of this relationship, Wicks was able to obtain contact information for other AA employees. In addition, through video chat, Wicks was able to observe law enforcement and AA employee activity while he was making his bomb threats.

Wicks faces up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Bangor Police Department, the Army National Guard, the Huntsville, Alabama, Police Department, and the Decatur, Alabama, Police Department.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A South Portland man was sentenced on September 22, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing controlled substances. 

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Lynel Moultrie, 43, to 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Moultrie pleaded guilty on March 12, 2026. 

According to court records, in February and March 2024, an undercover agent with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency posing as a drug runner purchased cocaine from Moultrie on at least three occasions. Those transactions were surveilled and recorded by law enforcement.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the South Portland Police Department, and the Gorham Police Department investigated this case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Texas man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing and possessing child pornography.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Kenneth Kring, 23, to 13 ½ years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Judge Walker also ordered Kring to pay $34,500 in restitution to victims whose images he possessed and distributed. Kring pleaded guilty on April 27, 2026.

According to court records, while assigned to the USS Cheyenne, a submarine stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, then-U.S. Navy sailor Kring engaged in ongoing distribution of child sexual abuse material. In January 2025, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) executed a search warrant at Kring’s residence on the naval base, during which time he voluntarily admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet, including the instant messaging mobile app Kik Messenger. Investigators also located child sexual abuse material on his cell phone. A subsequent search warrant to MediaLab.ai, the parent company of Kik, revealed Kring had created 11 separate Kik Messenger accounts that he used to distribute sexually explicit material of children to other Kik users.

NCIS investigated the case. 

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Gray man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to conspiring to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), fentanyl and cocaine.

According to court records, Anthony Jones, aka “Black,” 39, was part of a fentanyl and cocaine conspiracy that operated in southern Maine from October 2025 through February 2026. The drug ring was identified via controlled buys, surveillance, and interviews with people familiar with Jones and his role. During the investigation, investigators seized a safe from a Gray residence where Jones was known to reside. The safe contained identifying documents that belonged to Jones, a handgun, ammunition, and a significant quantity of fentanyl and cocaine. Jones has a 2021 conviction in the United States District Court for the District of Maine for possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. 

Jones faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment; up to an $8 million fine; and up to eight years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Norridgewock woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for maintaining a drug-involved premises. 

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Jiamin Liao, 32, to six months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. Liao pleaded guilty on January 12, 2026.

According to court records, between December 2022 and March 2024, Liao operated a marijuana grow at a residence in Madison. Starting in November 2023, Liao owned a second property in Norridgewock that she used to store the marijuana grown at the Madison location. On March 25, 2024, investigators executed state search warrants at both locations. At the Madison location, agents seized 551 marijuana plants. At the Norridgewock location, agents seized approximately 30 pounds of processed marijuana and $39,625 in U.S. currency. Liao was not licensed to grow marijuana by the Office of Cannabis Policy.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case. 

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BANGOR, Maine: An Eddington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for making online threats.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Thadius Wind, 52, to time served (approximately 17 months) in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Following a two-day jury trial in July 2026, Wind was found guilty of three counts of transmitting interstate threatening communications and one count of threatening Vice President Kamala Harris. He was found not guilty of one additional count of transmitting an interstate threat.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Wind made posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening to kill Jewish people, Vice President Harris, Maine law enforcement officers, and Elon Musk. The FBI identified Wind as the author of the posts and executed a search warrant at his Eddington residence in March 2025, where they found numerous swords. The evidence at trial revealed that Wind held strong animosity towards the individuals and groups he threatened.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine is working closely with the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and our other law enforcement partners to protect citizens from online threats,” said Andrew Benson, United States Attorney for the District of Maine. “This case should serve as notice that if you threaten people or groups online, hiding behind your keyboard will not protect you from the consequences of your actions.”

“Threatening to kill Jewish people, law enforcement, and others, aren’t protected acts of courage or conviction – they’re federal crimes that can cause real fear and harm,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Today’s sentence is a stark reminder that if your idea of making a point is threatening to murder people, you shouldn’t be surprised when the FBI rolls up at your door.”

“Today’s sentencing reflects the seriousness with which the Secret Service takes threats towards a protectee. Our commitment to identifying, investigating and charging those who make threats of violence towards the President, Vice-President, or any other person under Secret Service protection, is relentless,” said Mark Comorosky, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Boston Field Office. “I am proud of the commitment and dedication our agents demonstrate in protective intelligence cases and grateful for the strong partnerships that we have with FBI Boston and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.”

The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Florida man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to transporting an illegal alien.

According to court records, in September 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol learned that a woman had been seen walking from Canada into the United States at the international border near Lowelltown — a remoted, wooded area in Franklin County with a history of smuggling activity. At the same time, a black SUV was seen heading towards the woman’s location. A short time later, U.S. Border Patrol agents pulled over the SUV. Agents identified the driver as John Boniello, 40, and the female passenger as a French citizen who did not have legal status in the U.S. Boniello admitted that he had traveled from Florida to Maine to pick up the woman and that he knew she could not legally enter the U.S.

Boniello faces up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Rumford man pleaded guilty on September 9, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

According to court records, in May 2025, the Lewiston Police Department received multiple reports of gunshots. Callers reported a male had been shooting a firearm and then entered a dark-colored vehicle parked on the street. Upon arrival, police encountered Troy Blanchard, 37, seated in the driver’s seat of a black vehicle. A standoff ensued with Blanchard ignoring police commands to exit the vehicle. Police were eventually able to remove Blanchard from the vehicle after firing pepper balls through the rear window. Police subsequently located a Kel-Tec .22 caliber pistol on the passenger seat next to Blanchard. At the time of his arrest, Blanchard was prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions. 

Blanchard faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with the assistance of the Lewiston Police Department.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A New York man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiring to commit bank fraud.

According to court records, between July and October 2024, Sean Stevens, 23, fraudulently obtained money by driving coconspirators to bank locations, instructing them on what to do inside, and providing them with fictitious identification cards in order to allow them access to legitimate customer accounts. Stevens also agreed with coconspirators to travel to banks outside of Maine. 

Stevens faces up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Bangor Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles – Enforcement Services Division.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Kansas woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud and eight counts each of bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  

According to court records, in October 2025, Rachael Kennedy, 37, entered multiple financial institutions in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and impersonated actual account holders by presenting fictitious U.S. passport cards in the account holders’ names. Kennedy obtained $30,400 by withdrawing funds from preexisting home equity lines of credit. Kennedy was arrested in Canada after fleeing from police when she left a bank in Houlton.

For bank fraud, Kennedy faces up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to five years of supervised release. For aggravated identity theft, she faces a mandatory prison term of two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed; a $250,000 fine; and up to one year of supervised release. For passport fraud, Kennedy faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Portsmouth Resident Office, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Maine State Police, the Hampden Police Department, the Houlton Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

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BANGOR, Maine: A citizen of the United Kingdom was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for entering the United States without inspection and lying to federal investigators. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison sentenced Mohammed Sultan Saleh, 22, to time served.  Saleh pleaded guilty on June 18, 2026.

According to court records, Saleh and three other men walked through the heavily wooded border between Quebec and Somerset County during the pre-dawn hours of April 3, 2026. Their point of entry was within a few hundred yards of the Saint Zacharie, Maine port of entry that was manned by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (“OFO”). Upon exiting the woods, Saleh and his companions began walking down the Golden Road heading east.

Passersby in the area reported to an OFO agent seeing the four men walking east on the Golden Road. The OFO agent reported the sighting to the U.S. Border Patrol (“USBP”) station in Jackman. A USBP agent and an OFO agent responded to the area of the sighting, located the four men and took them into custody without incident. When questioned about their citizenship, Saleh and his three companions stated they were citizens of the United Kingdom. The four were then transported back to the Jackman Border Patrol station. 

During subsequent questioning by FBI and USBP agents, Saleh maintained that he had not intentionally entered the United States. He falsely claimed that he and his friends were on a hike in Canada and had accidentally crossed into the U.S.

USBP, OFO, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Brazilian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to reentering the United States after a prior removal.

According to court records, on August 15, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol Agents in Franklin County observed a car registered to an alien who had been ordered to be removed from the United States. During a subsequent roadside immigration inspection, agents determined that the car’s three occupants were, in fact, illegal aliens without lawful authority to be in the country. They were transported for processing to the Rangeley Border Patrol Station, where agents determined that Jose Carlos Ferreira, 50, had been ordered removed in 2005, and subsequently removed from the U.S. twice in 2010.

Ferreira faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A New York woman was sentenced on August 31, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland for bank fraud, false use of a passport, and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Arlene Sands, 61, to 25 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Sands will also be ordered to pay restitution. Sands pleaded guilty on July 16, 2025. 

According to court records, in February 2023, Sands attempted to withdraw $17,000 from a credit union account belonging to two victims. Sands claimed to be one of the victims and presented a fake United States passport card, which bore her image but the victim’s name and date of birth, as identification. Credit union staff did not complete the transaction. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case, with assistance from the Portland Police Department. 

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PORTLAND, Maine: A New Gloucester man was sentenced on August 31, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland for passing counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks and wire fraud.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Keith Mitchell, 39, to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Mitchell was also ordered to pay $104,464 in restitution. Mitchell pleaded guilty on February 5, 2026. In addition, Mitchell was on supervised release for a federal drug conviction when he deposited the counterfeit checks. His term of supervised release was revoked and he was sentenced to 21months in prison, to be served consecutively. 

According to court records and statements made in court, Mitchell deposited 13 counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks totaling $83,632 into his bank account from April through June 2024. The checks contained the serial numbers and amounts of actual U.S. Treasury checks that had been issued to third parties, but were counterfeited to be made payable to Mitchell. In May 2021, Mitchell also received $20,832 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds based on a fraudulent PPP loan application. The application falsely claimed that Mitchell owned a sole proprietorship business that had earned gross revenue of $100,000 in 2020. Mitchell also submitted a falsified tax return in support of the application. 

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Paycheck Protection Program: The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the SBA that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The PPP permitted participating third-party lenders to approve and disburse SBA-backed PPP loans to cover payroll, fixed debts, utilities, rent/mortgage, accounts payable and other bills incurred by qualifying businesses during, and resulting from, the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loans were fully guaranteed by the SBA.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Hampden man pleaded guilty on August 31, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of tax evasion.

According to court records, Brandon Wilson, 55, owed substantial back taxes based on his tax returns for 2010 through 2017. After the IRS levied Wilson’s bank accounts as part of its collection efforts, Wilson began conducting his debt collection business without holding bank accounts in his own name. He did this by having accounts opened under the names of individuals running businesses in Massachusetts and Virginia. While these entities were ostensibly conducting debt collection services for Wilson, they were also holding money and conducting personal and business transactions on his behalf. Wilson directed specific payments out of the accounts, and received a series of smaller payments through Cash App, PayPal, and other means. This arrangement allowed Wilson to continue to control his money while frustrating the IRS’s ability to collect the taxes owed.

Wilson faces up to a year and a day in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to two counts of distributing crack cocaine and fentanyl. 

According to court records, Tasheem Carter, 41, sold more than 28 grams of crack cocaine and more than 40 grams of fentanyl to an FBI informant on three occasions in June and July 2025. On July 29, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Carter’s residence and recovered drugs and more than $25,000 in cash.

At the time Carter distributed the crack cocaine and fentanyl, he was on supervised release following a 2016 federal conviction for conspiring to distribute controlled substances. In addition to pleading guilty, he also admitted that his new criminal conduct violated the terms of his supervised release.

Carter faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment; up to an $8 million fine; and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Portland Police Department investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of distributing methamphetamine.

According to court records, Danny Sun, 38, was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between November 2024 and January 2025. In late November 2024, an FBI confidential source met with Sun and a co-conspirator in southern Maine and received approximately 220 grams of methamphetamine pills. On two subsequent dates, the confidential source contacted Sun for the purchase of additional drugs. Sun told the confidential source he would send someone with the drugs. Sun’s co-conspirator provided the FBI source with approximately 361 grams of methamphetamine pills in December 2024 and 419 grams in January 2025. 

Sun faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Portland Police Department, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing fentanyl and crack cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy.

According to court records, on September 15, 2025, law enforcement in Woodstock, Maine, observed three men engaging in an apparent drug transaction. When investigators contacted the men, two of the men fled into the woods. One man was apprehended after a foot pursuit, and was found in possession of approximately 27 grams of cocaine. The other man evaded law enforcement that day, but was quickly identified as Raymundo Dejesus, 45, an associate of the Trinitario street gang. During searches of the area where Dejesus was last seen before fleeing into the woods, investigators recovered a bag containing approximately 35 grams of a substance containing fentanyl, a bag containing approximately 17 grams of cocaine base, and two firearms. 

Dejesus faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Rumford Police Department, the Norway Police Department, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Border Patrol.

This prosecution 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. The Maine HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; HSI; DEA; IRS-Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for aggravated identity theft, false statements relating to health care matters, and unlawful use of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Joseph Dobie, 38, to 36 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Dobie was also ordered to pay $36,373.16 in restitution. Dobie pleaded guilty on February 13, 2026. 

According to court records, Dobie stole a victim’s identity which he then used to obtain drivers licenses and a social security card. Dobie used the stolen identity to apply for and receive SNAP benefits in Maine and New York. At the same time, Dobie was receiving SNAP benefits in New York using his true identity. Dobie also used the stolen identity to apply for and receive healthcare benefits from MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program). In total, Dobie fraudulently obtained a total of $36,373.16 in benefits from SNAP and MaineCare. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, investigated the case.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Honduran man pleaded guilty and was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally reentering the country after a prior removal.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Jonnatan Irias-Lainez, 31, to time served (99 days).

According to court records, on May 28, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested Irias-Lainez following a traffic stop in Biddeford. Irias-Lainez had been removed from the United States on January 11, 2019, after entering the country illegally from Mexico.

ICE ERO investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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BANGOR, Maine: A New York man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to commit bank fraud.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Yongliang Deng, 35, to time-served (approximately one day) in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Deng was also ordered to pay restitution. Deng pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026.

According to court records, Deng provided his personal information and government-issued identification documentation to a co-defendant, who used Deng’s information to apply for and obtain a residential mortgage loan from a Maine bank to buy a residence in Eddington. Deng obtained the mortgage by misrepresenting that he would occupy and use the property as his primary residence. During an interview with federal agents, Deng admitted that the Eddington property was an investment property that had been rented out, and that he had never resided there. The property was instead used to illegally cultivate marijuana.

Neither Deng nor any property associated with the conspiracy was licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.

The FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case, with assistance provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office.

This prosecution 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. The Maine HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; HSI; DEA; IRS-Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Windsor man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of firearms and for possessing cocaine base with intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Anthony Englesbobb, 39, to 264 months (22 years) in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit the firearms seized from his residence. Englesbobb pleaded guilty on January 6, 2026. 

According to court records, on December 17, 2024, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Englesbobb’s Windsor residence. Agents seized nine firearms from Englesbobb’s bedroom and crack cocaine packed in small plastic bags from his person. Englesbobb was prohibited from possessing firearms due to several prior felony convictions.  

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to distribute.

According to court records, on July 8, 2024, Portland police officers arrested Anthony Lobor, 27, on a state arrest warrant. Later that day, investigators searched Lobor’s residence under a search warrant and found cocaine, crack cocaine, several cell phones, cash, seven firearms, and ammunition. 

Lobor faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Portland Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Thomaston resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent engaged in his official duties.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Olivia Wilkins, 24, to nine months in prison. Wilkins pleaded guilty in March 2026.

According to court records, in August 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent responded to a one-vehicle crash in Washington, Maine. As law enforcement conducted a roadside investigation, Wilkins came upon the scene in an automobile and parked close to officers. Wilkins voiced concerns regarding Border Patrol’s presence in the area, but was permitted to move the vehicle further back from the crash to continue observing law enforcement. As the Border Patrol agent took an individual on scene into custody and began moving the individual to a nearby Border Patrol vehicle, Wilkins quickly accelerated toward the agent, who pulled the individual off the roadside away from the oncoming vehicle. Wilkins stopped the vehicle without striking either the agent or the individual in custody before swerving back into the lane of travel and fleeing the scene. Maine State Police troopers were able to arrest Wilkins a short distance away.

In imposing sentence, Chief Judge Walker noted that one of the law enforcement officers on the scene had understandably drawn his service weapon and pointed it at Wilkins when Wilkins drove toward the Border Patrol agent. The judge told Wilkins that she was very lucky that the officer had not fired his weapon in response.

The FBI investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for his role in a California-Maine cocaine trafficking conspiracy. 

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Chase Kane, 30, to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Kane pleaded guilty on December 10, 2025. 

According to court records, Kane and associates repeatedly received large quantities of cocaine via mail, primarily from California, and made trips to California and Mexico to meet with suppliers and co-conspirators. They then distributed the drug to customers and associates in eastern Maine. Kane and his associates possessed multiple firearms during the drug conspiracy. 

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case, with the assistance of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Postal Inspection Service. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of possessing child pornography.  

According to court records, in December 2025, a social media application company reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that one of its users had saved, shared, or uploaded a file containing child sexual abuse materials. Investigators were able to identify a Google account associated with the user and obtained a search warrant for the account. Contained on the Google account were thousands of child sexual abuse files, as well as a selfie-style photo of Clyde Hall, 60. The Google account contained numerous e-mails to Hall, to include package delivery information to his residence, and Hall’s banking information. Hall has a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

Hall faces a minimum term of 10 years and maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with the assistance of the Portland Police Department. 

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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BANGOR, Maine: A New York resident was sentenced on July 28, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann sentenced Qu’tessa Johnson, 37, to five years probation.  Johnson pleaded guilty on March 3, 2026. 

According to court records, on September 12, 2024, Johnson accidentally drove her vehicle through the Houlton Port of Entry into Canada while traveling north on I-95 from New York City. When she realized her mistake, she backed up her vehicle in an attempt to return to the United States. She was referred for secondary inspection and, during a search of her vehicle, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers discovered two bags containing  more than 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. 

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BANGOR, Maine: A Dominican national was sentenced on July 28, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a Massachusetts-Maine fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. 

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Ramon De Leon, 26, to 48 months in prison. De Leon pleaded guilty on October 22, 2025. 

According to court records, De Leon and his brother Alexis De Leon worked together to transport kilograms of fentanyl from Massachusetts to Maine for distribution. The investigation initially showed that an individual known locally only as “Leon Leon” was using a Facebook account and other means to contact associates and customers in Maine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed evidence that De Leon and his brother were responsible for operating that Facebook page and arranged monitored purchases of fentanyl from “Leon Leon.” The DEA ultimately coordinated a traffic stop in June 2024, with the assistance of Maine State Police, during which the De Leon brothers were found in possession of a large quantity of fentanyl en route to Bangor. The conspiracy brought over 20 kilograms of fentanyl into Maine. 

Ramon De Leon is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in relation to this investigation. Alexis De Leon was sentenced to five years in prison on January 8, 2026; Mandi Ford was sentenced to time served (approximately 19 months) on February 13, 2026; Bradley Bellfleur was sentenced to six years in prison on May 15, 2026; and Andrew Marin was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison on June 10, 2026. 

The DEA investigated this case, with the assistance of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Stetson man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neuman sentenced Marc Karun, 61, to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Karun pleaded guilty on February 15, 2024. 

According to court records, police found over 60 firearms and more than 14,000 rounds of ammunition while executing a search warrant at Karun’s Stetson home. The guns were found in various places in the house, and some were loaded. One rifle had the serial number removed. Karun was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior Connecticut felony convictions for sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, burglary, and larceny. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Maine State Police investigated the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Clinton man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to production and receipt of child pornography, and enticement of a minor.

According to court records, law enforcement received information that an individual, later identified as Keith Page, 73, was remitting money via Venmo and PayPal to several individuals identified as being under the age of 18, likely in exchange for child pornography. One of the accounts Page had remitted money to was identified as belonging to a female minor residing in New Orleans, Louisiana. Investigators contacted the minor, who stated that she had been providing sexually explicit images of herself to Page in exchange for money since she was 15 years old. During a subsequent interview with Page, he admitted that he knew the minor female was underage.

Page faces a minimum term of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years in prison for production of child pornography, a minimum term of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison for enticement of a minor, and a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of 20 years in prison for receipt of child pornography. Page also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 and a maximum supervised release term of life for each count. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit – Special Victims investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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A federal grand jury in the District of Maine returned a six-count indictment today charging Shawn Bonneau, 40, of Fullerton, California, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and wire fraud. 

According to court documents, from January 2016 through December 2023, Bonneau compelled three adult women to perform commercial sex acts in Maine, and elsewhere, for his financial benefit.  He also used the electronic mail systems to fraudulently obtain funds from another individual at the same time he was engaging in his sex trafficking scheme.

If convicted, Bonneau faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of life in prison, as well as a maximum penalty of lifetime supervised release. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Benson for the District of Maine made the announcement.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Field Office is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Yereniuk for the District of Maine 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.

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

BANGOR, Maine: An Eddington man was found guilty on July 21, 2026, of three counts of transmitting interstate threatening communications and one count of threatening Vice President Kamala Harris, following a two-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor.  He was found not guilty of one additional count of transmitting an interstate threat.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Thadius Wind, 52, made posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening to kill Jewish people, Vice President Kamala Harris, Maine law enforcement officers, and Elon Musk.  The FBI identified Wind as the author of the posts and executed a search warrant at his Eddington residence in March of 2025, where they found numerous swords. The investigation and evidence at trial showed that Wind held strong animosity towards the individuals and groups he threatened.

On each count, Wind faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A New York woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for bank fraud, false use of a passport, and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. sentenced Lisa Campos, 59, to time served, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Campos had already served approximately 28 months in custody. Campos was also ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution. Campos pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024. 

According to court records, in May 2023, Campos attempted to withdraw funds from a credit union account belonging to two victims. Campos presented a fake United States passport card as identification. She was successful in withdrawing $8000 from one credit union and made two additional unsuccessful attempts at other branch locations. Shortly after leaving the third branch, Campos was located by Freeport Police Department officers and provided them with the purported passport card and a debit card, both in one of the victim’s names. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case, with assistance from the Sanford, Topsham, and Freeport Police Departments. 

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BANGOR, Maine: A Howland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

According to court records, in September 2025, several individuals reported seeing Ralph Nason, 65, in possession of a firearm. Based on this information, investigators executed a search warrant at Nason’s home in Howland. During the warrant’s execution, investigators located a black semi-automatic handgun under a sweatshirt on the dining room table and ammunition. Nason is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of prior felony convictions, including a federal conviction in Massachusetts.

Nason faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to making our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Ellsworth resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of firearms. 

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Karissa Beam, 36, to three years in jail to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Beam pleaded guilty on January 8, 2026. 

According to court records, Beam was encountered by a Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy in an area of Trenton, Maine, known to have a high incidence of drug related activities.  Beam, who was on state probation for a prior robbery conviction, was searched by police and found in possession of a Taurus handgun and a Glock handgun. 

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Brooklyn, New York man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for maintaining a drug involved premises. 

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Xisen Guo, 68, to time served and one year of supervised release. Guo pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025.

According to court records, Guo operated a marijuana grow at a residence on Main Road in Passadumkeag. Members of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department, together with members of Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a state search warrant at the location in February 2024. Investigators seized approximately 40 pounds of processed marijuana, $4,710 in U.S. Currency, and evidence of marijuana cultivation. During a post-arrest interview at the location, Guo admitted that, for a time, he had rented the property to a person who grew marijuana and that he had eventually taken over the growing activity himself.  Further investigation revealed that Guo had acquired the property through a limited liability company and then used and maintained the residence for the purpose of growing and distributing marijuana between July 2020 and February 2024. The defendant paid the electrical utilities and property taxes on the property. The defendant also purchased equipment and materials used to grow marijuana at the property.

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case. 

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BANGOR, Maine: A citizen of the United Kingdom was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for entering the United States without inspection and lying to federal investigators. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison sentenced Hameed Mohammed Nagi, 21, to time served.  Nagi pleaded guilty on June 8, 2026.

According to court records, Nagi and three other men walked through the heavily wooded border between Quebec and Somerset County during the pre-dawn hours of April 3, 2026. Their point of entry was within a few hundred yards of the Saint Zacharie, Maine port of entry that was manned by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (“OFO”). Upon exiting the woods, Nagi and his companions began walking down the Golden Road heading east.

Passersby in the area reported to an OFO agent seeing the four men walking east on the Golden Road. The OFO agent reported the sighting to the U.S. Border Patrol (“USBP”) station in Jackman. A USBP agent and an OFO agent responded to the area of the sighting, located the four men and took them into custody without incident. When questioned about their citizenship, Nagi and his three companions stated they were citizens of the United Kingdom. The four were then transported back to the Jackman Border Patrol station. 

During subsequent questioning by FBI and USBP agents, Nagi maintained that he had not intentionally entered the United States. He falsely claimed that he and his friends were on a hike in Canada and had accidentally crossed into the U.S.  Investigators later determined that Nagi had entered the country with the intention of working but was concerned he would not be granted a visa.  Neither the FBI nor Homeland Security Investigations uncovered any evidence suggesting that Nagi and his companions intended to engage in any acts of violence.

USBP, OFO, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: An Ohio man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to failing to comply with sex offender reporting requirements, failing to present at a designated border crossing, and violating federal supervised release. 

According to court records, in 2021, Darrell Murphy, 42, was convicted in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina of two counts of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced to 52 months in prison and 25 years of supervised release. Among his conditions of supervised release was the requirement that he comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Under SORNA, a registered sex offender must provide his local registration authority with advance notice of his intent to travel internationally. Murphy was registered with the Carroll County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Department.

On December 31, 2025, Canadian authorities advised U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) that a man (subsequently identified as Murphy) had illegally entered Canada by walking across a train trestle in Vanceboro. Canadian law enforcement officers responded to the area but did not apprehend the man. USBP agents immediately responded to the U.S. side of the bridge and found a set of tracks in the snow leading to the parking lot of the Vanceboro post office and a vehicle bearing Ohio plates.

Shortly before 5:00 a.m. on January 5, 2026, USBP was alerted that the same man had returned to the U.S. from Canada by walking back across the bridge. A USBP agent responded to the parking lot and observed Murphy walking towards the Ohio-plated vehicle. When encountered by the agent, Murphy admitted to crossing into Canada days earlier and then returning in the same manner.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) confirmed that Murphy had not notified the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department of his intention to travel to Canada.

For the SORNA violation, Murphy faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For the failure to present violation, he faces up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. For the supervised release violation, he faces a consecutive prison term of up to three years.

USBP and USMS investigated the case, with assistance provided by Homeland Security Investigations and the Carroll County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Department.

PORTLAND, Maine: A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to bank robbery.

According to court records, Jean Pierre Gendron, 61, handed a note demanding money to a teller at a Westbrook bank. Gendron then fled the bank with over $6,300 in a blue bank bag. The Westbrook Police Department identified Gendron as the robber and determined that he boarded a bus to Londonderry, New Hampshire, shortly after the robbery. The Londonderry Police Department arrested Gendron when he exited the bus. When he was apprehended, Gendron had over $6,300 in cash and a blue bank bag on his person. Gendron admitted to robbing the bank.

Gendron faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the Westbrook Police Department investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Sidney man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for receiving child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Jeremy Grignon, 30, to five years in prison, to be followed by seven years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.

According to court records, Grignon used online platforms, including Snap and the now-shuttered Omegle, to receive images and videos of minor females engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the videos were sent from the minors themselves.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit–Special Victims investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to attempted sex trafficking of a minor, enticement of a minor and attempted enticement of a minor.

According to court records, in 2024, Joseph Maile, 27, used the social media platform Snap to proposition minors for sexual images and to offer money in exchange for sex with minors.

Maile faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Webster, Massachusetts, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jonathan Bethune (a/k/a “Lord Smitty”), 40, to 111 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Bethune pleaded guilty on January 7, 2025.

According to court records, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed a search warrant at Bethune’s Biddeford residence. From a safe, agents recovered a loaded pistol, several baggies of cocaine, approximately 159 grams of cocaine, and $6,820 in cash. Agents also recovered additional firearms from the residence. Bethune possessed the pistol to protect himself, his drugs, and his drug proceeds. Bethune was a convicted felon at the time and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

HSI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A New Jersey woman, formerly of Westbrook, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to presenting a counterfeit government check to her credit union.  

According to court records, Palwasha Shir, 35, was the sole owner of the Selfie Room LLC, a business Shir registered in Maine. Shir opened a checking account for the Selfie Room at a credit union in Maine. In July 2024, Shir deposited a counterfeit Treasury check made payable to the Selfie Room in the amount of $291,203. In August 2024, Shir deposited a counterfeit Treasury check made payable to the Selfie Room in the amount of $193,107. The serial numbers and amounts on the checks matched those of genuine tax refund checks issued by the IRS to entities other than the Selfie Room and unrelated to Shir. The counterfeit checks changed the payee and address to make the checks payable to the Selfie Room. When a representative of the credit union called Shir to discuss the checks, Shir falsely claimed that she received the checks from the IRS. 

Shir faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine: A New Gloucester man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Shawn Small, 29, to 93 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Small pleaded guilty on January 16, 2026.  

According to court records, officers with the Scarborough Police Department responded to a tip that Small was attempting to sell a pistol to another individual. Officers then located Small at a business in Scarborough. They approached and attempted to detain him but he physically resisted. During the ensuing struggle, officers removed a pack from his person. Inside that pack, officers located a Smith & Wesson pistol with a loaded magazine. Small was a convicted felon at the time and on probation for a state robbery conviction.   

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, with the assistance of the Scarborough Police Department and State of Maine Division of Adult Community Corrections.

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Mexican man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for reentering the United States after three prior removals. 

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Miguel Alfonzo Tapia-Gonzalez, 39, to time served. He pleaded guilty on April 24, 2026.

According to court records, on March 8, 2026, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent conducted a field inspection of two individuals he encountered in a commercial parking lot in Augusta. One of the men, later identified as Tapia-Gonzalez, acknowledged that he was a Mexican citizen and was in the country unlawfully. The agent transported Tapia-Gonzalez to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Rangeley where it was discovered that he had been removed from the U.S. in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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BANGOR, Maine: A citizen of the United Kingdom pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to entering the United States without inspection and lying to federal investigators. 

According to court records, Mohammed Sultan Saleh, 21, and three other men walked through the heavily wooded border between Quebec and Somerset County during the pre-dawn hours of April 3, 2026. Their point of entry was within a few hundred yards of the Saint Zacharie, Maine port of entry that was manned by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (“OFO”). Upon exiting the woods, Saleh and his companions began walking down the Golden Road heading east.

Passersby in the area reported to an OFO agent seeing the four men walking east on the Golden Road. The OFO agent reported the sighting to the U.S. Border Patrol (“USBP”) station in Jackman. A USBP agent and an OFO agent responded to the area of the sighting, located the four men and took them into custody without incident. When questioned about their citizenship, Saleh and his three companions stated they were citizens of the United Kingdom. The four were subsequently transported back to the Jackman Border Patrol station. 

During subsequent questioning by FBI and USBP agents, Saleh maintained that he had not intentionally entered the United States. He falsely claimed that he and his friends were on a hike in Canada and had accidentally crossed into the U.S.

On the false statement charge, Saleh faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. On the illegal entry charge, he faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Saleh will be sentenced following the preparation of a presentence investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

USBP, OFO, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case. 

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  

According to court records, between July and October 2024, Scott Bagley, 61, conspired with others to fraudulently obtain money by entering banks, impersonating legitimate bank account holders, and using fictitious identification cards to gain access to their bank accounts and withdraw funds. Through fraud, Bagley was able to obtain approximately $85,100 from customer accounts. During the investigation, law enforcement seized a fictitious Maine driver’s license in the name of a law enforcement officer with Bagley’s image on it.

Bagley faces up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to five years of supervised release on the bank fraud charges. For aggravated identity theft, he faces a mandatory prison term of two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a $250,000 fine, and up to one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Bangor Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles – Enforcement Services Division.

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