District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake woman has been found guilty of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson following a two-and-a-half-weeklong trial, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

On March 15, 2024, Jennifer Marie Stately, 37, attacked and killed two of her young children.  The evidence at trial showed that Stately, when alone with the children at their home on Red Lake Nation, assaulted the boys causing numerous injuries and attacked them with a knife. Stately fatally stabbed her older son before setting the home on fire. Investigators with the ATF determined Stately used gasoline and lighter fluid to ignite three separate fires, including fires at both exit points of the home. While the older boy died of his sharp force injuries, the younger boy was trapped inside and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

After setting fire to the home, Stately fled the scene and was missing for several hours. The Red Lake Tribal Police Department issued an AMBER Alert, and, less than an hour later, a motorist spotted Stately in Todd County—approximately 150 miles south of the Stately home. Minnesota State Patrol, the Todd County Sheriff’s Department, and the Long Prairie Police Department responded to Stately’s location. She was apprehended and booked in the Todd County Jail.

Following a two-and-a-half-week trial before the Honorable Judge John R. Tunheim, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all six counts: two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of murder in the course of committing child abuse, one count of murder in the course of committing arson, and one count of arson. At trial, Stately pursued the affirmative defense of insanity. The jury rejected that defense.

"The FBI is honored to have partnered with federal, state and tribal law enforcement partners to bring justice to these young victims who had no chance at survival while in the care of the one person who should have kept them safe," said Rick Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office.

“ATF Certified Fire Investigators are experts in fire science and routinely provide expert assistance on cases involving both criminal and accidental fires. We are proud to have provided that expertise in this investigation to honor these young victims and hopefully provide some measure of closure to the community. Our commitment to protecting the public and the most innocent among us is unwavering, and ATF will continue partnering with our federal, state, and local partners to protect Minnesota communities from violent criminals,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Spence E. Burnett.

“We all witnessed the devastating aftermath of Jennifer Stately’s horrific and unthinkable actions that night. We hope that holding her accountable for her crimes will provide some sense of justice for the family and the entire Red Lake community who are forever impacted by the loss of these two young boys,” said Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans. “We stand with our federal and tribal law enforcement partners in our shared grief and commitment to seeking justice and supporting the community.”

“The guilty verdict this week brings justice to a case that has deeply affected our entire Red Lake Nation community.  On behalf of the dedicated men and women of this department, I want to acknowledge the tireless work of our Investigators along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnesota BCA Crime Scene Technicians, Todd County Sheriff’s Office, Long Prairie Police Department and lastly the United States Attorney’s Office for their professionalism and determination with such a tragic incident.

Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of the victims.  No verdict can undo the pain of their loss, but we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure.

The Red Lake Department of Public Safety remain committed to protecting our community, standing with victims and ensuring justice is served,” said Director of Red Lake Department of Public Safety Kendall Kingbird, Sr. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, aided by the ATF, the BCA, the Todd County Sheriff’s Department, the Long Prairie Police Department, and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department.  The coordination of resources between these law enforcement agencies was imperative to the apprehension of Stately and the ultimate resolution of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel L. Kraker and Garrett S. Fields prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Three indictments and two criminal complaints were unsealed today in the District of Minnesota charging members and associates of the Family Mob street gang with drug trafficking charges. Agents and officers, including multiple S.W.A.T. Teams, executed several arrest and search warrants this morning targeting the gang and its members. 

“The Family Mob Gang is a ruthless criminal organization that uses violence to traffic poisonous narcotics, including fentanyl. No more,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen. “As alleged, these defendants dumped countless doses of fentanyl into our community. My office is proud to work with our local, state, and federal partners to pursue justice against violent criminals and those who profit from distributing dangerous narcotics.”

“The distribution of illegal narcotics in our communities is unacceptable, as is the associated violent crime that too often affects innocent residents,” said Richard Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office. “This case should send a message to other violent gangs that we’ll continue work with our partners at all levels of government to bring to justice those responsible for instilling fear into our communities and polluting them with illegal narcotics.”

“These investigations underscore the critical importance of strong collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies on serious criminal matters that impact our most vulnerable people,” said Dawanna Witt, Sheriff of Hennepin County. “The investigative work and incredible results from HCSO’s WMDTF along with the FBI, DEA, and MPD is making a real impact on the drug trade in Hennepin County. I will continue to prioritize aggressively pursuing violent criminals who threaten the safety of those in our community.”  

“I’m incredibly proud of the members of the MPD who worked this, and who consistently go above expectations in their dedication to keeping our community safe,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “And I’m grateful for our federal and county partners whose hard work and dedication made today possible.”

“The Family Mob Gang ruled by intimidation and violence, and wrongly assumed they could operate with impunity,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “Today, the combined efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement imparted a significant blow to the drug trafficking efforts of a gang that has spread poison through a beloved Minneapolis community. Our job at the DEA is to remove the criminal threats from our neighborhoods, dismantle the drug distribution networks and save American lives. This is a plan we put into action every single day and we are relentless.”

According to the allegations in indictment, complaint, and unsealed records, the defendants were members or associates of the Family Mob gang, which is based in south Minneapolis and originated in approximately the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. The Family Mob conspires to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances. In the past year, the area in the Family Mob’s territory has seen a large presence of open-air drug trafficking, weapons violations, shootings, and homicides.

The charged defendants are alleged to have collectively possessed with intent to distribute over seven kilos of fentanyl since July 2025 to the present. The group is alleged to have dealt fentanyl in a de-facto open air drug market in the area of Lake Street and Park Avenue in South Minneapolis, using force to push other drug dealers out of the area.

The following defendants have been charged federally:

• Silk Lamond Davis, a/k/a “Good/Do Good”, 48, of Minneapolis, is charged by indictment with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
• Alexisus Jarmon Mosby, a/k/a “Snake”, 44, of Bloomington is charged by indictment with distribution of fentanyl.
• Kiron Jamoll Williams, 43, of Minneapolis, is charged by indictment with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
• Rashshon Jamahl Taggett, a/k/a “Dread” a/k/a “Lay Low”, 44, of Minneapolis, is charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
• Lakendrick Darnell Gilliam, a/k/a “Bay Bay”, 38, of St. Paul, is charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. 

If convicted, the defendants face a range of penalties, including up to life in prison drug trafficking. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after the consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

FBI, DEA, the Minneapolis Police Department, and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raphael B. Coburn and William C. Mattessich for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – Hunter Geidl, age 29, was sentenced in United States District Court to 198 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for multiple counts related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

According to court documents, on May 19, 2022, Hunter James Geidl, 27, knowingly possessed a video file of a minor victim engaging in sexually explicit activities. From approximately July 29, 2022, until March 22, 2024, Geidl employed and used minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing sexually explicit video images.

"Protecting our nation's children is a mission we hold sacred in the FBI,” said Richard Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.  "The sentence imposed on Mr. Geidl should send a strong message about our work to bring to justice those who prey on America's kids.  If you have information about additional victims of Hunter James Geidl who have not yet been identified, you are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.”

U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez when handing down the sentence said while Mr. Geidl may be a first-time defendant, he is not a first-time offender.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Hastings Police Department. It 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. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Jackie Rahm Little, age 38, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison for setting fire in April of 2023 to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Little had previously entered guilty pleas to one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property in September of 2025.

“In the United States, the desecration of places of worship will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  “All Minnesotans should feel safe freely exercising their religion. Little attempted to burn down two mosques. He will now sit in federal prison for his heinous crime.”

According to information provided in court documents and federal court hearings, on April 23, 2023, Little started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also a public place of worship.  Little lit a cardboard box on fire inside of a bathroom stall and intended to leave it there for the rest of the building to ignite. Fortunately, Little was interrupted by an employee and the defendant fled, leaving partially burned cardboard and a gas cannister behind.

The following day, Little traveled to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque (also known as the Mercy Islamic Center) in Bloomington, Minnesota, a public place of worship.  Little carried with him a container of gasoline or other ignitable liquid, and after he entered the mosque, he used it to set fire to the mosque’s third floor hallway and stairwell. At the time Little set the fire, community leaders were meeting at the mosque to address the fire set the day before. The mosque had to be evacuated, including the evacuation of children who were attending daycare.  The resulting damage to the mosque totaled more than $378,000.

Judge Ann Montgomery’s 70-month sentence represented an upward departure from the Sentencing Guidelines recommendation as sought by the government, which she held was justified by the serious nature of the crime, the high number of potential victims, and the multiple acts of arson involved.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Jackie Rahm Little, age 38, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison for setting fire in April of 2023 to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Little had previously entered guilty pleas to one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property in September of 2025.

“In the United States, the desecration of places of worship will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  “All Minnesotans should feel safe freely exercising their religion. Little attempted to burn down two mosques. He will now sit in federal prison for his heinous crime.”

According to information provided in court documents and federal court hearings, on April 23, 2023, Little started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also a public place of worship.  Little lit a cardboard box on fire inside of a bathroom stall and intended to leave it there for the rest of the building to ignite. Fortunately, Little was interrupted by an employee and the defendant fled, leaving partially burned cardboard and a gas cannister behind.

The following day, Little traveled to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque (also known as the Mercy Islamic Center) in Bloomington, Minnesota, a public place of worship.  Little carried with him a container of gasoline or other ignitable liquid, and after he entered the mosque, he used it to set fire to the mosque’s third floor hallway and stairwell. At the time Little set the fire, community leaders were meeting at the mosque to address the fire set the day before. The mosque had to be evacuated, including the evacuation of children who were attending daycare.  The resulting damage to the mosque totaled more than $378,000.

Judge Ann Montgomery’s 70-month sentence represented an upward departure from the Sentencing Guidelines recommendation as sought by the government, which she held was justified by the serious nature of the crime, the high number of potential victims, and the multiple acts of arson involved.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Karan Gupta, age 47, was found guilty yesterday of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, ten counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering conspiracy, following a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis before U.S. District Court Judge Kate M. Menendez.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Gupta was a senior director of data analytics at Optum, Inc., a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group headquartered in Minnesota.  At Optum, Gupta earned an annual salary of more than $260,000 at the height of his career. 

In 2015, Gupta recruited and approved the hiring of a lifelong friend to work at Optum in a managerial data engineering position for which the friend was unqualified.  Gupta gave the friend a false resume, which the friend used to secure the position.  Gupta became his friend’s supervisor.  Then, for almost four years, the friend did no work at all for Optum, all while collecting a salary that began above $100,000 and increased with raises and bonuses each year. The friend met no one else at Optum, sent almost no emails, and regularly did not log into his Optum computer for weeks on end.

At Gupta’s demand, his friend paid Gupta more than half of his unearned Optum salary in kickbacks.  Gupta and the friend also agreed on a plan to conceal the kickback payments.  Initially, the friend, who lived in New Jersey, would withdraw the kickback payments from his bank account in cash, using the fraud proceeds, then deposit the cash in a New Jersey branch for Gupta’s bank, so that Gupta could access the funds in California.  Later, the friend opened a new checking account, designated that checking account to receive the Optum direct deposits, and sent Gupta the debit card, which Gupta then used to withdraw the fraud proceeds in cash from ATMs in California.

The fraud scheme was discovered after Gupta was terminated in November 2019 for a separate fraud by Gupta that Optum discovered.  Optum investigated and referred the case to federal law enforcement.  Gupta’s frauds against Optum totaled more than $1.2 million.

“Those who manufacture fraudulent schemes to appropriate money from legitimate businesses must be held accountable for their criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Rosen. “Kickback schemes and no-show jobs undermine legitimate businesses, and the perpetrators must suffer the consequences of their actions.”

“Mr. Gupta abused his position of trust as the Senior Director of a subsidiary of the largest healthcare provider in the United States to defraud his company by hiring a ghost employee for a fictitious position, so that he could collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks over many years,” said Rick Evanchec, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.  “The FBI is committed to holding those in positions of power accountable, particularly when the cost of their actions are ultimately passed along to hard working Americans.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Rebecca E. Kline prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL – Eric Anthony Rodriguez, age 47, was found guilty in U.S. District Court for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Rodriguez is the fifth defendant convicted as part of the scheme. Defendants Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, 33, Juan Martin Elvira, Jr., 36, Edward Gonzalez, 30, and Bruce Michael Orton, 44, all previously pled guilty.

According to court documents, the defendant conspired with other co-defendants to acquire and distribute large quantities of methamphetamine. Lead and organized by Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, the “Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO)” operated and distributed methamphetamine throughout Minnesota from April 2024 to March 2025. The Diaz-Aguilar DTO orchestrated large shipments of methamphetamine from outside the state, sometimes hundreds of pounds at a time, and distributed methamphetamine in northern, southern, and central Minnesota. During a nearly year-long investigation, law enforcement seized approximately sixty pounds of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills, and more than $20,000 in U.S. Currency from various individuals associated with the Diaz-Aguilar-DTO.  Agents also executed search warrants at stash houses in Columbia Heights, Hastings, and Rochester, Minnesota. Officers seized three pounds of methamphetamine from Eric Rodriguez in a coordinated traffic stop in November 2025, and evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Rodriguez received dozens of additional pounds of methamphetamine for distribution.  Additional evidence showed that the Diaz-Aguilar DTO was affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO).

Rodriguez was found guilty after a 6-day jury trial before Judge Susan R. Nelson.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Minnesota State Patrol, Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, East Central Minnesota Drug Task Force, Hastings Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Cannon River Drug Task Force, and the New Prague Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raphael B. Coburn and William C. Mattessich.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota Federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment, charging Brenna Marie Doyle, age 18, with threating to murder a federal law enforcement officer, threatening to murder members of the law enforcement officer’s immediate family, and with interstate transmission of communications threatening to injure the federal agent and their immediate family members, United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2026, in response to an immigration enforcement action, a large group of protesters in Minneapolis vandalized and significantly damaged FBI-owned vehicles, stealing weapons and ammunition, and seizing government-owned equipment and documents containing federal employees’ phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and driver’s license numbers.  FBI personnel were on scene to investigate an officer-involved shooting and not for any immigration enforcement.  One of the individuals whose personal information was confiscated and broadcast on the Internet was an FBI Special Agent.

On January 16, 2026, the Special Agent received a series of threatening voicemail messages on their government-issued cell phone. Subsequent investigation identified the phone number associated with three of those threatening calls as belonging to Brenna Marie Doyle.  The voicemail messages threatened to kill the Special Agent and members of their immediate family.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota Federal Grand Jury has returned a true bill of indictment charging Claire Louise Feng, age 27, with inflicting bodily injury on a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent on January 24, 2026, United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today. According to court documents, on January 24, 2026, CBP and HSI officers were attempting to establish and maintain a secure perimeter near Nicollet Avenue, between 27th and 28th St. in Minneapolis, following an officer involved shooting.

While a CBP officer attempted to arrest an individual who threw a chemical canister toward deployed federal law enforcement officers, Feng tackled the CBP officer.  In response, a HSI special agent took Feng to the ground.  As the HSI special agent gained control of Feng, she forcibly bit his right ring finger, severing the tip of his right ring finger, leaving the bone exposed.

The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. 

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota Federal Grand Jury returned a one-count Indictment, charging Jose Alberto Ramirez, age 29, with interstate transmission of threats to injure a federal law enforcement officer on January 15, 2026, United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2026, in response to an immigration enforcement action, a large group of protesters in Minneapolis vandalized and significantly damaged FBI-owned vehicles, stealing weapons and ammunition, seizing government-owned equipment, and taking documents containing federal employees’ phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and driver’s license numbers.  FBI personnel were on scene to investigate an officer-involved shooting and not for any immigration enforcement.  One of the individuals whose personal information had been compromised and broadcast on the Internet was an FBI Special Agent, who began receiving a series of threatening texts and voicemails on their government-issued cell phone on January 15, 2026, and for several days thereafter.

A subsequent investigation identified the phone number associated with one particular voicemail and two particular threatening text messages sent to the Special Agent as belonging to Jose Alberto Ramirez. The messages asserted that the caller/sender knew where the Special Agent’s parents and children lived and advised the Special Agent to “get home safe and fast.”

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. 

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota Federal Grand Jury returned a five-count Indictment, charging James Patrick Lyons, age 45, with interstate transmission of threats to injure five federal law enforcement officers on January 18, 2026, United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2026, in response to an immigration enforcement action, a large group of protesters in Minneapolis vandalized and significantly damaged FBI-owned vehicles, stealing weapons and ammunition, seizing government-owned equipment, and taking documents containing federal employees’ phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and driver’s license numbers.  FBI personnel were on scene to investigate an officer-involved shooting and not for any immigration enforcement.  Five of the individuals whose personal information was confiscated and broadcast on the Internet were FBI Special Agents.

On January 18, 2026, those five Special Agents received a series of threatening text messages on their government-issued cell phones. Subsequent FBI investigation identified the phone number associated with one particular threatening text message received by the Special Agents as belonging to James Patrick Lyons.  All five text messages used similar language and asserted in part that the sender knew who the Special Agents were and where to find them.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. 

Two Pennsylvania men pleaded guilty yesterday to repeatedly traveling from Philadelphia to Minneapolis to defraud Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program of approximately $3.5 million and concealing the scheme by using artificial intelligence to create fake records when questioned by insurance companies.

This case is part of a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section to combat prolific fraud on government programs in Minnesota. It also represents the first charges involving the use of artificial intelligence to further a fraud scheme targeting health care programs in Minnesota.

“Criminal fraud not only robs taxpayers — it shatters trust in our institutions. Under President Trump’s leadership, yesterday’s convictions are just the beginning,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our prosecutors will work tirelessly to unravel criminal fraud schemes and charge their perpetrators in Minnesota and across the country.”

“Minnesota will no longer be a haven for fraud under our watch,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Justice Department has been investigating billions in taxpayer fraud across the country and has already successfully convicted 66 individuals and counting in Minnesota. The collaboration between the Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is a prime example of how we restore justice and public trust, while holding criminal fraudsters accountable.”

“Defrauding those who rely on government programs takes away critical resources, and the use of artificial intelligence to carry out these crimes is dangerous and will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Yesterday’s convictions demonstrate the FBI’s dedication to investigating and holding accountable criminals that target and take advantage of vulnerable members of our communities.” 

“These defendants had no connection to Minnesota or its communities. They traveled across the country for one purpose: to prey upon and steal millions in taxpayer dollars meant for people struggling with homelessness, addiction and disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Although programs like HSS are run by the states, they are funded with federal tax dollars. The Criminal Division will not stand by while fraudsters put all Americans’ tax dollars at risk.”

“The defendants brazenly siphoned millions from a program created to provide vulnerable individuals with stable housing — a deliberate betrayal of public trust that will not be tolerated,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This scheme diverted critical resources from those who need them most and eroded confidence in programs intended to support people with disabilities and mental health challenges. HHS-OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to protect taxpayer-funded programs and will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold perpetrators fully accountable.”

“Anthony Jefferson and Lester Brown tried to hide fraud behind artificial intelligence, but technology doesn’t replace math — or accountability;” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco. “Our special agents followed the money, broke down the data, and exposed a scheme that siphoned public assistance dollars from a program meant to support vulnerable Minnesotans. When people steal from safety net programs, they don’t just take money — they weaken public trust. IRS-CI will continue to identify, unravel, and stop fraud, no matter how sophisticated the tools behind it.”

“Criminals who target the most vulnerable members of our communities will become the target of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “We pursue them without pause, making sure they are held accountable and feel the full weight of justice. Yesterday’s sentencing emphasizes our unwavering commitment to those we serve and protect.”

According to court documents, Anthony Waddell Jefferson, 37, and Lester Brown, 53, both of Philadelphia, set up businesses in Minneapolis and enrolled as HSS program providers, purportedly to help people with disabilities – including seniors and people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders – find and maintain housing.

Rather than provide those services, Jefferson and Brown – who marketed themselves as “The Housing Guys” – repeatedly traveled from Philadelphia to Minneapolis to recruit Medicaid beneficiaries at homeless shelters and Section 8 housing facilities. The defendants signed those individuals up for HSS and then billed the program for services that were not provided. When asked to provide supporting documentation for their claims, Jefferson and Brown fabricated e-mails discussing their purported “clients” and used ChatGPT to create fake client notes. In total, from February 2022 through June 2025, Jefferson and Brown stole approximately $3.5 million from HSS for services they fraudulently claimed to have provided to approximately 230 Medicaid beneficiaries.

Jefferson and Brown each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI, IRS-CI, HHS-OIG, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Shankar Ramamurthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Rebecca Kline and Matthew Murphy are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

MINNEAPOLIS – Caesar Munir Wilson made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Thursday, in response to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds, filing a false claim for a tax refund, money laundering, and bank fraud from 2022 to 2023.  He was released subject to conditions on an unsecured bond pending disposition of the case.

The indictment alleges that the defendant’s tax returns falsely requested refunds of more than $ 90 million and that he conspired in the filing of additional false tax returns requesting tax refunds totaling more than $ 210 million.  Wilson’s fraudulent claims allegedly totaled more than $ 350 million and resulted in the United States Treasury paying out more than $ 19 million in undeserved tax refunds.  Wilson also allegedly used his fraudulent proceeds to purchase a $ 2.6 million house in Prior Lake, to invest in cryptocurrency and other projects, and for personal expenses.

During the course of the conspiracy, Wilson allegedly advised a group of sovereign citizens regarding trusts and taxes.  He also provided them with tax forms and documents for tax filings.  Sovereign citizens wrongly believe that certain laws, such as the federal income tax, do not apply to a person’s sovereign persona.

“Individuals who file false claims for tax refunds and who conspire with others to violate the laws of the Unites States must be held accountable for their criminal conduct,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Matthew D. Evans are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent.

MINNEAPOLIS – LaTasha Thomas, age 39, was sentenced in United States District Court to 12 months imprisonment followed by a year of supervised release for one count of mail fraud, and ordered to repay $325,159 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Over the course of two years, Latasha Thomas conspired with her daughter Ambrosia Thomas, and other relative Cynthia Thomas, to defraud the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”). Their scheme focused on the unlawful acquisition of Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) cards, which are issued by the state government to qualifying applicants and loaded monthly with money from SNAP. Legitimate applicants can use their EBT cards to purchase groceries and make ATM withdrawals.

Thomas and her co-conspirators devised a scheme to acquire cards under false pretenses and defraud the program. They created fake Minnesota temporary drivers’ licenses using false names, with each license picturing one of the Thomases. Then, they submitted these fake licenses to Hennepin County in applications for EBT cards. Believing their SNAP allotments could be increased if the purported recipients were confined to bedrest, the Thomases repeatedly claimed in their fraudulent applications to be women experiencing “high risk pregnancy.” They bolstered these claims with fake doctor’s notes they manufactured for the purpose of maximizing their theft of government funds.

In many of the scheme’s fraudulent applications, the Thomases directed the state to send the EBT cards to Cynthia Thomas’s apartment in Roseville. Cynthia lived there under the same false name—Sofia Gold—that appears on one of the scheme’s ill-begotten cards. When law enforcement searched Cynthia’s apartment in Roseville, they encountered her there and found several pieces of mail addressed to pseudonyms used in the scheme. In the inside part of the apartment building’s mailbox—accessible only to building management and mail carriers—law enforcement found notes indicating that mail should be delivered to Cynthia’s apartment for several of the pseudonyms used in the scheme.

The Thomases withdrew government funds from ATMs and used them to make purchases. They also marketed and sold the use of the EBTs to others, arranging for their customers to pick up an EBT card, use an agreed-upon portion of its monthly allotment, return the card, and then pay the conspirators a fee (usually 50-60%) for the privilege. In all, through their scheme the Thomases caused over $325,000 in losses to the SNAP program.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hennepin County Fraud Unit.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne Semivan prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Sixteen individuals who violently assaulted federal officers and federal property over the past several weeks have been charged in criminal complaints, announced United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Rosen was joined in the announcement by HSI Acting Executive Associate Director, Homeland Security Investigations John A. Condon.

Among those charged were:

Gillian Etherington, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is alleged to have rammed her car into a United States Border Patrol vehicle and drove away. Border Patrol Agents followed Etherington who drove into oncoming traffic and struck an unmarked law enforcement vehicle near a high school. Etherington refused to comply with Agents’ commands to exit her car. As Agents attempted to remove her from the car, Etherington put the car in gear. Agents were ultimately able to pull Etherington from the car, but she resisted arrest and yelled: “Free Palestine!” Etherington also tried to grab one of the Border Patrol Agent’s firearm, which fell to the ground and out of the Agent’s reach.

Paul Johnson, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is alleged to have been following Customs and Border Protection Officers in his van. Johnson exited his van and approached the CBP Officers’ vehicle with a baseball bat in his hand. After Officers told Johnson to stop approaching and get back, Johnson returned to his van, left the baseball bat, but grabbed a canister of pressurized oleoresin capsicum (“pepper spray”), and sprayed the CBP Officer’s vehicle. When Officers attempted to arrest Johnson – who had entered his running van – he resisted arrest, attempted to put the van in gear, and sprayed the faces of multiple officers with pepper spray.

Matrim James Charlebois, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is alleged to have stood in front of a law enforcement vehicle and obstructed its path. Charlebois then used two hands to swing a metal cane at federal law enforcement officer, narrowly missing the officer’s head. Charlebois then struck a federal law enforcement vehicle multiple times with the metal cane.

Ilan Wilson-Soler, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is alleged to have approached federal law enforcement officers with a large fire extinguisher, pointed it at the officers, sprayed them, and then ran away. While Wilson-Soler was running away, he collided with another federal law enforcement officer and hit her in the knee with the fire extinguisher.

Abdikadir Noor, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, who is alleged to have thrown a brick at Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers. When Officers attempted to arrest Noor, he fled and, once caught, attempted to avoid being handcuffed by grappling with the Officers.

Margaret Sager, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is alleged to have jumped on the back of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer and put her arm around his neck in what appeared to be a strangle hold. At the time of Sager’s assault on the Officer, the Officer had arrested an illegal alien and was escorting the illegal alien to a vehicle for transportation.

Also charged were Kirubele Adbebe of Rosemont, Minnesota; Nasra Ahmed of Woodberry, Minnesota; Helicity Borowska of Mahtomedi, Minnesota; Joshua Doyle of Robbinsdale, Minnesota; Nitzana Flores of South Haven, Minnesota; Christina Rank of St. Paul, Minnesota; Madeline Tschida of Becker, Minnesota; Alice Valentine of St. Cloud, Minnesota; William Vermie of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Quentin Williams of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.

United States Attorney Rosen stated, “We do not tolerate assaults on federal officers and those who commit that crime will be held accountable.”

“People need to understand their actions have consequences and that obstruction, assault and impeding is not protected under the disguise of protesting,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director, Homeland Security Investigations John A. Condon. “We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to ensure anyone that oversteps that line of peaceful protester to illegal agitator will be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent.  As a felony trial cannot be held on a complaint, a decision to seek an indictment will be made in the near future.

These cases are being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS – Anthony James Kazmierczak, age 56, made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, charged in a criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting and interfering with United States Representative Ilhan Omar while she conducted an official town hall meeting in Minneapolis on January 27, 2026. According to documents filed in federal court, Kazmierczak was seated at a Minneapolis town hall officiated by Rep. Omar, when he stood up, and quickly approached Rep. Omar as she was speaking.  Kazmierczak allegedly held a syringe in his hand, which he used to spray Rep. Omar with an initially unknown liquid substance, later identified as apple cider vinegar, which landed on Rep. Omar’s clothing and skin. Kazmierczak gestured at Rep. Omar and shouted at her before being brought to the floor by two security officers.

“Assaultive behavior and acts of intimidation directed at officers and employees of the United States will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “Persons who engage in this criminal conduct can expect a swift response from law enforcement and federal prosecutors.”   

“An assault on a member of Congress is an assault on the democratic values that underpin this nation,” said Interim Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of FBI Minneapolis. “The men and women of the FBI will work tirelessly to defend the safety of public officials as they serve the people of this great country. FBI Minneapolis stands alongside our federal, state, and local partners to investigate and ensure accountability for anyone who thinks they can assault, intimidate, or interfere with those serving our nation."

Defendant Kazmierczak was ordered held in federal custody, pending a detention hearing and preliminary hearing, both scheduled for February 3, 2026.

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent.  As a felony trial cannot be held on a complaint, a decision to seek an indictment will be made in the near future.

MINNEAPOLIS – Anthony John Crowley, 52, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer, was sentenced today to 71 months in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release after having pleaded guilty last year to distributing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen.  In addition to the custodial sentence, Crowley was also ordered to pay a $10,000 assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.

Rosen was joined in the announcement by Interim Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of FBI Minneapolis.

According to court documents, Crowley, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, knowingly distributed one or more images which contained visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In 2022, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) received a cyber tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).  The tip informed them that someone was using the Kik application to upload child pornography images.  The Kik user ID was linked to Crowley’s phone number and email address.  Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Crowley’s Kik account and his home and seized his electronic devices.  On his Kik account, they located evidence that he had distributed child pornography images to other users and participated in chat groups related to pictures of children.  On his electronic devices, law enforcement found child pornography and age-questionable images and what are known as “child erotica” stories.

At the time of his crimes and of his arrest, Crowley was a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer stationed at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnetonka Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for their investigation and hard work on this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline prosecuted the case.

Following a two-week trial, a federal jury in Minneapolis convicted William Johnson today for his involvement in a violent Minneapolis street gang and a gang-related murder in August 2021.

“This is the Criminal Division’s fifth successful trial against members of this violent Minneapolis gang,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department’s firm resolve to stop violent crime in Minneapolis and around the country remains a top priority of this Administration. We will continue to obtain justice for crime victims in Minneapolis and around the country to halt senseless gang killings wherever they occur.”

“This conviction reflects sustained effort by investigators and prosecutors,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. “These cases do not end with a single verdict. ATF and our partners will continue holding every individual involved in this RICO conspiracy accountable for their actions.”

“Criminal gangs who threaten and terrorize our communities will be tracked down and held accountable by the FBI and our partners,” said Acting Assistant Director Mark Remily of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The danger the Highs have brought onto our streets will not be tolerated. Today’s conviction is another step in dismantling these criminal enterprises and stopping their acts of violence.”

“William Johnson and the Highs criminal street gang did not simply commit isolated acts of violence — they imposed control through killings, robberies, and assaults, leaving the entire community to live under threat,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chicago Field Office. “This conviction holds Johnson accountable for a murder carried out to advance a violent criminal enterprise that treated fear as a tool and human life as disposable. IRS-CI will continue working alongside our federal, state and local partners to dismantle these organizations at every level. We will follow the money, expose the structure behind the violence, and help ensure that gangs that terrorize communities in Minnesota are brought to justice.”

“Today’s conviction should put violent gang members on notice. The U. S. Postal Inspection Service will target anyone who uses the U. S. Mail to conduct and fund illegal criminal enterprises,” said Inspector in Charge Bryan Musgrove of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service Denver Division. “Residents deserve to feel safe in their communities. We remain dedicated to tracking criminals down and bringing them to justice, no matter their affiliation.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, William Johnson, 35, of Minneapolis, was a member of the Highs — a criminal gang that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Highs members committed murders, firearms crimes, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the gang. As part of his membership, the gang expected Johnson to retaliate against their rivals, namely, the Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue.

As proven at trial, the gang war between the Highs and Lows escalated when on Aug. 7, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed by a Lows member at a gas station — a notorious High’s hangout. The next day, Highs members organized a memorial for the deceased member at the gas station. During the memorial, they distributed firearms and told one another to retaliate against Lows members for the murder. Defendant Johnson and other Highs conspirators all attended.

Later that day, Johnson and two other Highs members went looking for Lows members to shoot and kill. Johnson drove himself and others to Skyline Market, a well-known favorite Lows’ hangout. Seeing the victim and mistakenly believing him to be a Lows member, they shot at him inside of the store. The victim ran from the store and into the street where another Highs member was driving two juveniles in a stolen Porsche. The juveniles exited the vehicle and chased the victim into a nearby alley where they fired additional shots at him. He died at the scene. Johnson drove the two Highs members away and back to the memorial site.

The defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. His sentencing date has yet to be set by the court. Two other defendants in prior trials in this case, Dantrell Johnson and Gregory Hamilton, have already been sentenced to life in prison. A third co-defendant, Keon Pruitt, was sentenced to over 37 years in prison. Numerous other Highs members have been sentenced to penalties in excess of ten years.

To date, 42 Highs members or associates have been convicted of federal charges.

The ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U. S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U. S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation.

Trial Attorneys Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section and Assistant U. S. Attorneys Albania Concepcion, Carla J. Baumel, and Rebecca E. Kline of the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case. 

ST. PAUL – Jessica Lynn Larson, age 38, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court to six months imprisonment followed by a year of supervised release for one count of false statements, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

While working as a nurse at FMC Rochester, Larson had a compromising sexual relationship with an inmate. Larson and the inmate exchanged sexually explicit love letters in which they professed their love for one another and discussed various sexual acts. In April 2024, Larson and the inmate had a sexual encounter. Sexual relationships between staff and inmates are prohibited due to the power imbalance between them.

Shortly after, other nurses at FMC Rochester reported the inappropriate relationship. When confronted about the relationship, Larson falsely accused the inmate of sexually assaulting her, forcing her to engage in a “fantasy” relationship, and threatening to hurt her children if she refused or reported the conduct. Bureau of Prisons staff members later found the love letters they exchanged proving Larson was lying.

Moreover, several months later after being placed on administrative leave, Larson drove to Ohio from which she sent another love letter to the inmate who had been moved to another prison location.

“The DOJ-OIG’s commitment to rooting out inappropriate relationships within correctional facilities is paramount. Such misconduct frequently facilitates contraband smuggling and bribery, directly compromising the safety of both staff and inmates,” said OIG Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Nutt.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne Semivan prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A prior convicted felon was charged in a criminal complaint today with being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of government property after breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle, announced United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Rosen was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives St. Paul Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarrad Smith of FBI Minneapolis, Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito, Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigation St. Paul, and Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie, Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division.

Charged was Raul Gutierrez, 33, of Minneapolis.  Gutierrez is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court today.

United States Attorney Rosen stated, “Despite the incitement of violence against federal law enforcement by local officials, which resulted here in the theft of a firearm from an FBI vehicle and the destruction of government property, this United States Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice will always put the public safety of Americans first. This alleged gang member, who is a previously convicted felon, is a danger to the community and this case is an indictment of the weak-on-crime policies promoted by the Mayor and Governor.”

“This arrest underscores a simple truth. We will not tolerate individuals exploiting circumstances to engage in criminal activity,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “When criminal conduct results in a prohibited person unlawfully possessing a firearm, the risk to the public increases dramatically, and ATF will act accordingly. Taking advantage of any situation to endanger public safety or undermine the integrity of law enforcement will be met with swift and decisive action.”

“There is a clear, bright line between peaceful protest and lawless destruction," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarrad Smith of FBI Minneapolis. "Stealing, damaging, and destroying federal property endangers the community and jeopardizes the safe and peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights. The FBI will never tolerate interference in law enforcement activities. Together with ATF, DEA, and the invaluable partnership of all our federal, state, and local law enforcement allies, FBI Minneapolis will ensure public safety and that those engaging in violent and destructive behavior will be identified and will face justice.”

Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito of HSI St. Paul stated, "As alleged, this career criminal demonstrated a brazen and utterly unacceptable contempt for the sanctity of public safety and the American rule of law when he broke into a government vehicle and stole deadly weaponry, including a rifle and accessories. Public wellbeing must be non-negotiable — no political considerations or First Amendment rights should compromise the safety and stability of our communities, which descended into riots and chaos on Jan. 14. Standing side by side with our law enforcement partners, HSI is committed to investigating all criminal opportunists and bad actors seeking to exploit the public right to peacefully protest and, in turn, endanger our neighborhoods.”

“Gutierrez is known at DEA as a violent criminal with a history involving fentanyl and methamphetamine drug trafficking and distribution,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “In support of this investigation, DEA identified him as the individual seen breaking into an FBI vehicle on January 14. The combined efforts of federal law enforcement agencies and the Violent Offender Task Force led to the swift arrest and the removal of a Latin King member that instilled fear and pushed poisons into our communities.”

According to the criminal complaint, on January 14, 2026, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were assisting Department of Homeland Security officers as part of an ongoing federal operation in the Twin Cities, Minnesota metropolitan area.  That evening, FBI personnel were operating on Minneapolis’s North Side in support of a DHS arrest operation that resulted in the use of force.  As a result of the ensuing civil unrest, FBI and DHS personnel were forced to abandon their vehicles and property at the scene.  Individuals in the crowd forced entry into an unmarked FBI vehicle and stole its contents.  The contents included a Colt M16A1 rifle and a HUXWRX Suppressor, among other items.

Investigators with DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) promptly began an investigation to identify the individuals responsible for the theft and viewed numerous open-source social media posts and videos of the destruction and theft of government property.  In one such video, investigators observed a male with a distinguishable facial tattoo, later identified as Gutierrez, remove a soft rifle case containing the Colt M16A1and HUXWRX suppressor from the trunk vault of the FBI vehicle that had just been broken into.  Additional monitoring of open-source social media posts revealed another video that showed Gutierrez walking down the street carrying the soft rifle case and eventually place the rifle case in the backseat of a black Ford sedan.

The following morning, investigators with ATF and the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF) established surveillance on Gutierrez’s residence. While at the residence, investigators observed a tow truck arrive and load a covered vehicle onto the back.  A male wearing a face mask who matched Gutierrez’s height and weight entered the passenger side of the tow truck and departed. Investigators followed the tow truck for several minutes and during which the cover began to lift in the wind, revealing a black Ford sedan like the one identified in social media videos the previous night.  Shortly thereafter, VOTF investigators attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the tow truck which resulted in the truck fleeing.  The driver of the tow truck and Gutierrez both exited the truck and ran in different directions.  Both the driver and Gutierrez were apprehended after a brief foot pursuit.

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent.  As a felony trial cannot be held on a complaint, a decision to seek an indictment will be made in the near future.

The case was investigated by the FBI, DHS, ATF, DEA and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Violent Offender Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner.

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.

Click here for a copy of the Criminal Complaint

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit today against the State of Minnesota challenging Minnesota’s requirement that all state agencies implement sex- and race-based affirmative action plans and consider “affirmative action goals on all staffing and personnel decisions.” The State’s affirmative action program directs agencies to engage in employment practices that “balance” the sex and race composition of its workforce with the civilian labor force.

“From suing over sanctuary city policies to a wide-ranging fraud investigation, today's lawsuit is the Department of Justice's latest effort to bring Minnesota into compliance with federal law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Making hiring decisions based on immutable characteristics like race and sex is simple discrimination, and the Trump Administration has no tolerance for such DEI policies.”

“For far too long, courts have allowed employers to discriminate based on race and sex when it is packaged as ‘affirmative action,’” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Supreme Court put an end to using race as a factor in college admissions through its Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision. This case is the next logical step. Title VII protects all people from race and sex discrimination in employment. There is no exception that allows discrimination against employees who aren’t considered ‘underrepresented.’”

“Minnesotans already had to see their state officials let criminals brazenly walk off with over a billion taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota. “Now they see those same officials abusing their power by systematically and unlawfully branding jobseekers as the wrong race or sex. The United States Attorney General and the Justice Department are on the side of Minnesotans and have stepped in to hold the State accountable.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges that this affirmative action mandate discriminates against, limits, and classifies employees and prospective employees on the basis of their race and sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). “Because staffing is a zero-sum game,” the complaint states, “when Minnesota gives preferences to employees or prospective employees on the basis of their race, color, national origin, and sex, it inevitably and necessarily discriminates against other employees or prospective employees because of their race, color, national origin, and sex.”

While the U.S. Supreme Court previously sanctioned the consideration of race and sex in hiring for “traditionally segregated job categories,” the United States argues such outdated precedents are inconsistent with both the text of Title VII and subsequent Supreme Court caselaw.

United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified this case as a matter of general public importance. This designation invokes a provision of Title VII that entitles the United States to expedited review by a three-judge district court and direct appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

The filing can be read here.

MINNEAPOLIS – Damien William Quinn, also known as Ryan William Shattuck, age 34, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, was arraigned on an indictment charging Quinn with four counts of Production of Child Pornography, two counts of Attempted Production of Child Pornography, one count of Receipt of Child Pornography, and five counts of Cyberstalking, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  Mr. Quinn was ordered detained pending trial.

Damien Quinn owned multiple pseudonymous Snapchat and Instagram accounts that he used to “catfish” minor victims in order to receive sexually explicit photographs and videos.  Quinn used these accounts to cyberstalk women who attended North Branch High School with him, claiming he had nude photos of them and sharing nude photos of one victim.  Quinn also modified at least one photograph of a victim to make the victim appear nude. To date, law enforcement has identified eleven total victims of Quinn; six minors and five adults.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Forest Lake Police Department and the Eden Prairie Police Department.

Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation.  If you attended North Branch High School in North Branch, Minnesota, and have experienced suspicious online behavior from a known or unknown account, or if your child has reported being contacted online by an unknown account seeking sexually explicit material, contact the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – Juan Carlos Rodriguez Romero, age 54, has been charged by indictment with two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon and one count of Assault on a Federal Officer, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

On the morning of December 21, 2025, ICE deportation officers attempted to arrest Juan Carlos Rodriguez Romero in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Rodriguez Romero is a citizen of Cuba and subject to removal.  Uniformed ICE agents initiated a traffic stop of Rodriguez.  Rodriguez refused to obey commands and attempted to flee in his car.  While fleeing, Rodriguez accelerated his car towards ICE officers who were on foot. Rodriguez sped away but soon hit two parked cars and lost control of his vehicle.  ICE officers attempted to apprehend Rodriguez Romero a second time. Rodriguez Romero again accelerated his car towards officers, one of whom fired his weapon towards Rodriguez Romero. Rodriguez Romero struck one officer while trying to flee during this second attempt. When ICE officers apprehended Rodriguez Romero, he bit one of the officers, drawing blood.  Two ICE officers were transported to the hospital, suffering from bruised ribs, a dislocated finger, and a bite wound.

Rodriguez Romero is detained pending a detention hearing.  If convicted, he faces up to twenty years in prison on the charge of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Syngen Kanassatega is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – Six additional defendants have been charged federally with participating in schemes to defraud the government in the Autism fraud scheme and the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) fraud scheme. One defendant charged in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Autism scheme pled guilty today.  And this morning, federal agents executed a search warrant relating to fraud in an additional state program, the Integrated Community Services (ICS) program, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

The EIDBI Autism Fraud Scheme

In the Autism fraud scheme, Abdinajib Hassan Yussuf, age 27, has been charged by federal information with one count of wire fraud. As set forth in the information, Yussuf and others devised and carried out a scheme to defraud the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit, a publicly funded Minnesota Health Care Program that offers medically necessary services to people under the age of 21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  Yussuf was the President and CEO of Star Autism Center LLC.

From late 2020 through December 2024, Yussuf used Star Autism to carry out a scheme to defraud the EIDBI program.  Star Autism purported to provide necessary one-on-one therapy to children with autism.  In fact, Star Autism employed unqualified individuals as “behavioral technicians.”  These behavioral technicians were often 18- or 19-year-old relatives, with no formal education beyond high school and no training or certifications related to the treatment of autism.

To run their fraud scheme, Yussuf and his partners needed children who had an autism diagnosis and an individual treatment plan.  They approached parents in the Somali community to recruit their children into Star Autism.  If a child did not have an autism diagnosis, Yussuf and his partners worked to get the recruited child qualified for autism services.

As a recruitment tactic to drive up enrollment, Star Autism paid monthly cash kickback payments to parents who enrolled their children to receive EIDBI services through Star Autism.  The amount of these payments was contingent on the services DHS authorized a child to receive—the higher the authorization amount, the higher the kickback.

Yussuf and his partners submitted millions of dollars’ worth of claims for Medicaid reimbursement on behalf of Star Autism.  Many of these claims were fraudulently inflated, billed without providers’ knowledge, and for services that were not actually provided.  The cost of the kickback payments that Star Autism paid to parents were financed through Star Autism’s fraudulent billings to Medicaid.

Yussuf’s fraudulent scheme resulted in Star Autism obtaining more than $6 million in EIDBI reimbursement funds from Minnesota DHS and UCare. Yussuf shared in the proceeds of the fraud scheme with the other owners and investors in Star Autism.  Among other things, Yussuf used more than $100,000 in fraud proceeds to purchase a freightliner semi-truck.  He also sent more than $200,000 in fraud proceeds to Kenya.

In September 2025, Asha Farhan Hassan, age 28, was charged by federal information with wire fraud for her role in a $14 million Autism fraud scheme.  Hassan was also charged with participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, for which she received $465,000.  This morning, before United States District Judge David Doty, Hassan pled guilty to one count of wire fraud for her role in these schemes.  Hassan will be sentenced at a later date.

The Housing Stabilization Services Fraud Scheme

In July 2020, Minnesota became the first state in the country to offer Medicaid coverage for Housing Stabilization Services.  The Housing Stabilization Services Program is a Medical Assistance (that is, Medicaid) benefit designed to help people with disabilities, including seniors and people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, find and maintain housing.  By design, the HSS Program had low barriers to entry and minimal records requirements for reimbursement that combined to make the Program susceptible to fraud.

Before the HSS Program’s inaugural year, DHS predicted the HSS Program would cost about $2.6 million annually.  That proved to be inaccurate.  In 2021 alone, the HSS Program paid out more than $21 million in claims.  That figure ballooned in the following years: $42 million in 2022, $74 million in 2023, and $104 million in 2024.  In just the first six months of 2025, the Program paid out another $61 million.

In the Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, Anthony Waddell Jefferson, age 37, and Lester Brown, age 53, have both been charged by federal information with one count of wire fraud.

As set forth in the information, Jefferson and Brown devised and carried out a scheme to defraud Minnesota’s Housing Stability Services Program. Jefferson and Brown live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jefferson and Brown heard that Minnesota’s HSS Program was a good opportunity to make money.  Jefferson, Brown, and three of their associates decided to become Minnesota HSS Providers, despite living on the other side of the country and having no network in or connections to Minnesota or its communities.  Ultimately, their sole connection to Minnesota was their fraudulent participation in the Housing Stabilization Services Program.

Jefferson and Brown registered LLCs in Minnesota and participated in the Housing Stability Services Program as service providers.  They were supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need.  Instead, they defrauded the program.

Jefferson and Brown repeatedly flew together from Philadelphia to Minneapolis for the purpose of recruiting beneficiaries for their companies.  They visited shelters and Section 8 housing facilities, marketing themselves as “The Housing Guys.”  Jefferson hired family members and associates to work as his employees.  At Jefferson’s direction, those employees created fake client notes purporting to document services provided.  In some of that documentation, Jefferson invented fake employees whose names he used to sign off on client notes.  Brown generally did not keep client notes, despite being required by Program rules to do so.  When insurance representatives sought that documentation, Brown made up fake notes to satisfy the requests.

Jefferson and Brown submitted about $3.5 million in HSS claims for services purportedly provided to about 230 beneficiaries.

In the Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, Hassan Ahmed Hussein, age 28, and Ahmed Abdirashid Mohamed, age 27, have both been charged by federal indictment with one count of wire fraud.

As set forth in the indictment, Hussein and Mohamed owned and operated a company called Pristine Health LLC in St. Paul.  Hussein and Mohamed registered Pristine Health with the Minnesota Secretary of State and then submitted paperwork to DHS to operate Pristine as an HSS provider.  Hussein and Mohamed were supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need.  Instead, and in furtherance of their fraud scheme, Hussein and Mohamed caused the submission of false claims information that significantly overrepresented the services they provided.

Hussein and Mohamed shared responsibilities for Pristine’s operations.  They worked with another HSS Provider called Foundation First—which was in the business of generating fake HSS Program paperwork—to “consult” on many of Pristine’s purported beneficiaries.  Pristine and Foundation First worked together to fabricate Housing Focused Plans for Pristine beneficiaries.  Pristine then used those beneficiaries’ names to submit false claims to the HSS Program.

To further expand their operations, Hussein and Mohamed retained the services of another entity—Company 1—to find new beneficiaries whose names Pristine could use to bill the Program.  Company 1 encouraged providers to use Company 1’s services to “grow [their] clientele,” “grow bigger than you are now,” and achieve “BIG profit.” 

Hussein and Mohamed claimed to service nearly 100 different beneficiaries through Pristine and for such services claimed to be entitled to about $750,000.  But in reality, the defendants’ operations at Pristine provided only a fraction of their claimed total.

Hussein and Mohamed spent much of their fraud proceeds on themselves and to fund personal travel, including to London, Sydney, Dubai, Istanbul, and several destinations in Saudi Arabia.

In the housing stabilization services fraud scheme, Kaamil Omar Sallah, age 26, has been charged by indictment with four counts of wire fraud.  Sallah owned and operated a company called SafeLodgings, Inc.  Sallah registered SafeLodgings with the Minnesota Secretary of State in March 2023.  That same month, Sallah submitted paperwork to enroll SafeLodgings as an HSS Provider.

Through SafeLodgings, Sallah was supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need.  Instead, he defrauded the program.

Sallah submitted inflated and fraudulent bills in which he repeatedly claimed that individual SafeLodgings employees had serviced multiple beneficiaries in the same one- or two-hour blocks.  Such double billing is neither practically possible nor is it permitted under Program rules.  Sallah submitted bills to the Program claiming that he personally provided reimbursable services.  Those bills, too, included double billing.  In 2024 alone, Sallah claimed to have personally provided more than 3,600 billable service hours.

Sallah diverted much of his fraud proceeds to conspirators, including to his employees at SafeLodgings, and he spent much of it on himself and on investments, including nearly $150,000 in a cryptocurrency exchange.

In all, between approximately March 2023 and August 2025, Sallah and his company fraudulently claimed to be entitled to approximately $1.4 million for providing Housing Stabilization Services and received nearly $1.3 million.

In November 2025, federal agents served Sallah, as SafeLodgings’s owner, with a grand jury subpoena for company records related to the HSS Program.  Sallah retained counsel for the purpose of responding to that subpoena.  Then he fled the country.  On or about November 26, Sallah flew from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Amsterdam.  He has not returned to the United States.

The Integrated Community Supports (ICS) Fraud Scheme

Today, the Court unsealed a search warrant for the business of Ultimate Home Health Services LLC which participated in the Integrated Community Supports (“ICS”) program.  In 2021, Minnesota began offering Medicaid coverage for ICS.  ICS is a Minnesota Medicaid benefit designed to fill a gap in the service continuum between a person living in their own home and more restrictive settings such as group homes and assisted living.

ICS was designed to help people live more independently in the community—as opposed to an institutionalized setting—with daily one-on-one help with health, safety, and household tasks so that qualifying individuals can live in the community.  Providers can bill up to 24 hours per day for ICS services.

Unfortunately, the ICS program has been vulnerable to fraud. As with the EDIBI and HSS programs, the ICS program has seen explosive growth over the five years since it began in 2021. After paying out a total of approximately $4.6 million in 2021, the program has grown to cost more than $170 million in 2024.  In all, claims data shows that the Medicaid system has paid out more than $400 million for ICS services since 2021.

According to DHS records, Ultimate Home Health Services submitted claims for reimbursement for over $1.1 million in ICS funds between approximately June 2024 and August 2025.  During that time, Ultimate Home Health Services submitted claims on behalf of a total of 13 clients. According to the search warrant affidavit, ICS billed Medicaid for services for multiple individuals that it did not provide.  ICS falsely claimed to have provided ICS services to one individual on all but four days over a 447-day period.

Another individual with severe mental illness was found dead in his apartment, and DHS records show that he was receiving ICS services from Ultimate Home Health at the time of his death.  According to DHS records, Ultimate Home Health claimed to be providing 12 hours of services a day, although the individual’s mother, who visited him at least once a week, said that Ultimate Home Health was not providing anywhere near the care for which they were billing Medicaid.

These cases are the result of investigations being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Daniel W. Bobier, Harry M. Jacobs, Rebecca E. Kline, and Matthew Murphy are prosecuting these cases.

Informations and Indictments are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Highs gang member Dantrell Johnson was sentenced today to life imprisonment for his role in a racketeering conspiracy and gang-related murder. On Dec. 16, Highs gang member Gregory Hamilton was also sentenced to life imprisonment.

Following a federal jury trial, both defendants were convicted of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy and using a firearm to cause death.

“The defendants orchestrated a calculated campaign of violence that included ruthless shootings and murders,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “They armed themselves, enlisted others – including juveniles – and hunted down perceived rivals, demonstrating the extreme danger posed by violent gangs. These life sentences reflect the Criminal Division’s unwavering commitment to holding gang leaders accountable and restoring safety to communities terrorized by gang violence.”

“These life sentences reflect our unwavering commitment to hold the most dangerous offenders accountable and remove violent gang networks from our communities,” said Assistant Director of Field Operations Brent Beavers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) “ATF dedicated hundreds of hours to this investigation alongside our law enforcement partners. We are proud of the meticulous work that brought this ruthless gang to justice.”

“The people of Minneapolis deserve to feel safe and protected in their neighborhoods. The defendants took that right away from them by unleashing violence and terror in their streets,” said Acting Assistant Director Rebecca Day of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that those who threaten and terrorize innocent community members with violence will be held accountable by the FBI and our partners."

After a two-week trial in April, a federal jury found Gregory Hamilton, 29, and Dantrell Johnson, 32, both of Minneapolis, guilty for their roles in the Highs, a violent Minneapolis street gang, and for a gang-related murder on Aug. 8, 2021.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamilton and Johnson were members of the Highs, a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. The evidence established that Hamilton, Johnson, and other Highs members committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies to further the enterprise. As a member of the Highs, the defendant was expected to retaliate against the rival Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue.

Trial evidence showed that, on Aug. 7, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed by a Lows member at the Winner gas station, a known Highs hangout. The following day, Aug. 8, 2021, Highs members organized a memorial at the gas station, where firearms were distributed and members encouraged one another to retaliate against Lows members for the murder. Hamilton, Johnson, and other Highs members were present at the memorial.

Later that same day, Hamilton and Johnson drove to a Lows hangout, Wally’s Foods, and shot a Lows associate (Victim 1), who survived his injuries. Approximately two hours later, Hamilton, Johnson, and other Highs members drove to Skyline Market, another known Lows hangout, intending to shoot another Lows member.

Hamilton and Johnson followed Victim 2 into the store, where surveillance cameras captured them shooting him. The defendants mistakenly believed Victim 2 was a member of the Lows. Victim 2 fled the store and into the street, where another Highs member, Keon Pruitt, who was driving a stolen Porsche with two juvenile Highs members inside, stopped the vehicle and let the juveniles out. The juveniles chased Victim 2 into a nearby alley and fired additional shots. Victim 2 was shot at least eight times and died at the scene.

On Nov. 16, 2025, Highs gang member Keon Pruitt was sentenced to a 451-month term of imprisonment after a federal jury trial found him guilty of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy and using a firearm to cause death.

These cases against the Highs resulted from an investigation conducted by the ATF; the FBI; the Minneapolis Police Department; IRS Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office; the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation through reports or evidence control.

Trial Attorney Brian W. Lynch of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Lopez-Calhoun, Albania Concepcion, and Rebecca Kline for the District of Minnesota prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – This morning, United States District Judge Nancy Brasel sentenced Gregory Hamilton, age 29, to life imprisonment, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  Hamilton is a violent member of the Minneapolis criminal street gang known as the Highs.  He was convicted after a three-week trial of RICO Conspiracy and Premeditated Murder for his involvement in the Highs and the August 8, 2021 murder of Darryl Wells, Jr., an innocent bystander who was mistaken for a gang member.

This is the second life sentence secured by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a part of the RICO prosecutions aimed at disrupting and dismantling the violent and murderous street gangs of Minneapolis.  To date, the office has charged well over 100 gang members with federal crimes, including charging 39 members of the Highs with RICO conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, firearms trafficking, and related offenses.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamilton, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a member of the Highs—a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Evidence at trial proved that members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise.  As members of the Highs, the defendants were expected to retaliate against the rival Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue.

On August 7, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed by a Lows member at the Winner gas station, a Highs hangout.  The following day, August 8, 2021, Highs members organized a memorial for the deceased member at the gas station, where they distributed firearms and encouraged one another to retaliate against Lows members. Defendant Hamilton attended the memorial.

Later that day, Hamilton and a second convicted defendant, Dantrell Johnson, drove to a Lows hangout—Wally’s Foods—and shot a Lows associate, who survived his injuries.  Approximately two hours later, Johnson, Hamilton, and another convicted defendant, Keon Pruitt, drove to Skyline Market, another known Lows hangout.  The were “hunting” Lows and wanted to shoot Lows members.  They mistakenly believed Wells was a Lows member—he was not—and the store’s cameras captured them shooting Wells inside the store.  Wells ran from the store.  Pruitt, who was driving two juveniles in a stolen Porsche, chased Wells a short distance. The two juveniles then jumped out of the car, chased Wells into a nearby alley, and fired additional shots at him.  All told, Wells was shot at least eight times.

The jury convicted Hamilton, Johnson, and Pruitt of Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy and Using a Firearm to Cause Death.

Today, Judge Brasel imposed what the government requested at sentencing—a life sentence.  In doing so, Judge Brasel observed, “This was gang revenge, pure and simple.”  Judge Brasel noted that the evidence at trial showed that Hamilton is “a shooter for the Highs” and that he killed Darryl Wells “in a horrific and barbaric manner.”  She explained that the victims of the Highs violence—which turned North Minneapolis into “an open-air shooting range”—were not just Wells but also the many members of the community who were also bystanders to this violence.

In imposing the life sentence, Judge Brasel concluded, “A lesser sentence would not honor and protect members of this neighborhood who were terrorized” by the violence of the Highs.  As one concerned community member wrote to the Court, “Whether it be from violence with guns, drug sales, a combination of both, we have been preyed upon enough as a community.”

These cases against the Highs are a result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation through reports or evidence control.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Lopez-Calhoun, Albania Concepcion, Rebecca Kline, and Carla Baumel of the District of Minnesota, and Trial Attorneys Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section, prosecuted these cases.

ST. PAUL – Patrick Carl Timberlake, Jr., a/k/a “King,” age 29, was sentenced Wednesday in United States District Court to 204 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for two counts of Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Timberlake is a drug dealer and a felon who is prohibited from possessing weapons.  In 2019 and 2020, Timberlake sold poison—heroin containing deadly fentanyl—to two drug users who took Timberlake’s poison, overdosed, and died. The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound condolences to the families of the victims of Timberlake and the deadly drug epidemic.

Specifically, on December 4, 2019, Timberlake sold Victim 1 approximately 0.5 grams of heroin that contained fentanyl.  Victim 1 used the drugs Timberlake sold him.  His father later found him unconscious on the bathroom floor and called 911.  Victim 1’s father and emergency personnel attempted to revive Victim 1, but he was pronounced dead.  A medical examiner later determined his death to be the result of the toxic effects of heroin and fentanyl.

On January 20, 2020, Timberlake sold heroin that contained fentanyl to Victim 2.  The next day, emergency services received a 911 call requesting a welfare check on Victim 2 at his parent’s house for a possible overdose.  First responders arrived and found Victim 2 unresponsive on the kitchen floor and pronounced him dead.  A medical examiner later determined his death to be the result of the toxic effects of heroin and fentanyl.

A subsequent investigation determined that Timberlake had been dealing heroin containing fentanyl on a daily basis, first from his apartment in Saint Paul, then from his apartment in Plymouth, and finally from his apartment in Columbia Heights.  The investigation also revealed that another drug customer told Timberlake of Victim 1’s death the day after it happened, to which Timberlake responded: “okay.”  Despite knowing that his drugs had caused the death of Victim 1, Timberlake continued to sell drugs, including to Victim 2, causing his death.  

A search of Timberlake’s apartment in Columbia Heights revealed a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun, a 30-round extended magazine, and ammunition—all of which Timberlake was prohibited from lawfully possessing due to his prior felony convictions.

United States District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Timberlake was sentenced Wednesday on two counts of Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl to 204 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release. In sentencing Timberlake, Judge Frank spoke about the scourge of fentanyl deaths affecting our country and recognized the heartbreak to both of the victim’s families who lost their loved ones to the fentanyl epidemic.   

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office and Drug Enforcement Administration.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Nathan H. Nelson prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL – Matthew Thomas Onofrio, 34, of Plymouth, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Over the course of two years, Onofrio devised and carried out a $420 million bank fraud scheme.

Between 2020 and 2022, Matthew Onofrio—a young nurse anesthetist and real estate investor—devised and carried out a massive bank fraud scheme. To carry out his fraud scheme, Onofrio created a real estate investment program whereby Onofrio would enter into purchase agreements for commercial properties and assign them to novice “investors” at highly inflated prices. Onofrio then coached his investors to lie to banks to obtain loans they could not afford based on false information.

Onofrio promoted his own financial success and real estate investment strategies in online professional networking groups and on a popular podcast geared towards aspiring real estate investors, called “Bigger Pockets.” Onofrio leveraged those platforms to create a reputation as something of a real estate savant, which attracted more investors.

Onofrio’s investors did not have the kind of money (typically, 30% of the purchase price) that was necessary to purchase the multi-million-dollar properties that Onofrio offered. To solve this problem, Onofrio counseled his investors defraud the banks.

Onofrio helped investors prepare fraudulent personal finance statements falsely indicating they had enough cash to cover the requisite down payment. When the lending banks inevitably requested proof of funds, Onofrio temporarily wired the money into his investors’ bank accounts, making it appear they actually had the money.  If the banks asked about the source of the funds, Onofrio instructed his investors to tell the banks it came from other investments, or they had family money. Onofrio would also loan his investors money to cover the down payment but would not include the loans on the investors’ personal financial statements or record the promissory notes as a second mortgage on the property to keep it hidden from the banks.

Over the course of approximately two years, Onofrio completed 68 deals involving $420,564,795 in fraudulently obtained bank loans.  Although many of Onofrio’s investors stopped paying on their promissory notes following Onofrio’s indictment in this case, Onofrio netted at least $35,745,252 from his fraudulent scheme before being caught.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced Onofrio to 36 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered him to play $5,398,641 in restitution.  In handing down her sentence, Judge Nelson identified Onofrio as the “ringleader and architect of a vast bank fraud.” Judge Nelson explained that she wanted to send a message to other would-be fraudsters that there is no such thing as a get-rich-quick-scheme—at least not a legal one.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the IRS, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL – Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, age 40, was found guilty today in U.S. District Court of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous and Deadly Weapon and Causing Bodily Injury, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. 

On June 17, 2025, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Munoz-Guatemala, a convicted sex offender, on an immigration order.  Agents made a traffic stop of Munoz-Guatemala.  The defendant was uncooperative and refused to follow directions.  After warning Munoz-Guatemala several times, an agent broke the back window so that he could open the vehicle from the inside.  Munoz-Guatemala then accelerated his car.  As he sped away, the agent’s arm became trapped between the seat and the car frame.  Munoz-Guatemala dragged the federal agent for more than 100 yards, while weaving back and forth in an attempt to shake the agent from the car.  The agent was eventually jarred free from the car but suffered significant injuries to his arms and hand.

Munoz-Guatemala is illegally present in the United States. In December 2022, Munoz-Guatemala was convicted in Hennepin County of repeatedly sexually abusing a minor.

The jury found Munoz-Guatemala guilty on December 10, 2025, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan. The jury found that Munoz-Guatemala assaulted the agent with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and that in doing so Munoz-Guatemala caused the agent bodily injury. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bloomington Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raphael B. Coburn and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, was charged by complaint with Kidnapping a Minor and Kidnapping, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  As detailed in the complaint, Mohamed kidnapped and raped a 15-year-old girl in 2017 and an adult woman in 2025.  In between, he raped at least three other women.

“This Somali national in Minnesota is charged with raping a minor and multiple adult women before being detained — only to be quickly released by a local court, after which he committed yet another rape.  This horrific case illustrates how left-wing soft-on-crime policies and vetting failures put innocent people at dire risk.  If Minnesota will not protect its own people, the Department of Justice will do it for them,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

“The allegations are sickening — multiple kidnappings and rapes, including against minors — and they happened in a state that has chosen ideology over public safety.  Minnesota’s radical soft-on-crime policies created an environment where predators believe they can act without consequence.  President Trump was elected to restore law and order, and under Attorney General Bondi, this Department is making sure violent criminals like this will face real justice and spend the rest of their natural lives in federal prison,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Given the history of the state prosecution of Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, my office will aggressively prosecute this serial rapist,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

On December 3, 2025, federal law enforcement received information concerning violent kidnappings and rapes committed by Mohamed in Minnesota.  Law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office immediately investigated and found that, as set forth in the Complaint, there is probable cause to believe that Mohamed committed a string of disturbing sexual assaults—several of them gang rapes—of at least five victims between 2017 and 2025, many following the same pattern.  Mohamed faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment and up to a sentence of life for his crimes.

On December 12, 2017, Mohamed and two others kidnapped and raped a 15-year-old girl (Minor Victim 1).  Minor Victim 1 met Mohamed online, on the social media platform Snapchat.  Mohamed agreed to give Minor Victim 1 a ride and picked her up in St. Paul.  Instead of driving her to her requested location, Mohamed drove Minor Victim 1 to Minneapolis against her will.  Mohamed parked his car in Minneapolis.  Suddenly, two more men got in the car.  One of them was holding a short-barreled silver revolver.  The man pointed the gun at Minor Victim 1’s head and said, “give my brother some head or I’ll blow your head off.”  Minor Victim 1 was forced to perform oral sex on one of the two men.  Minor Victim 1 was then sexually assaulted by Mohamed.  Minor Victim 1 was forced—at gunpoint and in fear for her life—to perform oral sex on Mohamed.  He then raped her vaginally.  After the group sexually assaulted the girl, they let her out of the car.  Minor Victim 1 ran, hid, and called the police.  The police took Minor Victim 1 to the hospital, and she consented to a sexual assault exam.  On September 17, 2024, after Mohamed’s DNA was taken in connection with another sexual assault, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) laboratory matched Mohamed’s DNA to the swabs taken from Minor Victim 1’s body, excluding more than 99.99% of the general population.

On February 7, 2018, Mohamed and two others raped an adult woman (Victim 2).  In the early morning hours of that day, Roseville police received a call from a Lyft driver, reporting that he had a woman in his car who had been sexually assaulted by three men.  Police responded to the scene and interviewed Victim 2.  She explained that a man she knew from Instagram picked her up in his car.  He and two other men held her against her will in the car.  The men raped Victim 2.  After they were done sexually assaulting her, the men released Victim 2, telling her the cops were coming.  Victim 2 ran to a Motel 6 to charge her phone and called a Lyft to pick her up.  When Victim 2 told her Lyft driver what happened, he called 911.  Police took Victim 2 to the hospital, where she consented to a sexual assault exam.  Police located condoms in a car that had been on the scene.  The BCA connected Mohamed’s known DNA sample to the DNA from a recovered condom. 

On May 8, 2018, Mohamed and another man kidnapped and raped an adult woman (Victim 3).  Victim 3 knew Mohamed from Snapchat but had never met him in person before.  Mohamed drove to Victim 3’s house in St. Paul and Victim 3 sat with him in his car.  Victim 3 asked Mohamed for a pack of cigarettes.  Instead, Mohamed began to drive away.  Victim 3 protested, explaining she couldn’t leave her apartment, as her son was inside.  But Mohamed continued to drive and locked the car doors so that Victim 3 could not escape.  Mohamed drove Victim 3 to Minneapolis.  He pulled the car into an alley, where Mohamed raped Victim 3.  After the rape, a second man got into the backseat.  He was holding a black semi-automatic handgun.  He pointed the handgun at Victim 3’s head and said, “If you don’t give me head you’re not going to live.”  Victim 3 then performed oral sex on the second man, under threat of her life.  After they were done, Mohamed and the other man pushed Victim 3 out of the car.  Victim 3 ran until she arrived at a gas station.  She asked for directions to the light rail, which she took back to St. Paul.  She then contacted the St. Paul Police, who took Victim 3 to the hospital, where she consented to a sexual assault exam.  In September 2024 the BCA laboratory matched Mohamed’s DNA to the swabs taken from Victim 3, excluding more than 99.99% of the general population.

On May 30, 2024, Mohamed raped an adult woman (Victim 4).  Victim 4 knew Mohamed from Snapchat.  Mohamed picked up Victim 4 and her sister in his car and, instead of taking them for something to eat, drove the two women to his apartment in Minneapolis.  Mohamed carried Victim 4 to his bedroom and threw her on the bed and closed the door.  Mohamed tried to force Victim 4 to give him oral sex.  When she refused, Mohamed raped her.  Mohamed told Victim 4 that if she didn’t have sex with him, he would get a gun from his car and shoot her or her sister.  Victim 4’s sister heard screaming and her sister saying stop.  Victim 4’s sister opened the door and saw Mohamed on top of her sister.  Mohamed threatened to kill Victim 4’s sister and told her to leave.  Victim 4’s sister fled the building and called the police.  When the police arrived, they found Victim 4 and Mohamed in his apartment.  Victim 4 was crying and stumbling.  When Victim 4 was away from Mohamed, she explained he raped her.  Police took Victim 4 to the hospital, where she consented to a sexual assault exam.  Police arrested Mohamed and took him to the hospital for a sexual assault exam.  Mohamad became hostile—he kicked squad doors and windows, spat on officers, and eventually became assaultive with hospital security guards and nurses.  He was kicked out of the medical center before the sexual assault exam could be completed.  In September 2024, pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement collected a DNA swab from Mohamed.  

In September 2025, Mohamed committed another kidnapping and rape.  On September 15, 2025, Mohamed picked up an adult woman (Victim 5) in Mankato, Minnesota.  Victim 5 met Mohamed that night and Mohamed was supposed to take Victim 5 to get food and then bring her back home.  Instead, after Victim 5 was in Mohamed’s car, he kidnapped her.  After Victim 5 asked Mohamed to bring her home, Mohamed kept driving and said, “you are not going home.”  Mohamed drove Victim 5 approximately 70 miles to a hotel in Bloomington, where he kept her for nearly a week.  When Victim 5 tried to leave on the first day, Mohamed grabbed her by the hair, slapped her face, and told her she could not leave.  Mohamed raped Victim 5 twice.  Mohamed choked Victim 5 while he raped her.  Victim 5 was able to text her sister, that “I think I’m getting kidnapped” and needed help, but Mohamed took her phone away.  Victim 5’s sister contacted the police, who worked to find Victim 5.  On September 21, 2025, Victim 5 jumped out of Mohamed’s car and told a nearby man, “Can you help me?  I am being kidnapped.”  The man called 911 and police responded to the scene.  Police took Victim 5 to the hospital, where she consented to a sexual assault exam.  The DNA profile obtained from Victim 5 matched to Mohamed’s known sample.

This case results from an investigation conducted by the FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department, the St. Louis Park Police Department, the Anoka County Sherrif’s Office, and the St. Paul Police Department.

The FBI is investigating Mohamed for the offenses detailed in the complaint and for additional sexual offenses.  If you believe you, your child, or someone you know may be a victim of Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, please call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda A. Williams is prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL – Two defendants who distributed fentanyl in Minnesota, resulting in the death of a man on the Mille Lacs Reservation, have been sentenced to lengthy sentences in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Dimitric Timopkin Wilson, 48, was sentenced to 261 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release, and Allen Lee Goodwin, 51, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release.

According to evidence presented at Wilson’s May 2025 trial, Wilson, a drug dealer, obtained fentanyl from a source in Detroit, Michigan, and distributed it in Wisconsin and Minnesota to lower-level traffickers, including Goodwin.  In July 2023, Goodwin sold fentanyl to a 38-year-old man living on the Mille Lacs Reservation.  The next morning, the victim injected the fentanyl and died minutes later. Additionally, in October 2023, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper pulled Wilson over for a traffic stop.  During the stop, the trooper found hundreds of grams of fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and crack cocaine hidden in a compartment of Wilson’s car and arrested Wilson.  Finally, less than a year after being indicted, and while on pretrial release, Wilson sold fentanyl to a police informant.

A jury convicted Wilson of one count each of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and distributing fentanyl while on pretrial release.  This was Wilson’s second federal drug conviction, as he was convicted in 2008 in the Eastern District of Michigan for conspiracy to distribute heroin.

In October 2025, U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Wilson to a total of 261 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and distributing fentanyl while on pretrial release.  Judge Frank specifically found that the death of the Mille Lacs man was a foreseeable result of Wilson’s fentanyl trafficking and that Wilson therefore bore responsibility for the man’s death.  The sentences run consecutively, and the total sentence to 261 months in prison is well above the sentencing guidelines range.

Goodwin pled guilty in a separate proceeding to distributing fentanyl resulting in death.  On December 3, 2025, Judge Frank sentenced Goodwin to 120 months’ imprisonment and 4 years’ supervised release.  Judge Frank noted the “devastation that fentanyl is having” on Minnesota’s communities and said that in his decades as a state and federal judge, he had “seen nothing quite like it.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, the East Central Drug Task Force, the Sawyer County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Lac Courte Oreilles (Wisconsin) Tribal Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Campbell Warner and Allen A. Slaughter, Jr., prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Ibrahim Ahmed Mohamud, a/k/a “Ibbs” and “30,” age 19, pled guilty in federal court today to Possession of a Machinegun, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Mohamud is a member of the criminal street gang known as “YSL” (“Young Slime Life”).  Witnesses implicated Mohamud, who goes by “Ibbs,” in a drive-by shooting that occurred on February 24, 2024.  According to witnesses, Mohamud shot at the victim after mistaking him for a member of a rival  street gang known as “Muddy,” which associates with the Somali Outlaws street gang.   

Based on this information, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Mohamud and his vehicle.  Officers found two guns inside Mohamud’s car—a Glock 19x 9mm pistol equipped with a switch, rendering it fully automatic, and a Glock 17 9mm pistol. These firearms were forensically linked to a shooting that occurred just two days prior at a residence in Lino Lakes, Minnesota.  The targets of that shooting were suspected members of the Muddy street gang.  One of those targets had previously been the victim of another gang-related assault by YSL members during a basketball game at Robbinsdale High School on January 28, 2025.

During the vehicle search, police squad vehicle video recorded Mohamud as he attempted to pressure a juvenile occupant of the vehicle into taking responsibility for the firearms, believing the juvenile would not be prosecuted due to his age.  Mohamud’s DNA was found on the Glock 19x 9mm pistol equipped with a switch.

Mohamud pled guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Laura M. Provinzino. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Blaine Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C. Weir for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Alexandra Swain of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL – Tony Robinson, age 41, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, made an initial appearance today on an indictment charging Robinson with five counts of wire fraud and conspiracy offenses for Robinson’s participation in a fraud scheme with Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

Robinson was the operations director at Encouraging Leaders, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization founded and led by Champion. Champion used the organization to submit fraudulent grant applications and progress reports to government and private grant programs, then misused substantial portions of the grant funding. Participants in the scheme, including Champion and Robinson, retained grant funds for themselves.  Champion and Robinson defrauded the U.S. Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and others.   

Robinson participated in the scheme from approximately December 2021 until October 2022.  Robinson worked with a freelance worker in Africa to draft and submit false grant progress reports to organizations that had awarded grants to Encouraging Leaders.

For example, Robinson prepared false reports for the U.S. Department of Justice, which issues grants focused on juvenile justice and substance-abuse prevention; the Minnesota State Arts Board, which issues grants to Minnesota’s theaters, museums, choirs, and arts organizations; and Non-Profit A, which is a Minnesota non-profit founded by the McKnight Foundation with a focus on youth-learning outside of the classroom.

Robinson’s reports claimed Encouraging Leaders used grant funds to organize events and activities that never occurred, and overstated Encouraging Leaders’ involvement in events that had occurred.  Robinson’s reports also falsely claimed that Encouraging Leaders had assisted various students, when in fact it had not.

During Robinson’s participation in the scheme, the fraud and Encouraging Leaders caused a loss of more than $1 million to victims.

Tezzaree El-Amin Champion was charged separately and pled guilty.  On November 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez sentenced Champion to 84 months of imprisonment to be followed by 60 months supervised release, and to pay $3,479,575 in restitution.  In sentencing Champion, Judge Menendez noted that Champion’s fraudulent conduct was “relentless” and “reflects a scale and a depth that is disturbing.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Matthew D. Forbes are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – Jonathan Weinhagen, also known as “James Sullivan,” age 42, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of Mail Fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. 

From December 2019 through June 2024, defendant Weinhagen abused his position as President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce to defraud and embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chamber of Commerce and its business members, in several ways. 

First, Weinhagen stole reward money for the unsolved murders of children.  In May 2021, two minor children were killed, and a third child was injured, in a series of shootings in North Minneapolis.  On May 21, 2021, the Chamber of Commerce contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to fund three separate $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the persons responsible for the shootings.  Approximately one year later, Weinhagen emailed the president of Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to inquire about the status of the rewards.  When he learned that the rewards were unclaimed, Weinhagen asked that the $30,000 be returned to the Chamber of Commerce because it had “made a commitment to [its] investors to deploy the resources into the North Minneapolis Community.”  Weinhagen told Crime Stoppers to send the refund check to Weinhagen’s home, which Weinhagen falsely represented was the Chamber of Commerce’s new address.  On June 6, 2022, Crime Stoppers of Minnesota sent the $30,000 check to Weinhagen’s home.  Weinhagen stole this money and used it to pay his personal expenses.

Second, between December 2019 and April 2021, Weinhagen entered into three sham consulting agreements on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce with Synergy Partners, a fictional company the defendant invented for purposes of defrauding the Chamber of Commerce.  Weinhagen signed the sham agreements using the alias “James Sullivan” and caused the Chamber of Commerce to pay a total of $107,500 to Synergy Partners. Weinhagen deposited this money into a bank account he opened in Synergy Partners’ name and used the money for his own personal expenses.

Third, in November 2020, Weinhagen surreptitiously opened a $200,000 line of credit in the Chamber of Commerce’s name.  Over the course of the next year, Weinhagen drew $125,000 from the line of credit, which he transferred to Synergy Partners’ bank account and used for personal expenses. 

Fourth, in January 2022, Weinhagen used the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card to pay for a vacation to Hawaii.  Weinhagen charged $15,701 to the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card for first-class airfare and a two-bedroom ocean-front room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for him and his family.  The defendant later created fake documents to make it appear that the charges were for legitimate Chamber of Commerce business.

Finally, in January 2025, after he was fired from the Minnesota Regional Chamber of Commerce, Weinhagen applied for a $54,661 bank loan. In the application, Weinhagen falsely stated that he earned an annual income of $425,000 from a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company.  Weinhagen provided a fake paystub in support of this bank loan.  In reality, Weinhagen was not a salaried employee of, and did not earn $425,000 per year from, the restaurant holding company.

Weinhagen pled guilty before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel.  A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy.

MINNEAPOLIS – Jonathan Weinhagen, also known as “James Sullivan,” age 42, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of Mail Fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. 

From December 2019 through June 2024, defendant Weinhagen abused his position as President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce to defraud and embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chamber of Commerce and its business members, in several ways. 

First, Weinhagen stole reward money for the unsolved murders of children.  In May 2021, two minor children were killed, and a third child was injured, in a series of shootings in North Minneapolis.  On May 21, 2021, the Chamber of Commerce contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to fund three separate $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the persons responsible for the shootings.  Approximately one year later, Weinhagen emailed the president of Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to inquire about the status of the rewards.  When he learned that the rewards were unclaimed, Weinhagen asked that the $30,000 be returned to the Chamber of Commerce because it had “made a commitment to [its] investors to deploy the resources into the North Minneapolis Community.”  Weinhagen told Crime Stoppers to send the refund check to Weinhagen’s home, which Weinhagen falsely represented was the Chamber of Commerce’s new address.  On June 6, 2022, Crime Stoppers of Minnesota sent the $30,000 check to Weinhagen’s home.  Weinhagen stole this money and used it to pay his personal expenses.

Second, between December 2019 and April 2021, Weinhagen entered into three sham consulting agreements on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce with Synergy Partners, a fictional company the defendant invented for purposes of defrauding the Chamber of Commerce.  Weinhagen signed the sham agreements using the alias “James Sullivan” and caused the Chamber of Commerce to pay a total of $107,500 to Synergy Partners. Weinhagen deposited this money into a bank account he opened in Synergy Partners’ name and used the money for his own personal expenses.

Third, in November 2020, Weinhagen surreptitiously opened a $200,000 line of credit in the Chamber of Commerce’s name.  Over the course of the next year, Weinhagen drew $125,000 from the line of credit, which he transferred to Synergy Partners’ bank account and used for personal expenses. 

Fourth, in January 2022, Weinhagen used the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card to pay for a vacation to Hawaii.  Weinhagen charged $15,701 to the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card for first-class airfare and a two-bedroom ocean-front room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for him and his family.  The defendant later created fake documents to make it appear that the charges were for legitimate Chamber of Commerce business.

Finally, in January 2025, after he was fired from the Minnesota Regional Chamber of Commerce, Weinhagen applied for a $54,661 bank loan. In the application, Weinhagen falsely stated that he earned an annual income of $425,000 from a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company.  Weinhagen provided a fake paystub in support of this bank loan.  In reality, Weinhagen was not a salaried employee of, and did not earn $425,000 per year from, the restaurant holding company.

Weinhagen pled guilty before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel.  A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy.

MINNEAPOLIS – Andrew David Munsinger, 41, of Redwood Falls, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 104 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following an April jury trial where he was found guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute 5.5 pounds of marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

According to evidence presented at trial, Munsinger was a member of the Aryan Freedom Network, a white supremacist organization.  During a year-long investigation by the FBI, evidence gathered included audio- and video-recordings of Munsinger possessing and shooting firearms, purchasing and using ammunition, possessing over 5 pounds of marijuana in heat-sealed bags, discussing his history of marijuana trafficking and his profits, and admitting on more than one occasion that he knew he could not legally possess a firearm.

On February 7, 2024, the FBI executed simultaneous search warrants at Munsinger’s residence, his vehicles, and a farm where he was surveilled on at least two occasions before traveling to a shooting range.  Law enforcement seized a total of five firearms, including two unserialized personally made semiautomatic rifles (commonly referred to as ghost guns), two shotguns, a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, over 500 rounds and casings of ammunition, a bullet-resistant vest, multiple high-capacity magazines, and a rifle scope. They also seized over five pounds of marijuana in heat-sealed packages, hydroponic marijuana grow equipment, growing marijuana plants, and $24,300 cash. Because Munsinger has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

Munsinger was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before United States District Judge John R. Tunheim to 104 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Bejar and Raphael B. Coburn prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Today, United States District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, age 24, to 120 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for his role in the $300 million Feeding Our Future case, the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  Nur was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $47,920,514. 

As demonstrated at trial, Nur and his co-defendants stole more than $47 million in program funds by claiming to serve 18 million meals to kids at more than 30 food distribution sites.  The scheme originated out of Empire Cuisine & Market, a small storefront halal market in Shakopee. Empire Cuisine enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program in April 2020—during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and within weeks of registering the company with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Nur and his co-conspirators immediately opened several federal child nutrition program sites and began claiming—falsely—to be serving meals to thousands of children per day.  These claims were fraudulent.  As the Court heard repeatedly at trial, no meals at all were served at many of the Empire Cuisine “sites.”  Many of their purported food “sites” were nothing more than parking lots or vacant commercial spaces.  Indeed, at some of the sites, it was instead the Shakopee Public Schools who were actually serving meals to kids on a daily basis.

Nur played a key role in the fraud scheme.  He created and submitted the bulk of the fraudulent meal counts and invoices that he and his co-conspirators used to support their fraudulent claims.  Nur also created and submitted fraudulent rosters purporting to list the names of children receiving meals at their fraudulent meal sites. But, as the Court saw, the rosters were fraudulent, filled with the names of fake children.   

Nur and his co-conspirators engaged in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of their fraud scheme using a series of shell companies both in the United States and Kenya.  Nur helped distribute millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds among their money laundering entities.  Nur also set up his own shell company—Nur Consulting LLC—that he used to receive and launder his share of the fraud proceeds by disguising them as “consulting” and similar payments.  In all, Nur used Nur Consulting to receive more than $900,000 in fraud proceeds.

Nur spent his fraud proceeds freely.  Using the taxpayer money meant for needy kids, he purchased a 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck for $64,000.  Six weeks later, he purchased a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe for $35,000.  Nur used fraud proceeds to take a honeymoon to the Maldives, where he stayed in a private villa.  He also spent $30,000 in fraud proceeds to purchase jewelry in Dubai.

Finally, as the jury heard at trial, Nur used some of his fraud proceeds to fraudulently obtain a college degree.  In 2021, Nur enrolled in Herzing University, an online college with campuses in St. Louis Park and other locations around the country.  Nur paid $12,000 to a company called PayMeToDoYourHomework.com to take his courses for him and complete all homework assignments and exams.  They guaranteed him an A or B in each course.

Nur paid the company approximately $5,000 to take all his Fall 2021 courses for him.  In January 2022, he paid another $6,000 to have the company take all his Spring 2022 semester courses.  He made these payments via Nur Consulting, the shell company he created to receive and launder his fraud proceeds.  Nur appears to have gotten his money’s worth.  Nur received a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management from Herzing University in August 2022.  Despite having graduated from Shakopee High School in 2019 with only a 1.75 GPA, Herzing University records show that Nur “earned” his bachelor’s degree in less than 3 years with a 3.42 GPA. 

In June 2024, at the conclusion of his 7-week trial, Nur and others attempted to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash in exchange for a not guilty verdict.  Nur and four others were indicted in a separate federal case for the juror bribery scheme.  Nur has pled guilty in the juror bribery case and is pending sentencing in that case before United States District Judge David S. Doty.  Today’s sentence does not reflect Nur’s attempt to bribe a juror; he will face an additional sentence in that case at a later date. 

In imposing the 10-year sentence, Judge Brasel told Nur, “It is so disappointing and so disheartening that where others saw a crisis and rushed to help, you saw money and rushed to steal.”  She called that choice “mindboggling.”  Judge Brasel explained that “this fraud conspiracy was both and at once elaborate and blatant,” and that Nur made the choice to steal again and again. 

The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

ST. PAUL – Abdirashid Bixi Dool, age 36, was charged in a seven-count indictment with wire fraud and money laundering for his participation in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Dool made his initial appearance this afternoon in federal court.  Dool is the 78th defendant charged in the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the country.

Dool co-operated and served on the boards of two Minnesota non-profits, Bilaal Mosque Inc. and Multicultural Resource Center Inc (MRC). Dool also served as the President of MRC.  Through those companies, Dool and a second person identified in the indictment as “Conspirator A” participated in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.  Dool and Conspirator A purported to operate two food sites—the Bilaal food site in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, and the MRC food site in Moorhead, Minnesota.

As set forth in the indictment, at those sites, Dool falsely claimed to be serving over 40,000 meals to children every week.  Through the Bilaal site alone, Dool claimed to serve 6,000 meals to children every day, seven days a week. That daily figure is more than double the entire population—children and adults—of the outstate town that is home is Bilaal.  In support of his false claims, Dool submitted fraudulent invoices, purporting to detail the food purchased by Bilaal and MRC to feed hungry children. In reality, Dool purchased very little food.  Dool also submitted phony rosters purporting to list the names of the hungry children who he fed at his meal sites.  These rosters were also fake.

Between March 2021 and February 2022, Bilaal and MRC received about $1.1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds from Feeding Our Future.  However, little of this money was used by Dool to purchase food.  Instead, Dool and Conspirator A laundered most of the taxpayer dollars to their families and to themselves.  Dool used his cut of the fraud proceeds to travel and to buy real estate in Minnesota.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SAINT PAUL – Today a federal jury convicted Mikhail Robin Wicker, also known as Michael Robin Wicker, 39, of Clay County, of wire fraud, mail fraud, using a false military discharge certificate, and fraudulent use of military medals, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Wicker spent years posing as a decorated U.S. Marine.  He falsely claimed to have been deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, and falsely claimed to be a recipient of the Purple Heart Medal and the Prisoner of War Medal.  For years, he relied on these claims to obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). All of Wicker’s claims were untrue.  He never served in any branch of the armed services.

Wicker supported his fraud scheme using forged documents, including a counterfeit DD-214 and fake medal certificates, which he submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Relying on those materials, the VA provided him more than $140,000 in healthcare, disability, and education benefits.

Wicker was convicted following a one-week jury trial.  At trial, Marine veterans from Lima Company testified Wicker never served with them.  Agents testified that federal searches across Marine Corps, and Department of Defense databases confirmed there was no record of Wicker ever serving in the military.  Employment, pay, and state court records placed Wicker in Michigan during the years he claimed to be deployed to Iraq.  The government also demonstrated at trial that Wicker used his false claims and forged certificates to exploit and defraud several VA programs out of monetary benefits and free healthcare.

After a few hours of deliberations, the jury found Wicker guilty on all counts.  A sentencing hearing in front of United States District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan will be set at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Officer of the Inspector General; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General; with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Dilworth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Bradley M. Endicott prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, MINN. – Timothy Lennard Gebhart, age 38, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 360 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for production and attempted production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and interstate communications with intent to extort, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

For more than two years, from July 2021 until September 2023, Gebhart executed a massive “sextortion” scheme designed to victimize minor children.  Gebhart used online platforms including Instagram and Snapchat to target minor children as young as twelve years old.  Gebhart used aliases—including 66 different Snapchat aliases—to pose as a teenager or someone much younger than his true age.  Gebhart befriended his victims.  Gebhart then convinced his victims to send him sexually explicit videos and photos.  He also sought out sexual encounters with his victims.

After Gebhart obtained the sexually explicit materials from the children, he would threaten to distribute those photos and videos to the classmates, friends, and family members of his victims unless his victims provided him with more sexually explicit materials.  Gebhart would also send his child victims disturbing videos depicting gruesome and violent deaths to shock them into compliance. Gebhart’s threats to the children often included hateful language.

In sentencing Gebhart to a term of 30 years in prison, U.S. District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell called this a “deliberate, persistent sextortion scheme.”   

The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Woodbury Police Department, and the Indiana State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Ousman Camara, age 45, was indicted today in a nine-count indictment with wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and money laundering for his participation in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.  Camara is the 77th defendant indicted in what has been identified as the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the country.

Defendant Camara was the owner of K’s Dollar Grocery and Deli, a small storefront grocery store in north Minneapolis.  In August 2015, the USDA disqualified Camara and his store, K’s Grocery, from participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) due to suspected fraud.  In September 2020, Camara enrolled K’s Grocery in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.  In 2020 and 2021, Camara fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to 1,000 children a day, seven days a week, at his site.  In reality, Camara did no such thing.  Instead, he defrauded the program and stole money meant to feed hungry children.

Camara claimed to have served more than 300,000 meals to children, for which he claimed to be entitled to more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program reminbursement funds.  Camara did not use these funds to purchase food to feed children.  Instead, he used the money to fund his lifestyle, pay his credit card bills, and buy a building in north Minneapolis.  Camara wired more than $100,000 in fraud proceeds abroad.  Camara also paid approximately $87,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee in exchange for his sponsorship and submission of Camara’s fraudulent claims.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, pleaded guilty today to one count of Attempting to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “Hassan flew the ISIS flag, venerated attacks on the homeland, and wanted to kill Americans.  We are not taking chances.  We will not let Minnesota become a safe haven for terrorists.” 

According to court documents, the FBI received a tip of an online social media user publicly supporting Al Shabab, and later ISIS, in multiple posts.  Both Al Shabab and ISIS have been designated by the Secretary of State as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  Further investigation showed that the posts were made by Hassan’s social media accounts.  Hassan’s social media posts included, among other things, propaganda videos calling for jihad, or holy war, in Somalia, the overthrow of the Somali government and establishment of an Islamic caliphate, and logos of the black ISIS flag.  Hassan highlighted and praised ISIS and ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks, both globally and in the United States, including the January 1, 2025 New Orleans attacker who killed 14 individuals.  The day after the attack, Hassan referred to this murderer as “the legend that killed Americans.”

In December 2024, Hassan twice attempted to travel one-way from Minnesota to Somalia, via Ethiopia, with the intent to join and fight on behalf of ISIS.  FBI agents conducted surveillance of Hassan on both attempts.  On the first attempt, Hassan was denied boarding by the airline, because he did not have proper travel documents.  After purchasing additional travel documents, including a visa, Hassan again attempted to travel to Somalia to join ISIS on the same one-way itinerary.  Customs and Border Protection agents in Chicago interviewed and conducted a secondary inspection of Hassan and his belongings before his international flight to Ethiopia. Inside Hassan’s only carry-on bag, agents found Hassan’s birth certificate, naturalization certificate, and high school diploma. 

An inspection of Hassan’s cell phones revealed multiple social media posts supporting ISIS and jihad, direct messages with an ISIS media wing, as well as text exchanges with an apparent ISIS recruiter, whom Hassan referred to as “uncle” and “commander,” discussing Hassan’s travel to Somalia and referencing the “battlefield.”  Agents also located two downloaded .pdf documents regarding sniper skills and sniper trading within a social media messaging app channel displaying the ISIS flag as a logo. 

During the interview, Hassan admitted that he supports ISIS, regularly views and posts ISIS propaganda on social media, and professed his belief in establishing an Islamic caliphate. 

In February 2025, Hassan posted two videos of himself while driving his car.  One video briefly displayed an unfolded buck-style knife on Hassan’s lap and the other video showed Hassan holding a homemade black ISIS flag while driving.

At the time of his arrest by FBI agents in late February 2025, the FBI seized two cellphones and the folding buck-style knife, noted above, on Hassan’s person, and the homemade black ISIS flag in Hassan’s vehicle.  During a warrant-authorized search of Hassan’s cellphones, the FBI discovered, among other things, various .pdf files, some in Arabic, consisting of instruction manuals on making explosive C-4, explosive urea nitrate, explosive hexamine, explosive HMTD, and ammunition.  The search also revealed a messaging app exchange from December 21, 2024 wherein Hassan stated, “I will become ISIS straight away.”  Additionally, the cellphones revealed numerous internet searches about ISIS and ISIS activities between December 2024 and February 2025, including such terms as: “Somalia weapons,” “gun ranges,” “isis areas,” “urea fertilizer,” and “isis supporter America.”

“Today’s guilty plea reflects many hours of hard work by agents and analysts from the FBI,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr.  “Keeping Minnesota safe from those who support Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations like ISIS and Al Shabab is a top priority of the FBI.  ISIS and Al Shabab represent a clear threat to all Americans.  We will identify and investigate anyone foolish enough to provide support to these terrorists.”

Hassan pleaded guilty this morning to Attempting to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization before District Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court.  The defendant’s sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.  The defendant has been detained throughout this case and remains detained pending his sentencing. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and the New York Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Peter Amondo Anderson, a/k/a “Nacho,” 24, pled guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  Anderson and three other members and associates of the Lows, a violent Minneapolis-based street gang, were charged by indictment in May 2025 with engaging in a fraud scheme designed to enrich the defendants and also to enrich the Lows street gang.  Anderson is the second defendant in the case to enter a guilty plea.

“The murderous Lows gang has ravaged the North Side with its violence while using fraud to fuel its crimes.  No more,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “We are good at prosecuting fraud and will continue to use every federal tool at our disposal to dismantle these violent street gangs.”     

Per the indictment, the defendants engaged in their fraud scheme for more than four years, from April 2019 to January 2024.  The scheme involved the defendants creating fraudulent checks, depositing those fraudulent checks, and then withdrawing real fraud proceeds.

To accomplish this scheme, Anderson and other co-conspirators used social media to recruit individuals (“money mules”) who had bank accounts at various institutions to assist in depositing fraudulent checks. The money mules provided their personal banking information to Anderson and his co-conspirators, who created false checks made out to the money mules.  The false checks were then deposited into the money mule’s bank accounts, and the funds quickly withdrawn and provided to Anderson and his co-conspirators.

Although the banking information for the money mules was readily provided, Anderson and his co-conspirators also used deceptive means to steal victims’ personal identifying and banking information.  In August 2024, Anderson and his co-conspirators stole the banking information of a 65-year-old victim in North Carolina. Through the fraudulent use of the victim’s identity, Anderson and his co-conspirators stole approximately $39,000.

In total, Anderson and his co-conspirators deposited at least 28 fraudulent checks and attempted to withdraw nearly $220,000.

Anderson pled guilty before Judge Kate M. Menendez. Anderson’s co-defendant, Faysal Mohamed, a/k/a “G Money,” 27, pled guilty on August 5, 2025.  Sentencing hearings for Anderson and Mohamed will be held at a later date.

A related RICO indictment against the Lows criminal street gang is currently pending in federal court.  In that case, 14 members of the Lows are charged in an 23-count indictment with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy involving murder, attempted murder, gun trafficking, drug trafficking, and the use of a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence resulting in death. 

“Anderson and his co-conspirators executed an extensive fraud scheme to exploit victims’ financial information for their own profit and to fund the Lows campaign of violence and terror against the Minneapolis community,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “This years-long conspiracy would have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars fueling Low's criminal activity.  The FBI and our federal, state, and local partners will continue to seek out and stop all gang-related fraud, violence, and crime that threatens the safety of our streets.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David M. Classen for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Jared Engelking of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – William Wayne Ray Schubel, 33, has been sentenced to 140 months of imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, in addition to illegally possessing numerous firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“A four-time felon who chose to poison our communities is now going to federal prison for more than a decade,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “Methamphetamine is one of the deadliest forces eating away at Minnesota’s neighborhoods.  We will keep putting major dealers behind bars until our communities are free from this poison.”

Law enforcement identified Schubel as a high-volume methamphetamine dealer.  A confidential informant saw Schubel in possession of five pounds of methamphetamine individually packaged in one-pound vacuum sealed bags.  The informant also heard the defendant discussing his receipt of fifty pounds of methamphetamine.

On January 10, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at Schubel’s two residences—a home in Oak Grove, Minnesota, and an apartment in Anoka, Minnesota.

Inside Schubel’s Oak Grove home, law enforcement found 746 grams of methamphetamine and 220 grams of cocaine inside a backpack that also contained a digital scale.  Also at the Oak Grove residence, police found a vast array of firearms (12 in total), ammunition, and firearm accessories.  This included, among other things, a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol (bearing the defendant’s DNA) with an extended magazine concealed under the defendant’s pillow.

Inside Schubel’s Anoka apartment, law enforcement found an additional five grams of methamphetamine, a firearm cleaning kit, and multiple rolls of vacuum seal bags.

Schubel was arrested that day, in his car.  The defendant had $2,378 on his person as well as a cellphone.

Agents searched Schubel’s phone and found more evidence of drug trafficking.  Agents found messages where Schubel sent drug “menus” to customers, listing various controlled substances using code names and offering the controlled substances for sale in full pound, half-pound, and quarter-pound amounts.

Agents also found messages where Schubel discussed selling controlled substances and his knowledge that doing so would entail significant consequences.  Among other things, Schubel explained he was going to delete his messenger app, because “the Feds can find it and look at that shit"

Schubel has a long and violent criminal history.  Schubel has four prior felony convictions, including a conviction for domestic assault by strangulation, and three convictions for drug distribution and possession.  Because of his prior felony convictions, it is illegal for Schubel to possess firearms and ammunition.

Schubel was sentenced in U.S. District Court before District Judge John R. Tunheim.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael B. Coburn prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Anthony John Crowley, 52, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer, pled guilty in federal court today to Possession of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“Anthony Crowley’s crimes against children are a disgrace,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “In the last few months, we have seen a rash of law enforcement officers, public officials, and others in positions of trust abusing children.  I have zero tolerance for this betrayal. This office will not relent in holding powerful predators to account.”

According to court documents, Crowley, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, knowingly possessed one or more images which contained visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In 2022, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) received a cyber tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC).  The tip informed them that someone was using the Kik application to upload child pornography images.  The Kik user ID was linked to Crowley’s phone number and email address.  Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Crowley’s home and seized his electronic devices.  On those devices, law enforcement found numerous child pornography images and what are known as “child erotica” stories.  

Crowley pled guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Laura M. Provinzino.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.  Crowley remains detained pending his sentencing.  At the time of his crimes and of his arrest, Crowley was a U.S. Customers and Border Protection Officer.  He is now on indefinite suspension.

“As a Customs and Border Protection Officer, Crowley was in a position of public trust.  To betray that trust by possessing child sexual abuse material is an egregious perversion of the honor, integrity, and lawfulness that should exemplify federal agents,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis.  “Protecting children is our highest calling.  This case, made possible by a courageous public tipster and the excellent work of the FBI, BCA, and Minnetonka PD, should send a clear message to anyone who would abuse or exploit children—no matter your position or power, there is no hiding.  You will be found and brought to justice.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for their investigation and hard work on this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – John David Degelau, age 28, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for Possession of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  Degelau, a then-youth ski coach, created child pornography by imposing the faces of children he coached onto the bodies of child pornography victims.

“A ski coach who used photos of children he coached to create child pornography is now headed to federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “Today alone, three child predators were sentenced in federal court for absolutely abhorrent conduct.  This epidemic of abuse we are seeing in Minnesota is vile, it is devastating, and it must end.”

According to court documents, John Degelau was caught with over 18,000 files of child pornography.  Law enforcement discovered Degelau was a local ski coach working with children.  In reviewing Degelau’s devices, law enforcement found that he had created child pornography by using Adobe Photoshop.  Degelau used that application by morphing/photoshopping pictures of the children’s faces he coached onto sexually explicit images, to make it appear as though Degelau was performing sex acts on the children.  The investigation uncovered that Degelau’s devices also contained images of children swimming at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from a concealed position behind bushes or trees.

Degelau was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell.  Judge Blackwell sentenced Degelau to 78 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.  Judge Blackwell ordered Degelau to pay a special assessment of more than $10,000 that will go to programs supporting victims of child pornography offenses and ordered Degelau to pay restitution to the victims of this crime.

“John Degelau will spend the next several years behind bars, a sentence that demonstrates the serious consequences for adults who abuse their position of trust,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr.  “Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification.  Children in our community should be safe in every location, including at the beach and on the ski hill, but especially in the company of a trusted adult.  The FBI appreciates our partnership with the Duluth Police on this important investigation.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Samuel Eric Snell, 46, was sentenced today to 240 months imprisonment followed by 10 years’ supervised release for Production of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“There is nothing more despicable than repeatedly abusing children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “We are seeing too many cases like this in Minnesota and every single one of them is unacceptable.  Children in Minnesota deserve our protection and those who exploit them will face severe federal consequences.”

Snell for years was a user of gaming platform Discord.  On this platform, Snell repeatedly solicited and received more than 400 images of nude photos of minor girls.  Snell—at the time a 43-year-old man—posed as a man in his early 20s.  He used this fake identity to approach a multitude of children as young as 12 years old. Snell victimized at least ten children using his lies, coercing and manipulating the victims to produce graphic child pornography.  Snell also met with minors in person on multiple occasions.

As the government argued at sentencing, Snell selected his victims for their vulnerabilities.  He took advantage of their youth, naivete, and difficult life circumstances to feed his own craven and twisted sexual desires.  This was not a single mistake, nor was it a simple offense.  It involved years of manipulation, thousands and thousands of messages, and affected over ten different children across multiple states.  Snell abused and manipulated child after child and would still be doing so had he not been caught. 

Snell was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim.  In handing down the sentence Judge Tunheim noted, “This is a long sentence, but it is justified” primarily because Snell’s many victims would suffer traumatic effects of his crimes “probably for the rest of their lives.”

“Samuel Snell is a classic child predator, and today he received an appropriately harsh sentence,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr.  “Snell targeted vulnerable children, including those who had existing mental health concerns.  He callously groomed and manipulated at least 10 children with total disregard for their wellbeing.  The FBI will work tirelessly to identify and arrest anyone who preys on innocent children.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Inver Grove Heights Police and Woodbury Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C. Weir prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Nicholas Richard Lugo, 25, was sentenced today to 180 months imprisonment followed by 15 years’ supervised release for the Distribution of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“A 15-year sentence cannot undo the harm Lugo repeatedly inflicted on children, but it delivers justice and protection,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “We are prosecuting several cases like this in federal court today, and every one of them is heartbreaking.  Minnesota’s children deserve protection, and those who prey on them will face federal consequences.”

In 2021, Lugo was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Hennepin County, Minnesota.  He received a stayed sentence of 144 months’ imprisonment, 180 days in the workhouse, and five years of predatory offender supervision.  In October 2024, while Lugo was on supervision, he obtained a cell phone prohibited by the terms of his release.  He used that unauthorized cell phone to download a social media application and receive and distribute images and videos of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material, depicting the sexual abuse of young children.  The identified images and videos are of real children—real children experienced this abuse, which the defendant downloaded, consumed, and shared for his gratification.

Lugo was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan. When handing down the sentence Judge Bryan noted that this crime is “one of the more egregious crimes we have in our society.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes the suffering of the victims in this case and in Lugo’s prior sexual abuse case.  No child should experience sexual violence and offenders must be held accountable.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Chaska Police Department and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Late yesterday, following a two-day jury trial, Damien Duwjan Shade, age 48, was found guilty of all charged counts in the indictment, that is, one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and one count of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“Stuffed animals are symbols of childhood, not vessels for poison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “Turning a child’s toy into a cover for lethal drugs shows the lengths drug traffickers will go to peddle their poison.  This verdict ensures there will be consequences.”

According to evidence presented at trial, in March 2023, the Rochester Police Department responded to the FedEx facility at the Rochester Airport after learning of three suspicious packages sent from San Diego, California, to two separate addresses in Winona, Minnesota.  The packages were all shipped from the same sender—“Trayvon Strange”—and were addressed to fictitious individuals whom law enforcement determined did not live at the stated addresses. 

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Rochester Police Department arranged for a drug detecting K9 to sniff the packages.  The K9 alerted to the presence of drugs inside the packages.  Law enforcement received warrants to open the packages.  In the packages, law enforcement found six pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside of stuffed animals.

The next day, law enforcement placed sensors and tracking devices inside the packages, removing all but a small amount of methamphetamine from each box and replacing the methamphetamine with “filler”—rock salt and other materials—to approximate the original weight of the packages.

Law enforcement conducted a “controlled delivery,” delivering the packages to the addresses on the packages.  The mother of the defendant’s children initially retrieved the packages and then the defendant arrived at her home to collect the packages, which he believed were full of methamphetamine.  Law enforcement searched the scene and found that the defendant had opened the controlled delivery packages.  Law enforcement found the controlled delivery methamphetamine and the guts of the cut-open stuffed animals.

The defendant confessed.  He said that he traveled to California, purchased several pounds meth, and then shipped it back to himself in Minnesota using fake names.  He admitted he hid the methamphetamine inside of stuffed animals.  He also admitted he had a gun at his apartment, which he was not legally allowed to possess because he is a felon.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Shade’s home. There, they found the third controlled delivery package, unopened, on a chair in the living room.  The package contained the stuffed animals, repackaged with the filler material that law enforcement switched out for the methamphetamine.

Law enforcement further found a loaded Comanche III .357 Magnum revolver in a dresser drawer, a digital scale, approximately 30 small Ziplock baggies in an unlocked safe, and what appeared to be a drug ledger.  A search of the bedroom closet further revealed a stash of over 400 live .357 Magnum handgun rounds and a spent casing.

As charged in the indictment, in 2013, Shade was previously convicted of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm in San Diego, California.

On September 24, 2025, a federal jury convicted Shade on both charged counts in U.S. District Court before District Judge Michael J. Davis.  Shade will be sentenced at a later date.  He faces up to life in prison.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Rochester Police Department, the Winona County Sheriff’s Office, the Winona Police Department, and other members of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (SEMVCET).

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Syngen Kanassatega prosecuted and tried the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were charged federally by complaint with Kidnapping for engaging in a kidnapping and cryptocurrency heist where they held a family at gunpoint for nine hours and stole $8 million in crypto currency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  The crime forced Mahtomedi Public Schools to cancel its homecoming football game for the safety of its community.

“A violent kidnapping that stole $8 million and silenced a homecoming game is not just a crime.  It is a blow to the sense of safety of everyone in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “This is not normal.  Minnesotans should not accept wild violence and thievery as normal.  Every Minnesotan deserves to live in peace and a life unaffected by rampant crime.”

On September 19, 2025, at 4:45 pm, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an adult male who reported that he and his family had been victims of an armed robbery and kidnapping by two adult male suspects and had been held hostage at gunpoint within their residence in Grant, Minnesota.  The two kidnappers were the Garcia brothers.  The 911 caller reported that he, his father (Victim 1), and his mother had been held hostage.

At 7:45 am that morning, Victim 1 was taking out a garbage can to the street when the Garcia brothers suddenly appeared and pointed an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun at Victim 1.  The Garcia brothers took Victim 1 into the garage where they bound his hands with zip ties.  They then brought Victim 1 into the house.  The Garcia brothers woke up Victim 1’s wife and adult son at gunpoint. They also zip tied their hands and forced them to lie on the floor.

Defendant Raymond Garcia held the wife and son in their home for nine hours. Raymond Garcia was armed with the AR-15-style rifle for the duration of the kidnapping.  About 15 minutes before the son called 911, Raymond Garcia left the home out the back door with the AR-15-style rifle, heading towards the tree line.  Raymond Garcia returned to the home shortly thereafter, without the rifle.

Meanwhile, while Raymond Garcia held the wife and son hostage, defendant Isiah Garcia forced Victim 1 at gunpoint to log into his cryptocurrency accounts.  Isiah Garcia demanded that Victim 1 transfer large amounts of cryptocurrency into a cryptocurrency wallet that Isiah Garcia provided.  During the robbery, Victim 1 saw both Garcia brothers frequently making phone calls to an unknown third party, who appeared to be providing the information related to the cryptocurrency accounts and transfers.

Through this third party, the Garcia brothers became aware that Victim 1 had additional cryptocurrency funds.  They demanded the money.  Victim 1 explained that the remaining funds were on a hard drive-style cryptocurrency wallet that was stored at a family cabin approximately three hours away.

Isiah Garcia, armed with the shotgun, then forced Victim 1 into Victim 1’s truck.  Isiah Garcia drove the truck and Victim 1 to the family’s cabin to retrieve the hard drive. All the while, Raymond Garcia held Victim 1’s wife and son hostage with the AR-15-style rifle.  At the cabin, Victim 1 transferred the remaining funds to the cryptocurrency wallet provided by Isiah Garcia.  Isiah Garcia then drove Victim 1 back towards Victim 1’s home.

In total, the Garcia brothers forced Victim 1 to transfer $8 million worth of cryptocurrency to their wallets.

As Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 were returning to the home, Victim 1’s son used the moments that Raymond Garcia left the home to call 911.  Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene following the 911 call and found the wife and son zip tied in the house. As they arrived, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a man, later identified as Raymond Garcia, running out the back door.  When law enforcement searched the area around the home, they located a suitcase in the tree line.  In the suitcase, they found a disassembled AR-15-style rifle, AR-15 ammunition, as well as clothing items and beverages.

Multiple squads responded to the 911 call, some of whom unknowingly passed Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 as they pulled over to allow the emergency vehicles to pass.  Isiah Garcia turned the truck around, parked it nearby, and walked towards a nearby middle school parking lot.  Isiah Garcia ditched the shotgun in a nearby field.  To protect the safety of the community, Mahtomedi Public Schools was forced to cancel its homecoming football game in response to the ongoing law enforcement activity near the campus.

Using a Wendy’s receipt located in the suitcase recovered behind Victim 1’s house, law enforcement was able to determine that Isiah Garcia had rented a white Chevrolet three days prior to the kidnapping, near Houston, Texas.  Law enforcement also located video surveillance showing that Raymond Garcia rented a Motel 6 room in Roseville, Minnesota, shortly before the kidnapping.  Law enforcement saw that, shortly after law enforcement responded to the scene of the kidnapping, the white Malibu returned to the Motel 6.  The next day, law enforcement spotted the car on cameras in Oklahoma.  On September 21, 2025, law enforcement tracked the car back to the home of the Garcia brothers in Waller, Texas.  After returning to Texas, Raymond Garcia reported that his AR-15-style firearm that he used in the kidnapping and robbery had been stolen.

On September 22, 2025, law enforcement arrested the Garcia brothers in Texas.  Once in custody, Isiah Garcia confessed.  He admitted that he and his brother Raymond Garcia had driven to Minnesota, held Victim 1 and his family at gunpoint, tied them up using zip ties, and driven Victim 1 to the family cabin.  On September 23, 2025, the Garcia brothers were charged by complaint in Washington County, Minnesota with three counts of kidnapping with a firearm, one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, and three counts of first-degree burglary.

On September 24, 2025, the Garcia brothers were both charged in a federal complaint with kidnapping.  Both defendants will make their initial appearances in federal court today and the government will request their detention pending trial.

“As alleged in the complaint, the Garcia brothers terrorized a Minnesota family in their own home, kidnapping one family member while holding the rest of the family hostage in order to conduct a brazen cryptocurrency theft,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr.  “This office, together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Minnesota and in Texas, will work tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific crime.”

These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound sympathies to the victims and lauds them for their bravery and quick action in calling 911.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful for its partnership with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County Attorney’s Office.  The quick and excellent federal-state cooperation in this case was essential to the filing of federal charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline is prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.