Eastern District of New York

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Sergeant Atickul Islam, also known as “James W. Anderson,” pled guilty to false impersonation of an officer of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 912. Islam was charged after he falsely claimed to be a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official and directed a female victim and her family to turn themselves in at an ICE office or face “legal action” and “enforcement measures.” 

The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry.  As part of his guilty plea, Islam was required to resign from the NYPD—which he did on September 25, 2026—and cannot apply to another position with the NYPD, or any law enforcement agency, at any time.  When sentenced, Islam faces a maximum of three years’ imprisonment. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea. 

“Instead of upholding the law and serving members of his community, Atickul Islam used lies and the threat of deportation to take revenge on a woman in his personal life,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “We expect law enforcement officers of every rank to act with honesty and integrity. As demonstrated by today’s plea, our Office will not tolerate any officer who would use the threat of federal law enforcement to carry out a personal vendetta.”

“Atickul Islam's guilty plea shows that impersonating a federal officer is a serious crime that erodes public trust.  By using fake authority to target and intimidate a victim for personal reasons, he betrayed that trust - and now faces the consequences,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. 

As set forth in court filings and during today’s plea proceeding, between March 22, 2025 and March 29, 2025, Islam sent the victim a series of text messages.  On March 29, 2025, he sent the victim a message in which he stated that her family would always “live poor”; threatened to call ICE to “come get” her and her family; and implied that he knew her location.  Approximately four hours after sending this message, Islam sent the victim another text message from an unknown number, claiming to be the Director of ICE’s New York Field Office.  In the message, the defendant told the victim that this was an “official notice” that she had been reported to ICE and that she and her family must report to an ICE office or face “further legal action and enforcement measures.”

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity and Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Sections. Assistant United States  Attorneys Russell Noble and Molly Delaney are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Melissa Bennett. 

The Defendant:

ATICKUL ISLAM (also known as “James W. Anderson”)
Age: 29
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-359 (DLI)

Davud Ansariy, a citizen of Uzbekistan and naturalized citizen of the United States, also known as “Kozimjon Gafurov” and “Kozim,” will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi on an indictment charging him with one count of conspiring and one count of provision of material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), both foreign terrorist organizations at the time of the charged conduct. Ansariy was extradited to the Eastern District of New York from Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sept. 23, where he was arrested in August 2026. 

“After a decade on the run, Ansariy is back in the United States where he must answer to the charge that he supported two of the most ruthless terrorist groups in the world, ISIS and the al‑Nusrah Front,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “As alleged in the indictment, Ansariy ran a network that raised money, arranged travel, and paved the way for individuals who hoped to fight for these foreign terrorist organizations. We thank our partners, domestic and otherwise, for helping us to ensure that terrorists are apprehended wherever they hide.”

“More than a decade ago, the defendant fled the United States in an effort to evade justice for his extremely serious crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “As alleged, the defendant facilitated an expansive network that sought to finance the travel of foreign fighters to wage violent jihad. His extradition and prosecution should serve as a reminder that our office and our law enforcement partners will work relentlessly to hold accountable those who would provide support to terrorists seeking to harm the United States. Ansariy will now face justice for his actions in a U.S. courtroom.”

“This individual allegedly raised funds to help two foreign terrorist organizations and left the U.S. before he could be held accountable,” said Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The passage of years and geographic distance will not stop the FBI; we will find those who help foreign terrorist groups and work with our partners to see justice is served. The FBI is committed to finding networks set up to fund terrorist acts and will shut them down.”

According to court filings, Ansariy was the leader of a group of radicalized individuals based primarily in Brooklyn, New York, who planned to travel to Syria to become ISIS or ANF fighters, or who financed the travel of aspiring fighters. The government’s investigation uncovered an extensive financial support network that raised money for those seeking to travel to Syria to join and fight for foreign terrorist organizations. The network’s participants referred to the group as “chayxona,” an Uzbek word which translates to “tea house” or “tea party.”  The group also raised money to help support the families that fighters left behind when they traveled to Syria, and to help support the widows and families of those who were killed fighting. As a result of these “tea party” collections, Ansariy and others funded the travel of at least three individuals to Syria in 2013. All three are believed to have been killed in Syria.  

In May 2016, Ansariy departed the United States for Turkey on a one-way ticket that he purchased the previous day. His departure from the United States came five days after the arrest of one of Ansariy’s co-conspirators, on May 11, 2016. Since then, Ansariy has remained a fugitive. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned an indictment against the defendant in November 2021. 

If convicted of the charges, Ansariy faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case, with the assistance of the New York Police Department, New York State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Port Authority Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Office of the Law Enforcement Attache in Tbilisi and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia secured the arrest and extradition of Ansariy.

The government’s case is being handled by the Eastern District of New York’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey R. Oken is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Joseph Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Irisa Chen and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Pravda for the Eastern District of New York. 

Davud Ansariy, a citizen of Uzbekistan and naturalized citizen of the United States, also known as “Kozimjon Gafurov” and “Kozim,” will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi on an indictment charging him with one count of conspiring to and one count of provision of material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), both foreign terrorist organizations at the time of the charged conduct.  Ansariy was extradited to the Eastern District of New York from Tbilisi, Georgia on Sept. 23, 2026 where he was arrested in August 2026. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the charges and extradition. 

“More than a decade ago, the defendant fled the United States in an effort to evade justice for his extremely serious crimes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “As alleged, the defendant facilitated an expansive network that sought to finance the travel of foreign fighters to wage violent jihad.  His extradition and prosecution should serve as a reminder that our Office and our law enforcement partners will work relentlessly to hold accountable those who would provide support to terrorists seeking to harm the United States.  Ansariy will now face justice for his actions in a United States courtroom.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Office of the Law Enforcement Attache in Tbilisi and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia which secured the arrest and extradition of Ansariy. 

“After a decade on the run, Ansariy is back in the United States where he must answer to the charge that he supported two of the most ruthless terrorist groups in the world, ISIS and the al‑Nusrah Front,” stated Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg.  “As alleged in the indictment, Ansariy ran a network that raised money, arranged travel, and paved the way for individuals who hoped to fight for these foreign terrorist organizations.  We thank our partners, domestic and otherwise, for helping us to ensure that terrorists are apprehended wherever they hide.”

“Ansariy’s era as a fugitive from justice has come to an end after nearly a decades’ long search by the FBI and our partner agencies,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. “The FBI will not relent in its mission to protect the homeland, by rooting out extremists who support these violent terrorist organizations. By cutting off the stream of money overseas to ISIS and ANF, we weaken their network, and send a strong message to their followers: they can run, but they cannot hide from the FBI.”

According to court filings, Ansariy was the leader of a group of radicalized individuals, based primarily in Brooklyn, New York, who either planned to travel to Syria to become ISIS or ANF fighters, and/or who financed the travel of aspiring fighters.  The government’s investigation uncovered an extensive financial support network that raised money for those seeking to travel to Syria to join and fight for foreign terrorist organizations.  The network’s participants referred to the group as “chayxona,” an Uzbek word which translates to “tea house” or “tea party.”  The group also raised money to help support the families that fighters left behind when they traveled to Syria, and to help support the widows and families of those who were killed fighting.  As a result of these “tea party” collections, Ansariy and others funded the travel of at least three individuals to Syria in 2013.  All three are believed to have been killed in Syria.  

In May 2016, Ansariy departed the United States for Turkey on a one-way ticket that he purchased the previous day, just five days after the arrest of one of Ansariy’s co-conspirators.  Ansariy did not return to the United States until his extradition.  A federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned an indictment against the defendant in November 2021. 

The charges in the indictment are allegations and Ansariy is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  If convicted of the charges, Ansariy faces up to 35 years in prison.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey R. Oken is in charge of the prosecution and was assisted by Assistant United States Attorney Irisa Chen, Trial Attorney Joseph Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and former Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Pravda. 

The Defendant:

DAVUD ANSARIY (also known as “Kozimjon Gafurov” and “Kozim”)
Age: 41
Uzbekistan

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-594 (WFK) 

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Tony Ream, also known as “Tony Ream-Hendley” and “Tony Moul Ream,” a former credit supervisor of a health care products and services company in Melville, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sanket J. Bulsara to 30 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud.  Over the course of four years, Ream sent wire transfers totaling approximately $1.6 million from the company’s bank account to a bank account that he controlled, and used those funds for his own personal gain.  In addition to the prison term, Judge Bulsara ordered Ream to pay restitution in the amount of $1.6 million to the company, and a $1,000 fine.  Ream had previously pleaded guilty to this crime in September.  

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence. 

“The defendant profited by abusing the trust placed in him by his employer, but his lies and crimes caught up with him,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s prison sentence gives the defendant ample time to reflect on his bad choices and how he will pay back the money he stole.” 

“Tony Ream’s theft betrayed the trust of his employer and their customers out of selfish greed. The FBI continues to hold accountable fraudsters who utilize the wallets of unsuspecting clients to finance their personal purchases,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As set forth in court filings and statements made in court during plea and sentencing proceedings, Ream was employed by a company headquartered in Melville (the Company) that is a distributor of health care products and services, and serves as the world’s largest provider of health care solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners worldwide.  Ream was hired by the Company in 2019 to work in its credit department and became a credit supervisor.  From approximately October 2020 through November 2024, Ream siphoned corporate funds from customer refund accounts, some of which were inactive, and diverted the funds to his own personal accounts, masking the fraud by recording each transaction as a refund that was issued to a customer.  Ream also deceived his subordinates into unwittingly taking steps that facilitated his embezzlement scheme.  In total, Ream embezzled approximately $1.6 million from the Company, which he spent on his wedding, luxury international vacations, and a failed restaurant venture in South Carolina. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder.

The Defendant:

TONY REAM (also known as “Tony Ream-Hendley” and “Tony Moul Ream”)
Age: 35
Greenville, South Carolina 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-179 (SJB)

Vincenzo Randazzo was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  The conviction arises from Randazzo’s robbery of an Empire State Bank branch in Brooklyn on March 5, 2026.  The verdict followed a two-day trial before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon.  Prior to trial, on August 26, 2026, Randazzo pleaded guilty to the robbery of Empire State Bank on March 5, 2026.  When sentenced, Randazzo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must run consecutively to the sentence imposed for the bank robbery.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict. 

“Today’s verdict rightly holds the defendant accountable for entering a Brooklyn bank with a loaded firearm, pointing it at a bank employee, and stealing money,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Brandishing a firearm during a bank robbery endangers innocent victims and transforms an already serious crime into a potentially deadly encounter.  Our Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute criminals who use firearms to terrorize our communities.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department for their assistance in the case.

“Vincenzo Randazzo used a firearm to commit an armed bank robbery – a violent crime with serious consequences.  This verdict sends a clear message: the FBI and our NYPD partners on the Joint Violent Crime Task Force will hold violent criminals accountable and protect New Yorkers,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As proven at trial, on March 5, 2026, Randazzo entered an Empire State Bank branch in Brooklyn, displayed and pointed a loaded firearm at a bank employee, and demanded money.  After stealing over $6,000, Randazzo fled the bank in his vehicle, the license plate of which he had concealed, and discarded clothing he had worn during the robbery.

On March 17, 2026, law enforcement officers arrested Randazzo and executed a court-authorized search of his residence.  During the search, officers recovered currency taken during the robbery, as well as four firearms together with ammunition and magazines.  Three of the recovered firearms resembled the firearm Randazzo brandished during the robbery.  In a recorded post-arrest interview, Randazzo admitted that he entered the bank, pulled and pointed a loaded firearm at a teller, and took money from two tellers.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States  Attorney Michael D. Manzo is in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Heyward.

The Defendant:

VINCENZO RANDAZZO
Age: 60
Brooklyn, NY 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-74 (CBA)

A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday convicted Mahwanga Campbell, also known as “Mahwanga Elijah Solo Campbell” and “Elijah Campbell,” on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to rob a mail carrier, possession of stolen mail, and the fraudulent deposit of stolen and/or altered United States Treasury checks.  The charges arise from Campbell’s participation in the violent assault and robbery of a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier in Queens, New York.  The verdict was delivered after a two-week trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  When sentenced, Campbell faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment. Campbell’s co-conspirators remain at large.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS), announced the verdict. 

“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for the violent robbery of a United States Postal Service mail carrier,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Mail carriers perform a vital function and are part of the fabric of our communities. Our Office will vigorously prosecute criminals who assault government employees while they are doing their job and we will not rest until the co-conspirators in this cowardly attack are also brought to justice.”

“U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers perform a core function in serving the community every day and they should be able to do so without fear. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will aggressively investigate all those who seek to commit violence against USPS Letter Carriers and with the help of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District Court of New York hold all who would commit such acts accountable,” stated USPS Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward 

As proved at trial, on September 2, 2023, a USPS mail carrier was delivering mail in the vicinity of Union Hall Street in Jamaica, Queens, when he was punched in the face, thrown to the pavement, and robbed of his arrow key (a USPS key used by mail carriers to open mailboxes) by two of Campbell’s co‑conspirators, while Campbell acted as the getaway driver.  The victim suffered pain to his head and a cracked tooth as a result of the attack.  Law enforcement traced the getaway vehicle driven by Campbell using surveillance video and license plate trackers.  On February 11, 2025, pursuant to a warrant, Campbell was arrested during a traffic stop by a police officer in Charlotte, South Carolina, and Campbell’s cell phones were seized.   

Campbell’s phones were searched pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant and found to contain images and videos of checks made out to people other than Campbell, as well as identification documents in the names of other people.  The checks depicted on Campbell’s phones were issued to various payees other than Campbell by various individuals and companies across multiple states, including New York, Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, with issue dates ranging from at least June 2023 to February 2025. Several of the checks depicted on the phones were issued by payors located within the geographic area where mailboxes can be accessed with the stolen arrow key and were dated within three weeks of the date of the robbery in Queens.  Campbell’s phone also contained videos showing how stolen checks were altered:  first by “washing” the recipient and dollar amount off the stolen checks by dissolving the handwritten ink in acetone or brake fluid, and then by replacing those with a new recipient and dollar amount.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Russell Noble, Alessandra Rafalson, and Andrew Wang are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Johnson Peow.

The Defendant:

MAHWANGA CAMPBELL (also known as” Mahwanga Elijah Solo Campbell” and “Elijah Campbell”)
Age: 34
Charlotte, North Carolina

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-218 (ENV)

Javier Aguilar, 52, a Mexican national living in Houston, Texas, and a former oil trader, was sentenced in Brooklyn, New York, to four years in prison for his role in two separate schemes to bribe foreign officials in Ecuador and Mexico. He was also ordered to pay $7.13 million in forfeiture and a $100,000 fine. 

“This sentence makes clear that corrupt actors, like Javier Aguilar, who facilitated and led two major international bribery and money laundering schemes will be brought to justice and punished accordingly,” said Assistant Attorney General Andrew A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will root out those who brazenly undermine the rule of law and use our financial system to launder their corrupt funds, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This sentence sends a powerful message of deterrence to those who might be tempted to engage in similar bribery schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “This sentencing is further demonstration of our office’s long-standing commitment to rooting out corruption in the commodities markets. We will be indefatigable in protecting American interests from corruption that unfairly tilts the playing field and threatens American businesses.”  

“Aguilar bribed, falsified, manipulated the system, and engaged in several corrupt financial practices, all while using U.S. financial institutions to carry out his criminal actions,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the broad reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the FBI’s ability to investigate and bring criminals to justice who seek to engage in this type of crime.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Aguilar paid more than $1 million in bribes to officials of Ecuador’s state-owned oil company Petroecuador, and of PEMEX Procurement International (PPI), a subsidiary of Mexico’s state-owned oil company PEMEX, in order to obtain and retain business for his then-employer, Vitol Inc. The trial evidence showed that between 2015 and 2020, Aguilar was a trader at Vitol Inc. (Vitol), the U.S. affiliate of one of the largest energy trading companies in the world. As part of the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators agreed to bribe senior Ecuadorian officials to obtain a $300 million contract to purchase fuel oil for Vitol. Aguilar and his co-conspirators used another Middle Eastern state-owned entity to circumvent Petroecuador’s restrictions on contracts with private companies. In return for the promise and payments of bribes, the Ecuadorian officials then ensured that the Middle Eastern state-owned entity and Vitol were awarded the contract. 

To conceal the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators used a series of fake contracts, sham invoices, and shell entities incorporated in Curaçao, Panama, and the Cayman Islands. Aguilar also used alias email accounts to communicate with his co-conspirators.

The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Aguilar used the same system of shell entities and sham invoices to launder bribe payments to two officials at PPI. In total, Aguilar paid approximately $600,000 in bribes to PPI officials to obtain contracts for Vitol to supply hundreds of millions of dollars of ethane gas to PEMEX.   

The jury convicted Aguilar of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and violating the FCPA in connection with the Ecuador bribery scheme, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the Ecuador and Mexico bribery schemes. He separately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to violate the Travel Act in connection with the Mexico bribery scheme. 

Seven of Aguilar’s co-conspirators, including three foreign government officials, have pleaded guilty for their roles in the schemes. These individuals have collectively agreed to forfeit more than $63 million in proceeds from the schemes. 

In December 2020, Vitol admitted to bribing officials in Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil in violation of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA. Vitol entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. As a part of the resolution, Vitol agreed to pay a combined $135 million in penalties as part of a coordinated resolution with the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and authorities in Brazil.

FBI Miami’s International Corruption Squad investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Derek J. Ettinger of the White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section, Trial Attorney D. Hunter Smith of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick M. Axelrod for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Deputy Chief Suzanne Elmilady and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherin Daniel for the Southern District of Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Lax for the Eastern District of New York was also responsible for the case. The MNF Special Financial Investigations Unit and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance.

The Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Information about the Justice Department’s FCPA and FEPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa. 

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s International Unit investigates and prosecutes cross-border money laundering schemes involving transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign official corruption and related money laundering affecting the U.S. financial system and prosecutes criminal cases and civil forfeiture matters to recover the proceeds of those crimes. 

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Javier Aguilar was sentenced to 48 months in prison for his role in two interrelated schemes to bribe Ecuadorian and Mexican government officials.  In February 2024, Aguilar was convicted at trial of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FPCA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to bribe Ecuadorian officials.  Aguilar subsequently pleaded guilty to charges arising out of a related scheme to bribe officials at PEMEX Procurement International (PPI), a wholly owned affiliate of the Mexican state-owned oil company, PEMEX. The trial and sentencing were held before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  In addition to the custodial sentence, Aguilar was also ordered to pay approximately $7.13 million in criminal forfeiture and a $100,000 fine. Restitution will be determined at a later date.  Aguilar will be deported to Mexico upon completion of his prison term. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY); Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; and Brett Skiles, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence. 

“Today’s sentence sends a powerful message of deterrence to those who might be tempted to engage in similar bribery schemes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This case is a demonstration of our Office’s long-standing commitment to rooting out corruption in the commodities markets.  We will be indefatigable in protecting American interests from corruption that unfairly tilts the playing field and threatens American businesses.” 

“Today’s sentence makes clear that corrupt actors, like Javier Aguilar, who facilitated and led two major international bribery and money laundering schemes will be brought to justice and punished accordingly,” stated Assistant Attorney General Duva.   “We will root out those who brazenly undermine the rule of law and use our financial system to launder their corrupt funds, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting U.S. interests by dismantling complex bribery and corruption schemes that compromise global markets. This case demonstrates that individuals who attempt to corrupt foreign officials and manipulate international commerce will be held accountable. We will continue working alongside our partners to ensure the integrity of the financial system and safeguard American businesses,” stated FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Skiles.

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas for their assistance on the case. 

Between 2015 and 2020, Aguilar was a trader in the Houston office of Vitol, Inc. (Vitol), the U.S. affiliate of the Vitol group of companies, which together form one of the world’s largest energy trading firms. As part of the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators agreed to bribe senior Ecuadorian officials to obtain a $300 million contract to purchase fuel oil for Vitol.  Aguilar and his co-conspirators used another Middle Eastern state-owned entity to circumvent Petroecuador’s restrictions on contracts with private companies.  In return for the promise and payments of bribes, the Ecuadorian officials then ensured that the Middle Eastern state-owned entity and Vitol were awarded the contract. 

To conceal the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators used a series of fake contracts, sham invoices, and shell entities incorporated in Curacao, Panama, and Cayman Islands.  Aguilar also used alias email accounts to communicate with his co-conspirators.

The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Aguilar used the same system of shell entities and sham invoices to launder bribe payments to two officials at PPI.  In total, Aguilar paid approximately $600,000 in bribes to PPI officials to obtain contracts for Vitol to supply hundreds of millions of dollars of ethane gas to PEMEX.   

The jury convicted Aguilar of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and violating the FCPA in connection with the Ecuador bribery scheme, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the Ecuador and Mexico bribery schemes. Aguilar separately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to violate the Travel Act in connection with the Mexico bribery scheme. 

Seven of Aguilar’s co-conspirators, including three foreign government officials, have pleaded guilty for their roles in the schemes. These individuals have collectively agreed to forfeit more than $63 million in proceeds from the schemes. 

In December 2020, Vitol admitted to bribing officials in Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil in violation of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA.  Vitol entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section. As a part of the resolution, Vitol agreed to pay a combined $135 million in penalties as part of a coordinated resolution with the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and authorities in Brazil.

FBI Miami’s International Corruption Squad investigated the case.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section and the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture (MNF) Sections.  Assistant United States Attorney Nick M. Axelrod, Assistant Chief Derek J. Ettinger of the White Collar and Enforcement Section, and Trial Attorney D. Hunter Smith of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Deputy Chief Suzanne Elmilady and Assistant United States Attorney Sherin Daniel of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.  Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan P. Lax of the Eastern District of New York was also responsible for the case.  The MNF Special Financial Investigations Unit and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in this case. 

The Defendant:

JAVIER AGUILAR
Age: 52
Houston, Texas

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 20-CR-390 (ENV) / 24-CR-304 (ENV)

Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, charging Michael Brown, also known as “Mack Bills,” with sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; interstate prostitution; and promotion of prostitution.  The charges relate to Brown’s trafficking of women to work as prostitutes in New York, including along an open‑air sex trafficking market on a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the “Penn Track,” and his transportation of women from New York to at least one other state with the intent that they engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit.  Brown was arrested today and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the arrest and charges. 

“As alleged, the defendant trafficked women to serve as commercial sex workers for him on the notorious Penn Track in Brooklyn and in at least one other state,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s arrest demonstrates our commitment to protecting victims of exploitation.  Our Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficking crimes that threaten the safety and dignity of our communities, and to eradicate this blight in our district.” 

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI and the New York City Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work on the case. 

“Michael Brown allegedly trafficked multiple women to engage in prostitution, benefitted financially from their involuntary arrangement, and even threatened violence when challenged. The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to get these criminals off of the streets to face justice for their heinous acts,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

According to court filings, between March 2026 and August 2026, Brown had numerous women working in prostitution for him on the Penn Track and other locations, and trafficked at least two of those women using force, fraud, and coercion.  Specifically, evidence obtained pursuant to the investigation reflects that Brown regularly required his female victims to solicit customers on the Penn Track and other locations, including in at least one other state, and to engage in commercial sex acts with those customers.  Brown collected the proceeds earned by these women after they engaged in commercial sex acts with customers, and he used threats, emotional manipulation, and violence to discipline and control them.

For example, in several communications, women working for Brown call him “daddy,” discuss giving money from “dates,” i.e., paid sexual encounters, to the defendant, and discuss posting advertisements for prostitution and tips on how to increase making money in prostitution. Brown also has messages discussing methods to discipline the women working in prostitution for him.  In a message sent in or about September 2025, he talks about insubordination from a woman working for him and stated in substance and in part that he “need[s] something more creative than the gut punch for this one…” and decides he “[m]ight put that Hoe on her knees on rice.” 

If convicted of sex trafficking, Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment.  The interstate prostitution and promotion of prostitution charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.  Assistant United States  Attorney Erin Reid is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

MICHAEL BROWN (also known as “Mack Bills”)
Age: 35
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-267 (NRM) 

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jairo Saenz, also known as “Funny,” a high-ranking member of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 60 years’ in prison for racketeering, including predicate racketeering acts relating to his participation in seven murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson; the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta; the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens; the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo; the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks; and the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla.  Saenz’s sentence also reflected his participation in three attempted murders, arson, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses and a conspiracy to kill Marcus Bohannon, who was murdered on September 5, 2016 by other members of the MS-13.  Saenz pleaded guilty to these crimes on January 14, 2025.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence. 

“Jairo Saenz and his brother Alexi were at the forefront of a violent reign of terror and bloodshed that plagued communities across Long Island for years,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “They will both spend decades in prison, effectively life sentences, for their unspeakable crimes.  Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to hold the MS-13 and its members accountable for their horrific crimes.  I hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of closure to the surviving victims and the families of the fallen victims who, after these many years, continue to suffer unimaginable grief over the loss of their loved ones.” 

“The MS-13 gang members’ reign of brutality — marked by murders, attempted murders, arson, and firearms offenses — can no longer inflict harm on our communities.  The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force will continue pursuing MS-13’s leadership at every level until every community is free from their violence and intimidation,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. 

"Saenz was essentially a serial killer, having played a role in seven murders and three attempted murders," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said.  "His horrific crimes brought national attention to the bloodshed caused by MS-13.  While no amount of prison time can bring these victims back, we hope this sentence brings some measure of justice and solace to their families.  We will continue to dedicate the resources necessary to ensure gang violence never takes hold in our communities.”

According to court filings and statements made during the guilty plea and sentencing proceedings, Jairo Saenz was a high-ranking member of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States.  At the time of his crimes, he was second in command to his brother, Alexi Saenz, who pleaded guilty to the same crimes on July 10, 2024, and who was sentenced on July 2, 2025 principally to 68 years’ imprisonment.  Jairo Saenz committed the following crimes to maintain and increase his membership and status within the gang, and to further the mission of the MS-13:

January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson

On January 28, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang.  At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him. 

After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Alexi Saenz contacted Jairo Saenz and several other MS-13 members, informed them of the plan to kill Johnson and instructed them to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood.  Alexi Saenz then lured Johnson to that secluded meeting location under the guise of smoking marijuana.  The MS-13 members and associates, including Jairo Saenz, ambushed Johnson from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife and taking turns hacking him with the machete.  They fled after hearing police sirens in the area. 

Johnson was reported missing by family members. Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby and recovered Johnson’s body.  An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.   

April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

In early 2016, Alexi Saenz, Jairo Saenz and their fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light,” or approve, the murder of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13.  The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise and summoned other MS-13 members, including Alexi Saenz and Jairo Saenz, who arrived together.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of the Saenz brothers’ car, and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  At the direction of Alexi Saenz, the MS-13 members removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by the Saenz brothers.  The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave. 

Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

July 18, 2016 Attempted Murders of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2

On July 18, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at the Saenz brothers’ house in Central Islip, Alexi Saenz instructed the group to hunt for rival gang members who had been disrespectful to the MS-13, to attack and kill them.

Later that evening, Jairo Saenz and other members of the MS-13, who were driving around Brentwood armed with firearms and a machete, spotted a group of men on Apple Street.  Believing these men to be members of a rival gang, three MS-13 members got out of the car driven by Jairo Saenz and attacked the group, firing rounds from two different guns, and then using a machete to hack at one of the men who had fallen to the ground.

Two individuals were injured as a result of this attack.  John Doe #1 was struck with a bullet, but survived.  John Doe #2 was attacked with a machete, and was permanently disfigured.

August 10, 2016 Attempted Murders of Suspected Rival Gang Members

In 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. 

On August 10, 2016, Alexi Saenz and another MS-13 member drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad. They then rallied other members of the Sailors clique, including Jairo Saenz, to come kill the rivals. 

The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted.  The Saenz brothers’ car kept watch for the police, while two other MS-13 members, each armed with a gun, approached the group of suspected rivals and fired numerous shots in their direction.  No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.

September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

On September 4, 2016, after a Sailors clique meeting at the Saenz brothers’ house in Central Islip, Jairo Saenz, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members went out hunting for rival gang members to kill.

The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until Alexi Saenz’s group spotted 27-year old Marcus Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him and started shooting.  Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

September 12, 2016 Arson

During the summer of 2016, Sailors clique members of the MS-13 regularly had altercations with local gang members based in a neighborhood on Freeman Avenue in Brentwood.

On September 12, 2016, the MS-13 members retaliated by setting fire to a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses in that rival gang neighborhood.  Alexi Saenz directed other gang members to purchase gasoline and carry out the arson, while he drove around watching for police.  Jairo Saenz drove the other MS-13 gang members to that house, where they poured gasoline on a car parked in the driveway, and set it on fire.  The car exploded and set another parked car on fire.   

September 13, 2016 Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens

On September 13, 2016, Sailors clique members brutally murdered 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, both students at Brentwood High School.

In the months leading up to the murders, Cuevas was involved in a series of disputes with members and associates of the MS-13.  Approximately one week before the murders, these disputes escalated when Cuevas and several friends were involved in an altercation with MS-13 members at Brentwood High School.  After that incident, the MS-13 members vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas.

On the evening of September 13, 2016, the Saenz brothers and other members of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 were driving in separate cars around Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.  One group of MS-13 members spotted Cuevas and Mickens walking down residential Stahley Street.  Recognizing Cuevas, they called the Saenz brothers and were granted permission to kill the girls.  Several MS-13 members then chased down and attacked both Cuevas and Mickens, wielding baseball bats and a machete, striking each of the girls numerous times in their heads and bodies, while the Saenz brothers’ car drove around watching for police. After the murders, the group retreated to the Saenz brothers’ home in Central Islip, where they changed clothes and hid the weapons.   

Mickens, whose body was discovered later that evening on Stahley Street, not far from Cuevas’s home, sustained significant sharp force trauma to her face and blunt force trauma to her head.  Cuevas, whose body was discovered the following day behind a house adjacent to where Mickens’s body was found, sustained significant blunt force trauma to her head and body and multiple lacerations.

October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted 15-year-old Javier Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s principal rivals. 

On October 10, 2016, Jairo Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to drive with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Once there, they met Alexi Saenz and other Sailors clique members.  The group then lured Castillo to an isolated marsh area in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked him, taking turns hacking him to death with a machete. 

 Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in late October 2017.  Castillo was determined to have suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities.

October 13, 2016 Murder of Dewann Stacks

On the evening of October 13, 2016, the Saenz brothers and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 were driving around Central Islip and Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.

That night, they spotted 34-year-old Dewann Stacks and, believing him to be a rival gang member, Alexi Saenz authorized his murder. While Alexi Saenz drove around watching for police presence, Jairo Saenz drove three MS-13 members, armed with two machetes and a baseball bat, to attack Stacks.  The three armed MS-13 members got out of the car, and beat and hacked Stacks to death on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood. Stacks sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to his face and head, leaving his body nearly unrecognizable.

January 30, 2017 Murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla

On the morning of January 30, 2017, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 spotted 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla inside El Campesino Deli in Central Islip. Alvarado-Bonilla was wearing a football jersey bearing the number “18,” which led the MS-13 to conclude that he was a member of a rival gang, and they plotted to kill him.

After Alvarado-Bonilla was observed in the deli, Jairo Saenz drove MS-13 members to get a mask and another vehicle, both of which would be used when committing the murder.  Alexi Saenz provided the clique’s 9-millimeter handgun for use in the murder.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., a masked MS-13 member entered the deli, approached Alvarado-Bonilla from behind, and shot him multiple times, killing him.  One of the bullets pierced through Alvarado-Bonilla’s head and struck the chest of a female employee of the deli, who was standing directly in front of him. The deli employee survived the gunshot wound.   

Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracy

From approximately April 2016 through March 2017, to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, the Saenz brothers obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana, which they distributed to other Sailors clique members and associates for street-level sales in Brentwood and its surrounding areas.  After the sales, the profits were turned over to the Saenz brothers, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador and buying additional narcotics for further distribution.     

*          *          *          *

Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13 is comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America, with a leadership base in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, but with thousands of members all over the world.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted of racketeering and other felonies in the Eastern District of New York, including charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 80 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime and restoring the rule of law.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerryanne Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello. 

The Defendant:

JAIRO SAENZ (also known as “Funny”)
Age:  30
El Divisadero, Morazán, El Salvador; and Central Islip, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-8) (GRB)

Earlier today, a federal jury in Central Islip convicted Luann Middleton, a former United States Postal Service (USPS) employee, of wire fraud in connection with her repeated submission of false workers compensation forms to the United States Department of Labor (DOL), in which she claimed total disability, and thereby received approximately $40,000 per year in federal workers’ compensation benefits for nearly 25 years.  The verdict followed a four-day trial before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown.  When sentenced, Middleton faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as financial penalties.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office (USPS-OIG), announced the verdict.

“For more than 20 years and until her lies caught up to her, the defendant refused to come to work and instead collected tax-free disability benefits for a highly-exaggerated injury,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office and the Administration has made it a priority to hold accountable those who exploit government benefits programs for personal gain and steal funds that are designated for workers who truly need them.” 

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the USPS-OIG and the United States Department of Labor (DOL) for their assistance with the case. 

“This verdict sends a clear message that workers’ compensation fraud will not be tolerated," stated USPS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Modafferi.  "These benefits are intended to support U.S. Postal Service employees who are truly injured, not those who misrepresent their condition for personal gain. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General remains committed to protecting the Postal Service, its employees, and federal benefit programs from fraud and abuse. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General for their partnership in this case.”

As proven at trial, in August 1997, Middleton, who was in her mid-forties, claimed that she had sustained an injury to her lower back while performing her duties as a postal clerk.  Middleton submitted a claim for compensation to the DOL and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits approximately three months later.  Middleton briefly returned to work in a limited duty capacity in February 1999, after a medical doctor found that she was in fact capable of working; but then claimed she had a recurrence of her back injury, which rendered her totally and permanently disabled.  She again began receiving workers’ compensation benefits – roughly two-thirds of her annual salary, tax-free – from the DOL.  Between November 1997 and September 2022, Middleton regularly submitted medical evaluations and records to the USPS and the DOL claiming that she was incapable of returning to work, and that she was totally disabled.  The evaluations claimed, for example, that Middleton could sit, stand, walk, bend, lift and reach above her shoulders for zero hours and could not participate in any physical activities because of her excruciating back pain. 

However, the investigation revealed that between October 2015 and March 2022, Middleton engaged in numerous physical activities, including cleaning out a garage, sitting through a movie for more than two hours, standing for more than one hour at a cookie decorating class, climbing stairs and retail shopping.  Middleton was observed, and captured on video footage, carrying groceries and laundry bags, lifting and reaching for objects at heights she claimed she could not reach, bending to the floor to retrieve items, and hoisting a bag of potting soil from the bottom of her shopping cart into her vehicle.   Records from USPS and DOL indicate that Middleton received more than $900,000 in fraudulent workers’ compensation benefits as the result of her claimed physical limitations.

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

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Charles P. Kelly and Ashlyn Miranda are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder, Legal Assistant Danielle Rompel, and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello. 

The Defendant:

LUANN MIDDLETON
Age: 72 
Glen Cove, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-339 (GRB)

A Brooklyn woman was sentenced yesterday to 76 months in prison in connection with her leadership of a vast $64 million Medicaid fraud and illegal kickback scheme at her two social adult daycare centers and home health care company. The defendant was also ordered to pay over $56 million in restitution and to forfeit $5 million in fraud proceeds, including two properties, cash, and gold jewelry seized during a search of her home, as pictured below. 

“The Fraud Division will relentlessly hold accountable individuals who exploit Medicaid and take advantage of services meant to support our seniors,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This sentence should put all Medicaid fraudsters on notice — if you steal from Medicaid, we will uncover your conduct, protect the beneficiaries you harm, and ensure you are brought to justice.”

“Yesterday’s sentencing sends a strong message of deterrence in our District,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Our Office and the Justice Department are focused on protecting American taxpayers from fraudsters and as such, we will vigorously prosecute corrupt health care owners and operators in our district.”

“Social adult day care and home health services are designed to support seniors, not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s sentence sends an important message that anyone who illicitly exploits the Medicaid program will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”  

“Khan acted with staggering greed, leading a scheme to defraud Medicaid of millions of dollars intended for people in need. She and her co-conspirators set up social adult day cares but, instead of providing care and services to our most vulnerable neighbors, they enriched themselves with cash, gold and property,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Today’s sentence sends a message: we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice against fraudsters. HSI is working side by side with our law enforcement partners to uncover and dismantle complex fraud networks like this one.”

“Zakia Khan stole $64 million from the Medicaid program through bribes and kickbacks—money meant to support the most vulnerable,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “This was not only deeply illegal but also immoral, and the NYPC will continue to investigate anyone who exploits government programs for personal gain. I thank our NYPD investigators and all our partners in law enforcement for their work in stopping this criminal and bringing this case to a close.”

According to court documents, Zakia Khan, 55, of Brooklyn, New York, owned two social adult daycare centers—Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Happy Family) and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Family Social). She also owned a home health care fiscal intermediary called Responsible Care Staffing Inc. and an entity she used to receive and disguise fraud proceeds called Tanwee Services Inc.

From approximately October 2017 through July 2024, in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, a web of marketers referred Medicaid recipients to Khan’s social adult daycare centers. As depicted in the pictures below, Khan and the marketers paid kickbacks and bribes to the Medicaid recipients to induce them to sign up for services that Khan then billed to Medicaid. These services were never actually provided as represented to Medicaid. 

Between 2017 and 2024, Happy Family and Family Social fraudulently billed Medicaid approximately $64 million. Medicaid paid approximately $56 million based on these false and fraudulent claims. Khan and her co-conspirators used multiple business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes to the marketers and the Medicaid recipients. 

In August 2025, Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay health care kickbacks. 

HHS-OIG, HSI New York, and NYPD investigated the case. 

Deputy Chief Patrick J. Campbell and Trial Attorney Leonid Sandlar of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Health Care Fraud Section prosecuted the case, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Kedeshian for the Eastern District of New York who assisted with forfeiture matters.

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

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. 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.

Pierre Lee, also known as “Pierre Wilmoth,” was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.  The charge relates to Lee’s attempted robbery of a Capital One Bank branch in Brooklyn on April 26, 2026 (the Capital One Attempted Robbery).  The verdict followed a three-day trial before United States Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie.  Prior to trial, on September 1, 2026, Lee pleaded guilty to four counts of the indictment: bank robbery, two counts of attempted bank robbery—including the Capital One Attempted Robbery—and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (Lee had a prior robbery conviction).  The bank robbery and attempted robberies were committed over a four-day spree in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  When sentenced, Lee faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict. 

“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for bringing a firearm to a bank robbery and attempting to use the threat of violence to steal monies that did not belong to him,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who use firearms to threaten and endanger our communities.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for their assistance in the case.

“Today’s verdict serves as a stark reminder that the FBI and NYPD Violent Crime Task Force will employ every available resource to aggressively investigate anyone who attempts to rob a bank in New York City. Thanks to the outstanding work of our partners at the NYPD and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Lee has now been held fully accountable for his actions,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As proven at trial, Lee knowingly used a firearm during an attempted bank robbery, which is a crime of violence.  On April 26, 2026, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Lee, carrying a red Target bag, entered a Capital One Bank branch located at 2150 86th Street in Brooklyn, New York, and handed the teller a note that stated he was armed, “dead serious,” and demanded “loose bills” in denominations of $100, $50, $20, and $10.  The teller was unable to access the cash at his station and informed Lee.  In response, Lee demanded return of the note, exited the bank, and stashed the Target bag inside a grey shopping bag.

NYPD officers canvassed the area and located Lee one block from the bank at the Bay Parkway subway station approximately 25 minutes later.  After his arrest, Lee was taken to the 62nd Precinct, where a loaded Hi-Point A .380 caliber firearm was recovered inside his Target bag, as well as the handwritten note that he had passed to the Capital One Bank teller. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Brachah Goykadosh and Joseph P. Klemme are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Yael Wellisch.

The Defendant:

PIERRE LEE
Age: 43
Zebulon, NC   

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-143 (MKB)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Alexander Almaraz, the owner of Design Concepts Group LLC (DCG) in Freeport, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 48 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to induce individuals to hire him and pay DCG to repair their Hurricane Sandy-damaged homes.  Almaraz pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2024.  As part of the sentence, restitution to the victims will be determined at a later date. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney, announced the sentence. 

“Although years have passed since Hurricane Sandy caused historic damage to our district, the defendant’s victims still feel the emotional and financial pain caused by his selfish crimes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s sentence holds Almaraz accountable for using vital recovery funds to fund a lavish lifestyle while his customers were deprived of their homes and suffering emotionally and financially.  For this crime of greed, it is fitting that the defendant’s home will be a federal prison.”  

“Alexander Almaraz defrauded more than 20 victims of Hurricane Sandy by promising to raise their storm-ravaged homes and instead used the money for his own personal gain by spending it on luxury items.  Almaraz unlawfully sought to profit from the money intended to assist these desperate homeowners following this devastating storm.  May today’s sentencing send a message that the FBI will never tolerate those who exploit natural disaster recovery efforts for greedy purposes,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“Hurricane Sandy ravaged waterfront communities across Nassau County, and in the aftermath, this defendant capitalized on the loss and pain of nearly two dozen homeowners trying to rebuild just to fatten his own wallet,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly. “In his greed, Almaraz made promises he had no intention of keeping and stole more than a million dollars in recovery funds earmarked to help residents who suffered total devastation in the storm. To add insult to injury, while the construction on his victims’ homes remained unfinished, Almaraz was out buying land for himself with their funds. I thank our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI for their commitment to prosecuting heartless schemers who exploited Long Islanders during this tragic event.”

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey, causing catastrophic damage to low-lying and coastal areas, including many neighborhoods in the Eastern District of New York.  New York residents whose homes were damaged were eligible to receive funding from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery through the New York Rising (NYR) program.

Almaraz entered contracts with homeowners who qualified to receive funds from NYR.  As part of these contracts, Almaraz agreed to lift the victims’ homes and set them down on temporary support structures which would permit the foundations of the damaged homes to be removed and new foundations to be installed.  After the new foundations were installed, Almaraz was supposed to lower the homes and reconnect the homes’ appliances.  Between October 2015 and June 2019, Almaraz agreed to lift the homes of at least 20 customers who had received NYR funding and who collectively paid him approximately $2.5 million.  Almaraz convinced many of these victims to move out of their homes and pay him rent to live elsewhere, all the while neglecting their projects and causing greater loss and suffering.  Instead of performing the full scope of the agreed-upon work, Almaraz used the victims’ monies to pay for personal expenses, including credit card bills, land purchased in Kansas City, Missouri, and luxury automobiles, including a Lamborghini, a Porsche and a Jaguar.  Almaraz’s fraudulent scheme caused more than $1.5 million in losses to NYR and the individual victims. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Megan E. Farrell is in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

ALEXANDER ALMARAZ
Age: 55
San Antonio, Texas; formerly of Freeport, Long Island

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-17 (JMA)

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Zakia Khan was sentenced by United States District Judge Natasha C. Merle to 76 months in prison in connection with her leadership role in carrying out a $64 million Medicaid fraud and illegal kickback scheme at her two social adult daycare centers and a home health care company.  In August 2025, Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay health care kickbacks. As part of her sentence, Khan was also ordered to pay over $56 million in restitution and to forfeit $5 million in fraud proceeds, including two properties, cash, and gold jewelry seized during a search of her home, as pictured below. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); Miranda L. Bennett, Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the sentence.

“Today’s sentencing sends a strong message of deterrence in our District,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office and the Justice Department are focused on protecting American taxpayers from fraudsters and as such, we will vigorously prosecute corrupt health care owners and operators in our district.”

“Khan acted with staggering greed, leading a scheme to defraud Medicaid of millions of dollars intended for people in need.  She and her co-conspirators set up social adult daycares but, instead of providing care and services to our most vulnerable neighbors, they enriched themselves with cash, gold, and property,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.  “Today’s sentence sends a message: we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice against fraudsters.  HSI is working side by side with our law enforcement partners to uncover and dismantle complex fraud networks like this one.”

“Social adult day care and home health services are designed to support seniors, not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said HHS-OIG Acting Deputy Inspector  General Bennett. “Today’s sentence sends an important message that anyone who illicitly exploits the Medicaid program will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”

“Zakia Khan stole $64 million from Medicaid through bribes and kickbacks—money meant to support the most vulnerable,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “This was not only deeply illegal but also immoral, and the NYPD will continue to investigate anyone who exploits government programs for personal gain.  I thank our NYPD investigators and all our partners in law enforcement for their work in stopping this criminal and bringing this case to a close.”

According to court documents, Khan owned two social adult daycare centers—Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Happy Family) and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Family Social) in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.  She also owned a home health care fiscal intermediary called Responsible Care Staffing Inc. and an entity she used to receive and disguise fraud proceeds called Tanwee Services Inc.

From approximately October 2017 through July 2024, in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, a web of marketers referred Medicaid recipients to Khan’s social adult daycare centers.  As depicted in the pictures below, Khan and the marketers paid kickbacks and bribes to the Medicaid recipients to induce them to sign up for services that Khan then billed to Medicaid.  These services were never actually provided as represented to Medicaid. 

Between 2017 and 2024, Happy Family and Family Social fraudulently billed Medicaid approximately $64 million.  Medicaid paid approximately $56 million based on these false and fraudulent claims.  Khan and her co-conspirators used multiple business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes to the marketers and the Medicaid recipients. 

Zakia Khan on an undercover recording paying illegal kickbacks inside her office at Happy Family.

Medicaid recipients receiving illegal cash kickbacks in exchange for filling out false attendance sheets for Zakia Khan’s social adult daycare centers.

HHS-OIG, HSI New York, and NYPD investigated the case. 

Deputy Chief Patrick J. Campbell and Trial Attorney Leonid Sandlar of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Health Care Fraud Section are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Kedeshian for the Eastern District of New York, who is handling forfeiture matters.

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

The Defendant:

ZAKIA KHAN
Age:  55
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-CR-409 (NCM)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Gary Johnson, a Bloods gang leader and narcotics trafficker who was responsible for the distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin throughout Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 280 months’ imprisonment.  Johnson was convicted following a four-week trial on 22 counts of a second superseding indictment charging him with narcotics distribution, including distribution that resulted in three non-fatal overdoses, as well as a firearms-related crime.  

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence. 

“As a result of the outstanding work by the FBI, our local law enforcement partners and the prosecutors of this Office, Johnson has been held accountable for his role in a large-scale narcotics distribution operation involving fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, and for distributing fentanyl and cocaine that caused three individuals to overdose in 2020,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “We hope that today’s sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims who thankfully survived and their families, and sends a clear message that those who distribute drugs, particularly that cause overdoses, will face severe consequences.” 

“Today's sentencing of Gary Johnson serves as a stark reminder that those who distribute drugs in New York will be held accountable.  The FBI New York Long Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force works tirelessly to bring drug traffickers to justice.  Those who endeavor to follow in Johnson's footsteps will be stopped in their tracks, so that future victims may be spared,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“The drug epidemic is fueled by people who are focused on making a profit, without regard for the devastating consequences their actions can have when those drugs reach individuals who ultimately overdose,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina.  “I want to commend EDNY for ensuring Johnson will be spending time in prison for his crimes. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to halt the flow of narcotics and hold drug dealers accountable for the selfish choices that put lives at risk.”

Between June 2013 and November 2020, Johnson, a leader in the G-Shine set of the Bloods based in Suffolk County, sold fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin throughout Long Island.  The drugs distributed by the defendant caused multiple victims to overdose, including three individuals who suffered overdoses in March and May 2020.  The jury convicted Johnson of multiple narcotics-distribution offenses, including three counts of distributing narcotics resulting in serious bodily injury.

Johnson was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  That conviction arose from the recovery of a semi-automatic firearm from Johnson’s residence during the execution of a search warrant. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith A. Arfa, Stephen Petraeus, and Mark E. Misorek are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Dejah Turla, Rebecca Roth, and Adam Bernard, as well as Victim Witness Specialist Stephanie Marroquin. 

The Defendant:

GARY JOHNSON
Age: 43
Bellport, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-518 (S-2) (JMA)

Trinidadian foreign national and lawful permanent resident, Chad Barclay, 33, pleaded guilty today to sex trafficking and admitted to kidnapping six additional victims.

During the plea hearing, Barclay admitted that on Sept. 13, 2022, he enticed the victim to his residence to engage in commercial sex, where he robbed and sexually assaulted her. As part of plea agreement, Barclay stipulated to kidnapping six additional women between 2022 and 2023. For targeting five victims, Barclay was charged in a 20-count superseding indictment with interstate prostitution, Hobbs Act robbery, kidnapping, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, and witness tampering and obstruction of an official proceeding in August 2023. Barclay was charged with a sex trafficking count for one of the original five victims and interstate prostitution, Hobbs Act robbery, kidnaping, and other related charges for two additional victims in a second superseding indictment in May 2026.

“Chad Barclay has now admitted that he kidnapped, violently raped, and robbed multiple female victims,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution demonstrates that we will always seek justice for survivors of trafficking and abuse to prevent more of these heinous crimes. This type of exploitation and violence has no place in our civilized society.” 

“This defendant is a dangerous predator who used force and intimidation to sexually assault a victim and has admitted to additional conduct including kidnapping six other women,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea holds him accountable for the devastating harm he inflicted on his victims and sends a clear message that our Office will vigorously prosecute those who use violence, enticement, and coercion to facilitate sex trafficking. We remain committed to protecting victims of this scourge, pursuing justice on their behalf, and ensuring that perpetrators like Barclay are held responsible for their crimes.” 

“Chad Barclay’s brutal and predatory actions inflicted profound harm on his victims and demonstrated a clear disregard for their safety and humanity,” said Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “The FBI and NYPD's joint investigation ensured his conduct was exposed and he was brought before the justice system to answer for his crimes. We will continue working closely with our partners to protect victims and ensure offenders are held fully accountable for their actions.”

Barclay faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI New York Field Office and the New York Police Department are investigating the case as part of the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Trial Attorney Olimpia E. Michel of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andy Palacio and Lorena Michelen for the Eastern District of New York and are prosecuting the case.

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Bhavesh Lathiya was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 54 months in prison for his conviction of smuggling and distributing fentanyl precursor chemicals knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl.  Lathiya was the leader and founder of Raxuter Chemicals, a company based in Surat, India, that illegally sold and smuggled more than 50 pounds of chemicals commonly used to manufacture fentanyl.  As part of the case, the defendant was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $24,560.  The defendant pleaded guilty in April 2026 and will be deported upon completion of his prison term.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), announced the sentence. 

“During a national crisis when hundreds of Americans were dying every day of fentanyl overdoses, Lathiya smuggled and distributed chemical ingredients, including those that were the building blocks for this deadly drug, without any regard for the harm that his conduct would cause,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “With today’s sentence, the message is loud and clear that our Office will hold precursor traffickers like the defendant accountable for their role in the fentanyl supply chain.”

“Bhavesh Lathiya’s conduct placed him at the source of the fentanyl supply chain, where he knowingly moved the chemical building blocks of a lethal drug into the United States through deception, false labeling, and international shipments in a prosecution that breaks new ground against an India-based supplier.  By feeding the market for fentanyl at its earliest stage, he turned chemical commerce into a direct threat to public safety, widening the reach of a drug that continues to inflict profound harm across our communities.  This Homeland Security Task Force investigation, co-led by HSI New York, demonstrates our resolve to attack the fentanyl supply chain before the poison is manufactured, packaged, and sold to the public,” stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas. 

As set forth in court filings, Lathiya supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, among other places, despite knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl.  He and his company also sent their chemical products to the United States and Mexico using international mail and package carriers.  The chemicals distributed by the defendant included all the materials necessary to manufacture fentanyl via the most common pathways.  To prevent detection and interception of chemical products at the borders, the defendant employed deceptive and fraudulent practices, such as mislabeling packages and falsifying customs forms. 

For example, on or about June 29, 2024, a package shipped by Raxuter Chemicals was delivered to an address in the Eastern District of New York.  The package had a false manifest that listed its contents as Vitamin C.  In truth, the contents were a List I chemical, 1-boc-4-piperidone, an unlawfully imported fentanyl precursor.

On or about October 2, 2024 and October 15, 2024, Lathiya appeared on a video call to discuss sale of fentanyl precursor chemicals with an HSI undercover officer.  After being told by the undercover officer that his “clients in Mexico were very happy with the quality of what you sent me” and with “the yield they got of the final product,” Lathiya agreed to sell 20 kilograms 1-boc-4-piperidone, which is a List I chemical used in fentanyl synthesis. Lathiya also proposed mislabeling the chemical as an antacid.  The undercover officer replied and asked if it would be easier to ship the product to Mexico, stating “This is a very controversial product … Because like you said it’s banned and in Mexico I think it could be easier but there’s so much pressure on them because of fentanyl.”  On or about November 23, 2024, Raxuter Chemicals and Lathiya shipped approximately 20 kilograms of 1-boc-4-piperidone to the Eastern District of New York.  The package was mislabeled as an antacid. 

Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including but not limited to the Sinaloa Cartel, have increasingly availed themselves of the fentanyl precursors developed and distributed by companies like the defendant’s, including in India and China. 

This sentence follows the Office’s pathbreaking indictments of three Chinese chemical companies and three employees in United States v. Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. (Rencheng) Ltd et al. and United States v. Hefei GSK Trade Co. Ltd, et al., charging them with similar offenses, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical, distribution of a List I chemical, and customs fraud conspiracy.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Amir, William P. Campos, Chand Edwards-Balfour, and Katherine P. Onyshko are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Cleon Thomas and Zoubida Bicane.

The Defendant:

BHAVESH RANCHHODBHAI LATHIYA (also known as “Bhavesh Patel,” “Bhavesh Bhai,” and “Bhavesh Lathia”)
Age:  37
Surat, Gujarat, India 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-525 (S-2) (PKC)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Chad Barclay pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a victim, Jane Doe #1.  Additionally, as part of his plea agreement, Barclay stipulated that he kidnapped six additional women.  The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Seth D. Eichenholtz. When sentenced, Barclay faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

“This defendant is a dangerous predator who used force and intimidation to sexually assault a victim and has admitted to additional conduct including kidnapping six other women,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s guilty plea holds him accountable for the devastating harm he inflicted on his victims and sends a clear message that our Office will vigorously prosecute those who use violence, enticement, and coercion to facilitate sex trafficking.  We remain committed to protecting victims of this scourge, pursuing justice on their behalf, and ensuring that perpetrators like Barclay are held responsible for their crimes.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Justice Department’s Criminal Division for their support, and the New York City Police Department for its assistance.

“Chad Barclay has now admitted that he kidnapped, violently raped, and robbed multiple female victims,” stated Assistant Attorney General Duva.  “This prosecution demonstrates that we will always seek justice for survivors of trafficking and abuse to prevent more of these heinous crimes. This type of exploitation and violence has no place in our civilized society.” 

“Chad Barclay’s brutal and predatory actions inflicted profound harm on his victims and demonstrated a clear disregard for their safety and humanity. The FBI and NYPD's joint investigation ensured his conduct was exposed and he was brought before the justice system to answer for his crimes. We will continue working closely with our partners to protect victims and ensure offenders are held fully accountable for their actions,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As set forth in court filings and during today’s plea proceeding, on September 13, 2022, Barclay enticed Jane Doe #1, who he met on Eros, an online escort website, to travel from another state to his apartment in Brooklyn to engage in commercial sex.  After arriving at his apartment, Barclay paid Jane Doe #1 approximately $1,500 in cash for sex.  Barclay then used force to have sex with her without a condom and against her will.  After raping Jane Doe #1, Barclay opened her purse and took the $1,500 he already paid her.  In addition, he stole approximately $1,200 from the victim’s purse.  Barclay asserted that Jane Doe #1 still owed him $1,500 for working on his turf, claiming that he “ran” Brooklyn and was part of a “Brooklyn gang” so all the women in Brooklyn worked for him and had to pay him a “tax.”  When Jane Doe #1 replied that she did not have any more money, Barclay laughed and said that she was going to have to “pay or you have to work for me or you die.” 

Barclay also warned Jane Doe #1 that his “guys” were in front of the building and they would kill her if she tried to leave.  Barclay also confiscated her phone, forced her to unlock it with her face and reviewed the contents of her phone.  After reviewing her phone, Barclay threatened Jane Doe #1 by stating that he knew where she lived and that she had a daughter.  Barclay permitted her to leave after Jane Doe #1 stated that she sent a friend her location information and that her friend would call the police if she did not hear from Jane Doe #1 soon.  Jane Doe #1 later reported the rape to local police and went to a hospital where a rape kit was performed. 

As part of his plea agreement, Barclay stipulated to kidnapping six additional women between 2022 and 2023.  Barclay engaged in a similar pattern in which he enticed commercial sex workers to come to his apartment where he robbed and sexually assaulted most of the victims.   

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Andy Palacio and Lorena Michelen and Trial Attorney Olimpia Michel of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

CHAD BARCLAY
Age: 33
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-242 (S-1) (FB)

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment revoking the naturalization of convicted rapist Gurmeet Singh.

“American citizenship is not a shield for criminals,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Gurmeet Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a U.S. citizen. He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship. This Department took this case across the finish line, and we will continue to move expeditiously on denaturalization referrals. Fraudulently obtained citizenship will not protect criminals from justice.”

“Singh unlawfully obtained the privileges of U.S. citizenship by concealing horrible criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.  “The Department will continue to protect the integrity of the citizenship process and hold accountable those who defraud our immigration system.”

“The Court’s judgment, which requires the defendant to surrender his wrongfully obtained citizenship, sends a strong message to those who obtain citizenship through deceit, and demonstrates the Administration’s resolve to pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr for the Eastern District of New York.

A native of India, Singh entered the United States in February 1992 as a visitor for a temporary period not to exceed six months. He then remained in the United States without authorization for years until a family-based immigrant visa petition allowed him to become a permanent resident in June 2000.

In May 2011 — mere weeks before he filed his application to naturalize as a U.S. citizen — Singh, a taxicab driver at the time, drove a female passenger who fell asleep during her ride home to a location with no witnesses. When his passenger awoke, she found Singh on top of her with a knife against her throat. He threatened her, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her, removed her clothes, and raped her. Afterwards, the victim escaped from the cab and ran to someone in the streets at dawn for help.

Singh concealed these acts throughout his naturalization proceedings, leading to his becoming a U.S. citizen on Oct. 19, 2011. After naturalizing, Singh was convicted in New York of Rape in the First Degree and Kidnapping in the Second Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Aug. 26 order revoking Singh’s naturalization follows a complaint the Justice Department filed on Feb. 2.

This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christopher Lyerla of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Layaliza Soloveichik for the Eastern District of New York.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today a Settlement Agreement with Point O’ Pines Corporation to resolve allegations that its residential summer camp, Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls, located in Brant Lake, New York, violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) by failing to offer a reasonable accommodation to a minor with a disability.  The settlement will ensure equal access for campers with disabilities at Point O’Pines Camp for Girls under Title III of the ADA. 

“Today’s settlement ensures that campers with disabilities will be reasonably accommodated so that they have the same opportunity to enjoy and participate in Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls as other campers. Our Office will continue to enforce the ADA and its protections against discrimination for people with disabilities,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. 

The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by the parents of a camper, a minor with Type 1 diabetes, to whom Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for the summers of 2023 and 2024.  The camper complained that Point O’Pines discharged her before the end of camp season because she has a disability.  Under the terms of the settlement, Point O’ Pines Corporation has agreed to take appropriate steps to ensure evaluation of campers with disabilities on a case-by-case basis and make reasonable accommodations for them.  Additionally, Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls will provide all of its employees and staff training regarding ADA compliance, and will identify and train relevant employees and staff on the specific disabilities of incoming campers.

Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the “services, programs, or activities of a public entity.” Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls is a place of public accommodation.   To comply with Title III, public entities such as Point O’ Pines must ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of Point O’ Pines Camp for Girls. This includes making “reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the public entity can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity.”

The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Point O’Pines.

This matter has been handled by Chief of Civil Rights Megan Freismuth, Assistant United States Attorney Anjna Kapoor, former Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Silverman, and Senior Auditor/Investigator Tisha Waite.

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in  Brooklyn, Maxim Larin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act and attempting to violate the Arms Export Control Act in connection with his shipment of weapons parts and accessories to Kazakhstan.  The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Nina R. Morrison.  When sentenced, the defendant faces a  maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment.  As part of his plea, the defendant agreed to forfeit $250,000  and dozens of weapons parts and accessories seized from his residence.  Larin was arrested in Florida in August 2025.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); and David Peters, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), Bureau of Industry and Security, New York Field Office, announced the guilty plea.

“Motivated by greed, the defendant placed his own self-interest above the safety and security of our country and its allies by shipping export-controlled weapons parts to a volatile area of the world,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s guilty plea should serve as a warning to all who seek to evade our nation’s export regulations for their own gain and for the benefit of our adversaries.  Our Office and our law enforcement partners will vigorously investigate, prosecute, and hold to account those who compromise our national security.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, HSI’s Miami Field Office, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their valuable assistance. 

“Maxim Larin knowingly weaponized his businesses to smuggle restricted firearms components and tactical equipment through a web of lies, false labels and undervalued shipments,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas. “This was a deliberate scheme to evade U.S. export laws and feed an illicit weapons pipeline connected to Russia’s war machine. His guilty plea makes clear that those who put profit over national security, disguise contraband as harmless goods and help arm hostile foreign networks will be exposed, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.  Together with our partners, HSI New York will continue to leverage our specialized authorities and global investigative reach to hold accountable those who attempt to undermine U.S. export controls and endanger national security.”

“Today's guilty plea highlights the Office of Export Enforcement's unwavering dedication to enforcing America's export control laws and holding accountable those who seek to evade them,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Peters.

According to court documents, Larin is the owner of several U.S. based companies which deal in weapons parts and sensitive firearms accessories.  Larin used his businesses to sell export-controlled weapons parts and accessories to his co-defendant based in Russia.  The items Larin shipped to Kazakhstan were on the Commerce Control List (“CCL”) and designated as export restricted because their reshipment could be detrimental to U.S. foreign policy or national security. 

As early as December 2022, Larin agreed with his Russia-based co-defendant to undervalue and mislabel the contents of the packages he was exporting.  When asked by his co-defendant to falsely label the contents of a specific parcel, Larin replied “we can do that.”  U.S. Customs and Border Protection records show the package was mislabeled and the value of its contents was listed as thousands of dollars less than its actual value.  Larin also flagged for his co-defendant that certain items could be seized by U.S. authorities and suggested that items be repackaged to make them less conspicuous.

In approximately May 2023, Larin agreed with his co-defendant to ship semi-automatic enhanced triggers, hi-speed triggers, and charging handles to Kazakhstan.  These items, which enhance the performance of firearms, were all included on the CCL and their export to Kazakhstan was prohibited.  Larin suggested the items could be seized by U.S. authorities and agreed to falsely declare the contents of the package and its value.  Rather than state that the parcel contained firearms parts, Larin listed its contents as a “light switch.”

In December 2023, Larin agreed to acquire a Raptar target acquisition device for his co-defendant.  The Raptar is a firearms accessory which helps users acquire targets at long ranges.  Given its obvious military application, the Raptar is included on the United States Munitions List, a list of items which cannot be exported from the United States without the approval of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, a unit within the U.S. Department of State.  Larin obtained the Raptar device from another company and signed an agreement which specified that the item could not be shipped internationally. Although he knew about this prohibition, Larin shipped the Raptar to a co-conspirator in the United States who attempted to ship it to Kazakhstan in violation of U.S. export laws.  The device was intercepted and seized by HSI in California.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Gilbert M. Rein is in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Magdalena St. Surin.

The Defendant:

MAXIM LARIN
Age: 44
Plantation, Florida

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-246 (NRM)

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Italian national Manfred Gruber was sentenced by United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit export control violations.  Gruber pleaded guilty to the charge on March 30, 2026.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and David Peters, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), announced the charges.

“The defendant was held accountable for his scheme to send military‑grade ammunition to Kyrgyzstan before reexporting the ammunition to Russia to support its war effort,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s sentencing reaffirms that people who illegally divert weapons will be brought to justice.”

“Manfred Gruber's guilty plea reflects our unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export-control laws and protecting national security.  His actions undermined federal regulations designed to safeguard our defense materials, and this outcome demonstrates that violations of these laws will be addressed with the utmost seriousness,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

As set forth in court filings, the defendant was the Director of Sales for Italian Company-1, a large wholesale distributor of firearms and ammunition.  The defendant served as a key member of an international procurement network for Russia during its war against Ukraine, purchasing ammunition from the United States and reexporting it to Kyrgyzstan in violation of DOC licenses issued to Italian Company-1, which required that the ammunition stay in Italy.  The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or reexport ammunition to Kyrgyzstan.

The defendant illegally exported ammunition worth over $540,000 from the United States to Kyrgyzstan, via companies that the defendant and his co-conspirator controlled in Italy.  After reaching Kyrgyzstan, most of this ammunition was subsequently reexported to Russia.   

In one example of the defendant’s illegal transactions, U.S. Company-1, headquartered in Nebraska, had a license to lawfully export ammunition to Italian Company-1, but the ammunition could not be reexported out of Italy.  In violation of the license, the defendant, using a cutout company, Italian Company‑2, reexported U.S. Company-1 ammunition to Sergei Zharnovnikov, an arms dealer from Kyrgyzstan who has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate export controls by sending U.S.-made firearms and ammunition to Russia. A contract found on Zharnovnikov’s phone indicated that he had contracted with a Russian company for ammunition manufactured by U.S. Company-1. Zharnovnikov was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment earlier this year.  See United States v. Zharnovnikov, 25‑cr‑45 (HG). 

In addition, U.S. Company-2, headquartered in Tennessee, had a license to lawfully export ammunition to Italian Company‑1, but the ammunition could not be reexported out of Italy.  The defendant exported the ammunition from U.S. Company-2 to Italy, and then reexported the U.S. Company-2 ammunition from Italy to Kyrgyzstan.

The defendant was aware that U.S. law prohibited the reexport of U.S. ammunition without further licenses, which he did not obtain.  To help the unlawful export scheme succeed, the defendant took steps to disguise the true destination of the ammunition.  For example, in encrypted messages on or about September 23, 2023, the defendant and a co-conspirator discussed splitting up a shipment of 100,000 bullets.  In the defendant’s words, this was necessary “so it goes unnoticed” by “FBI.”

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Tara B. McGrath, and Adam Amir are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jessica Spindler. 

The Defendant:

MANFRED GRUBER
Age: 61
Ora, Italy

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-61 (HG)

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Angela Aquino, a 2025 candidate for New York City Public Advocate, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her scheme to defraud New York City’s campaign finance system to obtain public matching funds.  The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon.  When sentenced, Aquino faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI); and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

“The defendant, a former candidate for city office, admitted today that she attempted to defraud New York City of $1 million in public funds,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Her brazen efforts threaten the integrity of our local democratic processes.”

“New Yorkers deserve a baseline of integrity from candidates running for public office, an attribute this defendant – through her actions – demonstrated she clearly lacked,” stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.  “As a candidate for NYC Public Advocate, this defendant attempted to fraudulently obtain $1 million in public matching funds by obscuring the true source of the funds flowing into her campaign committee’s bank account.  The defendant also used some of her campaign funds to pay her personal expenses, including rent for her apartment. New York City’s Matching Funds Program is supported by taxpayer dollars, and those who seek these funds must follow the law.  I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Office of the FBI for their partnership in protecting the integrity of our campaign finance system.”

“Angela Aquino's attempt to defraud the City of New York is disgraceful and unacceptable.  Any theft of taxpayer money will be fully investigated and prosecuted.  In support of the Vice President's Fraud Task Force, FBI New York will continue to work diligently to protect the public from fraud in all forms,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

New York City’s Matching Funds Program

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) offers a voluntary public-financing program matching small-dollar contributions from New York City residents to candidates for city office.  To be eligible for matching funds, candidates must meet a two-part fundraising threshold: first, they must collect a minimum number of contributions of $10 or more; and, second, they must raise a minimum amount of qualifying contributions from residents of New York City.  To be eligible for the matching funds program, a candidate for Public Advocate must have raised at least $125,000 from at least 500 qualifying contributors.  In addition, cash contributions are capped at $100 per contributor for purposes of qualifying for matching funds. 

For a candidate to apply cash contributions toward the threshold necessary to become eligible for public matching funds, a candidate’s authorized committee was required to submit contribution cards to the CFB that listed, among other information, each contributor’s name, residential address, employer, and occupation, as well as the date and amount of contribution.  The contribution cards also had to be signed by the contributors. 

Candidates were prohibited from giving false information to the CFB.  Candidates were also prohibited from using public matching funds for purposes that were illegal, improper, or not in furtherance of the candidate’s nomination or election.  Violation of these prohibitions would render the candidate ineligible to receive public matching funds.

Once a candidate met the eligibility requirements to join the program, the CFB would provide the campaign with public funds at a matching rate of $8 to $1.  In other words, if a candidate raised $125,000 toward the fundraising threshold, the CFB would provide that candidate with $1 million in public matching funds.

The Fraudulent Scheme

Aquino engaged in a scheme to obtain $1 million in public matching funds, knowing that her campaign committee was not entitled to such funds.  In particular, she took numerous steps artificially to inflate the deposits into her campaign committee’s bank account to make it appear that the committee had met the $125,000 threshold for public funds.  In fact, very little of the deposits were eligible contributions from New Yorkers. 

In the first months of 2025, Aquino’s personal bank account received more than $130,000 that originated from the Philippines.  Of this amount, at least $34,000 was a loan to Aquino from a contact there.  Aquino, with others, repeatedly withdrew funds from her personal bank account in cash and deposited cash into her campaign committee’s bank account.  These contributions were then identified to the CFB as contributions from residents of New York City that were eligible for public matching funds.  Contribution cards submitted in support of these supposed contributions, which purported to identify the contributors and included their personal identifying information and their signatures, were falsified. 

Aquino cycled funds out of, and back into, the campaign committee’s bank account, sometimes using bank accounts of friends and associates as intermediary accounts to obscure the true source of the funds.  The purpose of cycling the funds in this way was to make the total amount of deposits into the campaign committee’s account appear higher, such that the total contributions would appear to meet the CFB’s threshold. 

Aquino used funds from the campaign committee account to pay for her personal expenses, including the rent for her apartment, while falsely reporting to the CFB that the payments were for legitimate campaign expenses.  Aquino also lied to federal agents concerning her relationship with the recipients of some of these expenditures.  For example, Aquino told federal agents that her landlords helped with petitions and with campaigning, justifying the campaign’s payments to them. In fact, Aquino’s landlords had nothing to do with her campaign.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Laura Zuckerwise and Sean Sherman are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Melissa Bennett. 

The Defendant:

ANGELA AQUINO
Age:  47
New York, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-231 (MKB)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Marcus Pittman, also known as “Nacho” and “Cheese,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 27 years in prison for causing death through use of a firearm, in connection with his participation in an armed robbery and kidnapping of two marijuana dealers in Queens, New York, during which Marcus Pittman murdered one of the dealers.  Marcus Pittman pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2025.  

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence. 

“Today, the defendant was held accountable for an execution-style, drug-related killing that he carried out in our community,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Marcus Pittman was the trigger man of a robbery crew that traveled to our district for the purpose of kidnapping and robbing marijuana dealers.  His sentence affirms that gun violence will be severely punished.”

“Marcus Pittman's drug-related violence took a life, and this kind of criminal conduct will never be tolerated,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.  “The FBI is resolute in pursuing those responsible for this type of harm in our communities.  We will continue to dismantle the networks that fuel this brutality and ensure individuals who commit these acts are brought to justice.”

“As the defendants’ pleas confirm, Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants traveled across state lines to carry out a violent robbery, kidnapped two marijuana dealers, and murdered one of them in cold blood,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “Today’s sentencing is yet another reminder that the NYPD will continue to find, stop, and hold accountable those who drive violence in our city.  I thank our investigators and law enforcement partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their diligent work on this case." 

As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings, and statements during the sentencing, during the night of July 24, 2024 and into July 25, 2024, Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants carried out a violent armed robbery and kidnapping plot that resulted in the defendant shooting and killing John Doe #1 inside of a U-Haul van in Bayside, Queens. Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants drove from Maryland to New York City for the purpose of robbing John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, who were both drug dealers.  Once in New York, co-defendants Jerome Waters and William Barnett met with John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 at a stash house in Queens under the guise of purchasing marijuana.

Moments later, Waters and Barnett pulled out their weapons and held up John Doe #1 and John Doe #2.  They brought Marcus Pittman and his brother Delonta Pittman into the stash house to assist in the robbery and kidnapping.  While in the stash house, Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants restrained John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 with zip ties and forced them outside and into the back of a Jeep and a U-Haul van.  At the same time, Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants stole approximately 30 pounds of marijuana from the stash house.

Marcus Pittman’s co-defendants drove John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, who were still restrained, through Queens at gunpoint, demanding drugs and money.  Co-defendant Jalon Garrett held a gun to John Doe #2 in one vehicle while Marcus Pittman held John Doe #1 at gunpoint in the back of a U-Haul van.  Soon thereafter, while in the Bayside section of Queens, Marcus Pittman and John Doe #1 fought in the in the rear compartment of the U-Haul van. Marcus Pittman shot the victim multiple times, killing him.  After the shooting, the defendants returned to Maryland.  When John Doe #1’s body was later found by first responders, he still had a zip tie binding one of his hands and was surrounded by bags of marijuana.    

For their roles in the crime, Delonta Pittman was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment; Waters to 240 months’ imprisonment; and Garrett to 156 months’ imprisonment.  Barnett is awaiting sentencing. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  As part of the program, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and their local communities to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Amir and Chand Edwards-Balfour are in charge of the prosecution. 

Defendant:

MARCUS PITTMAN (also known as “Nacho” and “Cheese”)
Age:  31
Baltimore, Maryland

Additional Defendants:

DELONTA PITTMAN (also known as “D Lo”)
Age:  32
Baltimore, Maryland

JEROME WATERS (also known as “the Engineer” and “Rome”)
Age:  24
Baltimore, Maryland

WILLIAM BARNETT
Age:  28
Baltimore, Maryland

JALON LENNY GARRETT
Age: 21
Baltimore, Maryland

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-413 (S-2) (KAM)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Dwayne Murray, also known as “Wayno,” a leader in the Almighty Gorilla Stone Nation set of the Bloods street gang (GSB), pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in the June 12, 2020 murder of Wayne Cherry, as well as conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and conspiracy to murder rival gang members.  The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Steven L. Tiscione.  When sentenced, Murray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF New York);  Raymond A. Tierney, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO); and Kevin Catalina, Police Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.

“Today’s guilty plea is another victory in the relentless work by our Office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle and eradicate the Bloods street gang on Long Island,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “For the acts of murder, violence and narcotics trafficking this defendant committed, he has now been held accountable and our communities, particularly Suffolk County, will be safer with him locked away in prison for a substantial period of time.”

“For years, Dwayne Murray wreaked havoc across Long Island, putting innocent residents in the crosshairs of drug trafficking and retaliatory murders. May today’s plea emphasize the FBI Safe Streets Task Force’s determination to eliminate the plague of gang violence in our communities to protect New Yorkers,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“This guilty plea holds a violent gang leader accountable for years of criminal activity that brought violence, drugs, and fear into our communities. His admitted involvement in murder, narcotics trafficking, and a conspiracy to kill rival gang members underscores the devastating impact violent criminal organizations can have on the communities they operate in. ATF remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the individuals and organizations driving violent crime,” stated ATF New York Special Agent in Charge DiGiralamo.  “I commend the dedicated efforts of the ATF Joint Firearms Task Force–Long Island, FBI, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in bringing this case to a successful resolution.”

“This defendant, a leader of the Almighty Gorilla Stone Nation gang, has admitted to committing a robbery and murder in 2020, conspiring for years to distribute deadly drugs, and trafficking more than five kilograms of cocaine during his reign of terror in this county,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney. “Our federal and local partners—like my office—remain relentless in dismantling violent gangs and bringing gang members to justice. I thank the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI, ATF, and the SCPD and their investigators for their commitment to this case.”

“This plea is another step toward ensuring our communities remain safe and that those responsible for these vicious acts are held accountable,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina. “Reckless violence and narcotics trafficking have real consequences for individuals, families and our communities. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold those responsible accountable and help keep Suffolk County safe.”

According to court filings and statements by Murray at the guilty plea proceeding, he participated in the robbery and murder on June 12, 2020 of Wayne Cherry in Baywood, New York, who was shot twice including once in the head.  In addition, Murray acknowledged his roles in the GSB which included a years’ long conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and a standing order to kill rival members of the GSB. Murray also described his years-long trafficking of more than five kilograms of cocaine.   

As alleged, the GSB and its co-conspirators, including Murray, also operated a sophisticated firearms trafficking network that spanned several states, and committed extensive fraud, stealing more than $1,000,000. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek and Andrew P. Wenzel are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

DWAYNE MURRAY (also known as “Wayno”)
Age: 36
Coram, New York 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-401 (S-3) (JMA)

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Jonathan Arboleda and Wilson Martinez with being felons in possession of ammunition relating to a July 21, 2026 gunfight in the East New York section of Brooklyn.  Martinez was arrested yesterday and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.  Arboleda is currently in state custody at Rikers Island and will be arraigned at a later date.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests and charges.

“As alleged, these defendants are convicted felons who engaged in a dangerous gunfight in a Brooklyn bodega in broad daylight, endangering the lives of numerous citizens,” said United States Attorney Nocella.  “Both defendants have multiple prior felony convictions.  Despite repeated encounters with our criminal justice system, each defendant chose to return to the streets to engage in a brazen act of violence.  Today’s arrests demonstrate our continued commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to combat gun violence and hold accountable those who illegally possess firearms and ammunition and endanger our communities.”

“The shootout at the Brooklyn bodega was a blatant act of violence allegedly carried out by two convicted felons whose actions created an immediate and unacceptable threat to the community.  This kind of violent criminal behavior is exactly why the FBI remains firmly committed to removing dangerous offenders from our streets and protecting the American public,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“As alleged in the complaint, Jonathan Arboleda and Wilson Martinez recklessly put countless lives at risk when they opened fire on each other in broad daylight inside a Brooklyn bodega,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “The NYPD remains focused on working with our law enforcement partners to go after guns and hold the perpetrators of gun violence accountable. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and our NYPD officers for their diligent work to take these criminals off our streets.”

As alleged in the criminal complaint and other court filings, on July 21, 2026, at approximately 1:30pm, Martinez entered a bodega store in East New York and immediately pulled out a firearm and started shooting at Arboleda from close range.  Surveillance video footage shows Martinez pulling a gun from his waistband and opening fire while bodega employees were within feet of him and in the line of fire of his 9mm bullets.  Arboleda then fired shots back at Martinez from the back area of the bodega and ran into the middle of a crowded street while raising his firearm and pointing it at Martinez’s car as it drove away.  Arboleda was apprehended at the scene bleeding from gunshot wounds to his right arm and abdomen.  

Law enforcement recovered multiple spent shell casings and a live round of ammunition on the floor of the bodega.  Both defendants have prior felony convictions that prohibit them from possessing firearms or ammunition.  

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  As part of the program, U.S. Attorney’s Offices work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and their local communities to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Stamboulidis is in charge of the prosecution.    

The Defendants:

JONATHAN ARBOLEDA
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New York

WILSON MARTINEZ 
Age: 41
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-153

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Bloods member Joshua Crowell, also known as “Twiggy,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 27 years in prison for assault in aid of racketeering and distribution of fentanyl that resulted in a death.  Crowell pleaded guilty to these charges in October 2025.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Raymond A. Tierney, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO); Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence. 

“Joshua Crowell committed acts of violence and sold lethal drugs on behalf of an extremely violent street gang,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “His criminal conduct left three people wounded by gunfire, claimed one life through a fatal overdose, and caused two others to suffer overdose-related injuries. Today’s sentence sends a clear and powerful message that those who terrorize our communities with gang violence and deadly drugs will be held fully accountable for the devastation they cause.”

“This defendant unleashed gunfire into a crowded Hamptons house party — wounding innocent people — and trafficked fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose and left others fighting for their lives,” stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.  “Today’s sentence reflects the severe consequences of Joshua Crowell’s violent and deadly conduct.  These crimes inflicted profound harm on victims, families, and the Long Island community.  HSI New York, standing alongside our law enforcement partners, will not allow violent gangs to turn Long Island neighborhoods into battlegrounds or marketplaces for lethal drugs.”

"Crowell's actions display a selfish, blatant disregard for the safety of others," stated Suffolk County Police Commissioner Catalina.  "He prioritized financial gain by peddling deadly drugs and prioritized gang status over the safety of dozens of individuals.  It is my hope this sentence sends a message to others who put their greed above the well-being of the public." 

“This Bloodhound Brims defendant along with another gang member and an associate indiscriminately fired with pistols and an assault rifle at partygoers in Southhampton. Amazingly, despite three people being hit, no one was killed.  This could easily have been a mass murder,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney.  “I thank our federal and local partners for working together to make sure that this defendant was held responsible for that violence, as well as the destruction wrought by the poison sold and multiple overdose deaths caused by this defendant.  Suffolk County has no place for those who would terrorize our communities.  Today’s sentence delivers accountability and sends a clear message that we will use every available tool to bring violent criminals to justice.”

As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum and other court filings, the defendant was an avowed member of the Bloodhound Brims set of the Bloods street gang who openly embraced and promoted his affiliation, including through social media posts.  In furtherance of the gang’s criminal activities, he engaged in acts of violence and sold lethal drugs.  In March 2021, Crowell, along with another member and an associate of the Bloods, traveled to a party hosted by rival gang members at a rental home in Southampton, New York.  Upon arrival, they unleashed a barrage of nearly 50 rounds into the residence using two pistols and an AK-47 style assault rifle.  Three partygoers were struck by gunfire and injured, though all ultimately survived.

Additionally, Crowell and several co-conspirators operated a drug trafficking network that for years sold fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.  His fentanyl sales had devastating consequences.  At least three individuals overdosed after purchasing fentanyl from Crowell, including one victim who died after using the deadly drug he supplied. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney James R. Simmons and Special Assistant United States Attorney Donald N. Barclay are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Samantha Schroder and Adam Bernard and Legal Assistant Danielle Rompel. 

The Defendant:

JOSHUA CROWELL (also known as “Twiggy”)
Age: 32
Huntington, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-257 (S-1) (GRB)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, an indictment was unsealed charging Alberto Gomez, an accountant with a practice in Elmhurst, New York, with wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud in connection with multiple real estate investment fraud schemes.  Those schemes included soliciting and obtaining investments for the purchase of property he purported to own but did not, and for investments of more than 100% ownership interest in properties across Long Island, resulting in losses to over a dozen victims in excess of $3 million.  Gomez then fraudulently filed for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York in an attempt to discharge his debts.  Gomez was arrested this morning in Boca Raton, Florida, and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the arrest and charges. 

“As alleged in the indictment, Gomez brazenly stole millions of dollars from over a dozen investors, some of whom staked their life’s savings on his lies, and then he shamelessly declared bankruptcy, doubling down by lying to the court as well,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will vigorously prosecute serial fraudsters like Gomez.” 

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI Miami Office/West Palm Beach Resident Agency for their assistance with today’s arrest. 

“Alberto Gomez allegedly orchestrated multiple real estate investment fraud schemes by misrepresenting property ownership, soliciting investments for properties he did not control, and collecting funds exceeding the value of real-estate on Long Island.  These schemes caused more than $3 million in losses to over a dozen victims.  The FBI will continue working alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office to pursue those who defraud investors and abuse the integrity of our financial systems,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. 

As set forth in the indictment, from approximately April 2021 through November 2024, Gomez, who operated an accounting practice in Elmhurst, solicited real estate investors to purchase, in whole or in part, various properties in New York.  Gomez promised exclusive ownership or partnership in these properties, or sought funding for renovations and capital improvements necessary to flip the properties for profit.  One such property was located in Mount Vernon, and was the sole asset of a domestic limited liability company for which Gomez had filed Articles of Organization, but in which he himself had no ownership or managerial interest. Nevertheless, Gomez negotiated and executed ownership, purchase and partnership agreements with multiple investors, resulting in the effective sale of 266% of the ownership interest in that property.  Approximately one year later, Gomez filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to discharge the debts he owed to these investors.  In that filing, he falsely concealed his largest creditor and led the bankruptcy Trustee to believe that he owned the domestic limited liability company and its property.  

Gomez similarly solicited investors, many of whom were elderly, in properties across Long Island.  After executing multiple fraudulent joint venture or partnership agreements, Gomez sold 125% ownership interest in a property located in Mill Neck, and 130% ownership interest in a property located in East Hampton.  Gomez also solicited investments in properties located in Glen Cove, Elmont and Bayville with promises to rehabilitate the properties and thereby garner higher resale value.  No renovations or improvements were done to these properties; rather, Gomez used the investors’ funds to pay personal expenses and to pay back other investors.                          

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Gomez faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the four wire fraud counts, and up to five years’ imprisonment on the bankruptcy fraud count.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. In June 2019, the Attorney General announced the establishment of the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force.  The Eastern District of New York was one of six U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to be selected to be a part of this joint law enforcement effort that brings together the resources and expertise of the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other organizations.  If you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, please call the Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 (833–372–8311). 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder and Victim Witness Specialist Stephanie Marroquin. 

The Defendant:

ALBERTO GOMEZ (also known as “Alberto L. Gomez”) 
Age: 48
Boca Raton, Florida

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-227 (JMA)

BROOKLYN, NY – Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn on all counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering conspiracy for paying bribes to Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development of a power plant in Ghana.  The verdict followed a nine-day trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati.  When sentenced, Berko faces up to 30 years in prison.  Berko was ordered remanded pending sentencing.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, announced the verdict.

“Today’s verdict marks another significant victory in this Office’s longstanding commitment to rooting out corruption,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “The defendant abused his access to high-level foreign government officials and his platform as an investment banker at a prestigious American firm to line his own pockets with millions of dollars.”

“We live in a global economy that American companies must be able to compete in fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “This defendant corrupted that fair competition. He abused his position at a world-renowned American investment bank by helping bribe Ghanaian officials, so he and his co-conspirators, including senior executives at a Turkish company, could make money.  Today’s conviction makes clear that criminals who undermine our country’s interests by corrupting foreign governments and cutting off fair competition will face the full force of the Department of Justice.”  

“Today’s verdict highlights the importance of domestic and international partnerships, and the magnitude of success that working together creates. The FBI is thankful for the assistance from the Department of Justice and the United Kingdom – specifically to the Office of International Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and INTERPOL – in pursuing justice to protect our country’s financial integrity,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

U.S. Attorney Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom, the U.K. National Centre Bureau for INTERPOL, the Embassy of the United States in London, the Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service for providing substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant. 

As proved at trial, Berko conspired to pay more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanian government officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.

Beginning in December 2014, Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs group, was responsible for securing and managing a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. (Aksa), a Turkish energy company and Goldman client, for the construction and financing of a power plant in Ghana amidst a national energy crisis in the country. 

During the scheme, Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at numerous levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that Aksa won its bid to build and operate the power plant.  For example, in April 2015, Berko and the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Ghanaian Minister of Power who was responsible for securing key approvals enabling the project to progress and $250,000 to his senior adviser.  Bribes were also paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to view equipment for the power plant.  After the power plant deal was ratified by the Ghanaian parliament in July 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators exchanged detailed emails regarding bribe payments.  For example, in August 2015, they discussed $250,000 in bribe payments paid to various individuals, including $46,000 to members of the Ghanaian Parliament, which ratified the agreement between Aksa and the government of Ghana, paid by Berko himself.  Also in August 2015, the co-conspirators discussed how a bribe recipient was waiting for the “holy rain” (i.e., the bribe payment) and “would appreciate it sooner rather than later.”   

To conceal the scheme from Goldman and others, Berko lied to the compliance team at Goldman that was responsible for vetting the deal.  Berko also used his personal email account, instead of his Goldman business email account, to discuss the deal and the bribe payments and directed his co-conspirators to do the same.  In addition, Berko and his co-conspirators concealed and laundered the bribe payments using shell companies, sham invoices, nominee account holders and cash withdrawals.  Payments in furtherance of the bribery scheme were laundered through U.S. and foreign bank accounts.  Goldman ultimately withdrew from the deal due to corruption concerns.

The government’s case is being handled by the Business and Securities Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant United States  Attorneys Jessica Weigel, Nick M. Axelrod and Tara McGrath are prosecuting the case with Assistant Chief Katherine Raut and Senior Trial Attorney Katherine Nielsen, and with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Melina Piatti-Chayan, Isha Jayadev and Teresa Dolan.

The Defendant:

ASANTE KWAKU BERKO
Age: 52 
United Kingdom / Ghana 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-328 (DG)

Today, a federal jury convicted a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen for his role in a scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials in connection with the development and financing of a multi-million-dollar power plant in Ghana.

“We live in a global economy that American companies must be able to compete in fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant corrupted that fair competition. He abused his position at a world-renowned American investment bank by helping bribe Ghanaian officials, so he and his co-conspirators, including senior executives at a Turkish company, could make money. Today’s conviction makes clear that criminals who undermine our country’s interests by corrupting foreign governments and cutting off fair competition will face the full force of the Department of Justice.”  

“Today’s verdict marks another significant victory in this Office’s longstanding commitment to rooting out corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendant abused his access to high-level foreign government officials and his platform as an investment banker at a prestigious American firm to greedily line his own pockets.”

“Engaging in bribery damages the reputation of businesses and destroys fair competitions,” said Acting Assistant Director Matthew B. Floyd of FBI’s Criminal Division. “Berko intentionally lied to his company to continue his scheme. The FBI will not tolerate dishonesty or corruption from anyone who wishes to disturb the business market.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Asante Kwako Berko, 52, conspired to pay more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Beginning in December 2014, Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, was responsible for securing and managing a deal between Aksa Enerji, a Turkish energy company and client of Goldman Sachs, and the Republic of Ghana, for the construction and financing of a power plant in Ghana amidst a national energy crisis in the country. 

During the scheme, Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at numerous levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that the Turkish Energy company won its bid to build and operate the power plant. In April 2015, Berko and the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Minister of Power who was responsible for securing key approvals enabling the project to progress. 

Bribes were also paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to view equipment for the power plant, during which the officials each received $5,000. After the power plant deal was ratified by the Ghanaian parliament in July 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators emailed about their bribe payments at length. The evidence further detailed tens of thousands of dollars in bribes that Berko had personally paid and for which he was still owed. 

To conceal the scheme from Goldman Sachs and others, Berko lied to Goldman’s compliance team that was responsible for vetting the deal and he used his personal, non-official-business email account when talking about the bribes. Berko and his co-conspirators also concealed and laundered the bribe payments using shell companies, sham invoices, nominee account holders and cash withdrawals. Payments in furtherance of the bribery scheme were laundered through U.S. and foreign bank accounts, including several in Berko’s name. Goldman ultimately withdrew from the deal due to corruption concerns.

The jury convicted Berko of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering conspiracy. Sentencing is set for Nov. 10. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 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 is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché in Accra worked with the International Cooperation Unit of the Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana, and Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor, to provide significant assistance to this prosecution. The UK’s National Extradition Unit, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, the U.S. Embassy in London, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.

Assistant Chief Katherine Raut of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Senior Trial Attorney Katherine Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Weigel, Nick M. Axelrod, and Tara McGrath for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case. 

The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA and FEPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act.

Note: Copies of the indictments filed in the District of Columbia can be obtained by clicking on Julio César Montero Pinzón, Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, and Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez. A copy of the superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York can be found here.

Reward posters of the eight CJNG fugitives can be found in English here and in Spanish here.

Today the Department of Justice, in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and National Coordination Center (NCC) announced new charges of the most-wanted leaders of Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of the most prolific and dangerous drug cartels in Mexico. Alongside the indictments, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) announced more than $100 million in reward offers for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Juan Carlos Valencia González also known as “Pelón,” 41; Audias Flores Silva also known as “Jardinero,” 45; Julio César Montero Pinzón also known as “Tarjetas,” 44; Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela also known as “La Firma,” 40; Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán also known as “Sapo,” 37; Ricardo Ruiz Velasco also known as “RR” / “Tripa,” 42; Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez also known as “Chorro,” 49; and Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón, 36. These new enforcement actions are part of the NCC Homeland Security Task Force initiative to counter the narco-terrorist cartels that endanger the American people.

“The American people gave us a mandate to keep this country safe, and we will not rest until it is fulfilled,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Today's unsealing of criminal charges against five high-ranking CJNG leaders marks another decisive step in our campaign to dismantle the cartels that have plagued this country for far too long. With these charges now public, and with more than $100 million in State Department rewards for the capture or conviction of eight CJNG fugitives, this administration will use every tool at its disposal to bring these defendants to justice – no matter where they hide.”

“Every day, the Department fights to eradicate CJNG and bring its leaders to justice for the death and destruction they inflict on the American people,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and resolve, we continue to advance our mission to destroy foreign terrorist organizations and prosecute narco-terrorists. We will leave them nowhere to hide.”

“Last year, prosecutors in our Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section and International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section obtained a superseding indictment against two senior leaders and a criminal associate of CJNG in connection with a fraud scheme targeting Americans who owned timeshare properties in Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Thousands of U.S. victims have reported hundreds of millions of dollars in losses attributable to timeshare fraud schemes in Mexico. It is significant that our white-collar prosecutors are teamed with our narcotics prosecutors in this case because increasingly, transnational criminal organizations such as CJNG fund their illicit operations not only through drug trafficking and other forms of street crime, but sophisticated fraud schemes as well. It is our hope that the rewards being announced today will lead to capture of the fugitives so they can face American justice in a federal courtroom. Our prosecutors stand ready to hold them accountable.” 

“DEA has never been more focused on dismantling CJNG and bringing its leaders, members, facilitators, and corrupt enablers to justice,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “As one of the world’s largest narco-terrorist organizations, CJNG poses a serious threat to the United States and our international partners. Juan Carlos Valencia González is one of DEA’s Most Wanted fugitives, and today’s coordinated actions demonstrate the full weight of the U.S. government behind this effort.”

“The FBI, alongside our Homeland Security Task Force partners, will systematically dismantle every piece of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “President Trump has given us the authorities we need to annihilate the drug trade and their criminal enterprise into fraud. This foreign terrorist organization’s complex time share fraud scheme stole hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S. citizens and continues to exploit our nation through widespread drug trafficking, money laundering, and systemic violence. This announcement puts the cartel on notice with the full force of the U.S. government committed to cutting off every source of illicit income that fuels this savage cartel.”

“Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is a violent foreign terrorist organization that threatens the United States through drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and intimidation,” said HSI Executive Associate Director John Condon. “HSI-led investigations in Arizona and the Carolinas have targeted CJNG’s weapons, money, narcotics, and facilitators. Through the Homeland Security Task Force, HSI will continue working with federal, state, local, and international partners to follow the evidence, follow the money, and dismantle the networks that enable CJNG to harm American communities.”

“CJNG’s criminal enterprise has exploited financial systems and defrauded thousands of Americans, fueling violence and narcoterrorism across borders,” said Deputy Chief Gary Shapley of IRS-CI. “IRS-CI is committed to dismantling these networks — tracking illicit proceeds, exposing fraud, and holding cartel leaders accountable. Today’s coordinated action demonstrates the power of U.S. law enforcement partnerships and our resolve to protect the American public from the devastating impact of transnational crime. We will continue to pursue those who threaten our communities, wherever they operate.”

“CBP in close coordination with our federal and international law enforcement partners, supported critical actions in support of this investigation,” said Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane J. Sabatino of CBP’s Office of Field Operations (OFO). “CBP officers through targeted inspection and information sharing contributed to the direct action taken against the CJNG drug traffickers and money laundering subjects. This operation reflects OFO’s commitment to disrupting transnational criminal organizations, protecting the public, and helping ensure that those who enable money laundering and fraud schemes are held accountable.”

“The Department of State, together with our U.S. law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our nation, the American people, and our Hemisphere from the violence and terror inflicted by CJNG,” said INL Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Michael C. Gonzales. “We will use every tool at our disposal to hunt down, dismantle, and destroy these ruthless foreign terrorist organizations and defend America from the violence and drugs that have torn apart our families and communities.”

CJNG produces and traffics multi-tonnage quantities of drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine, into the United States, and uses extreme violence to further its operations. On Feb. 20, 2025, the State Department designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization. About a year later, in February 2026, CJNG’s notorious top leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” was killed during a Mexican military operation. According to court filings, Valencia González assumed the role of CJNG’s top leader following El Mencho’s death.

Increased Rewards Announced

The Department of Justice previously unsealed a federal indictment charging Valencia González with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States, as well as use of firearms, one of which was a machinegun, during and in relation to the charged drug trafficking crime. Valencia González is El Mencho’s stepson, who reportedly organized numerous crimes of violence as a CJNG leader, in addition to manufacturing, transporting, and distributing tonnage quantities of narcotics. The State Department announced today the newly increased reward of up to $25 million for information leading to Valencia González’s arrest and/or conviction. 

The superseding indictment against Flores Silva was originally unsealed in May 2026, charging him with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine destined for the United States, use of firearms, one of which was a destructive device, in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, and money laundering conspiracy. Flores Silva, a high-ranking member of the CJNG, was arrested in Mexico in April 2026. The State Department announced today the newly increased reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Flores Silva’s conviction.

If convicted of these charges, which were filed in the District of Columbia, Valencia González and Flores Silva face up to two consecutive life prison terms. 

New Charges and Rewards Announced

The Department of Justice also announced the recent unsealing of criminal charges against five additional senior CJNG leaders. 

According to court filings, at El Mencho’s direction, Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela founded and led a group of highly trained and heavily armed sicarios, or hitmen, known as the “Grupo Elite.” The Grupo Elite allegedly acts as the CJNG’s enforcement arm to further CJNG’s drug trafficking operations, including by overseeing CJNG territories and murdering public officials and rival cartel members. As alleged, the Grupo Elite ran infamous training camps, wherein recruits learned weapons handling, such as the use of rocket launchers, .50-caliber machineguns, and rocket-propelled grenades, as well as the use of violence and torture to further CJNG’s objectives. Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela allegedly had over 1,000 personnel reporting to them and ran the Guadalajara Plaza, one of the most important CJNG territories. 

The filings allege that Mendoza Gaytán, El Mencho’s godson, procured the majority of the CJNG’s weapons, trained sicarios at CJNG’s training camps, and oversaw operations, including forced recruitment and violent enforcement, across multiple strategic CJNG locations. 

The court documents further allege that Ruiz Velasco, another close associate of El Mencho and a Grupo Elite leader, oversaw all CJNG operations in several Mexican territories, including drug trafficking, bribery, procurement of weapons, and enforcement. Ruiz Velasco is also allegedly involved in the transportation, importation, and distribution of drugs, including the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin within the United States and the collection of narcotics proceeds. 

The court filings allege that Castillo Rodríguez, El Mencho’s former son-in-law, was responsible for various aspects of the CJNG’s operations, including overseeing CJNG operations in Colima, Mexico, collecting drug proceeds, paying for precursor chemicals used by the CJNG to manufacture methamphetamine, purchasing tonnage quantities of methamphetamine from CJNG suppliers, and overseeing the transportation of cocaine and methamphetamine shipments for importation into the United States.

The unsealed indictments allege that these five defendants participated in conspiracies to manufacture and distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl destined for the United States for over a decade. The indictments further allege that these defendants used, carried, brandished, or discharged firearms, some of which were semi-automatic weapons, machineguns, and destructive devices, during and in relation to the charged drug trafficking crimes. If convicted of these charges, which were filed in the District of Columbia, all five defendants face up to two consecutive life prison terms. 

The State Department also announced today a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Mendoza Gaytán’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Castillo Rodríguez’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Montero Pinzón’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Rivera Varela’s arrest and/or conviction; and a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Ruiz Velasco’s arrest and/or conviction. 

Relatedly, the State Department also announced a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Arredondo Pinzón, Montero Pinzón’s half-sister. In coordination with Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela, the three allegedly ran an international fraud scheme organized and controlled by the CJNG, which targeted Americans who own timeshare properties in Mexico. As announced in September 2025, Arredondo Pinzón is charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. A superseding indictment returned in October 2025, also charges Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and charges Montero Pinzón with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Arredondo Pinzón, Montero Pinzón, and Rivera Varela face up to 20 years in prison on each count related to the fraud scheme.

The timeshare fraud investigation is being investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, Threat Finance Task Force, DEA New York Division, IRS-CI New York Field Office, with support from CBP’s New York Field Office. The narcotics and firearms offenses are being investigated by DEA Bilateral Investigations Unit Los Angeles and HSI.

The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Health and Safety Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting these cases. 

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations. 

MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations, and related transnational criminal organizations.

The Health and Safety Unit of the Fraud Section works with law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute violations of federal laws designed to protect public health and safety. The unit focuses on corporations and individuals who make and sell dangerous drugs, food, and other consumer products that could cause significant harm to Americans.

The Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force investigates and prosecutes cartels and transnational criminal organizations by bringing charges that include terrorism, racketeering, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise. DEA’s Bilateral Investigations Unit is an elite group of experienced DEA special agents that are entrusted with handling the most sensitive, expansive, and difficult investigations that target the world’s most violent drug traffickers and terrorists. 

These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Today, a criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging John Jones with intentionally setting fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church (the Church) located at 855 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, on June 19, 2026.  Jones was arrested earlier today in Manhattan and will make his initial appearance at a later date in the Eastern District of New York. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Division (ATF); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Lillian Bonsignore, Commissioner, New York City Fire Department (FDNY), announced the arrest. 

“As alleged, Jones intentionally set fire to a historic and beloved church, significantly damaging the structure,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “I commend the Special Agents and the NYPD Detectives who have worked tirelessly to identify and apprehend the perpetrator of this senseless act that has deeply wounded the Church’s congregation and the entire Bushwick community. Our Office will vigorously prosecute Jones to the full extent of the law.  Arson is a terrible crime that strikes at the heart of public safety and endangers first responders.”

“This arrest reflects the strength of our law enforcement partnerships. Through the coordinated efforts of the ATF Arson & Explosives Task Force, NYPD, FDNY, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office EDNY, we acted swiftly to hold the individual allegedly responsible accountable for setting fire to a historic church that has been part of New York City’s fabric since the 1850s,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo.

“This defendant placed countless Brooklyn residents at risk when he recklessly set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church in broad daylight,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “New Yorkers deserve to practice their faith freely and without fear, and the destruction of this sacred New York City landmark will be met with swift justice. I thank the NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners for their work to hold this individual accountable.”

“The intentional burning of a house of worship is an attack on a historic building and on the sense of safety and community it represents,” stated FDNY Commissioner Bonsignore.  “This fire placed lives at risk, including the first responders who responded to protect the church and the surrounding neighborhood. We are grateful for the outstanding work of our partners at the ATF, NYPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that led to this arrest. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to hold those responsible for these dangerous crimes accountable.”

The Church was constructed in the 1850s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  It was also designated as a New York City Landmark in 1968.

As set forth in the complaint, between approximately 12:12 p.m. and 12:47 p.m. on June 19, 2026, Jones was captured on surveillance video attempting unsuccessfully to enter the Church.  At approximately 12:30 p.m., Jones was observed on surveillance video inside a convenience store that was a short walking distance from the Church. He asked the cashier “for a lighter” and then paid for the lighter.  Jones then returned to the Church, walking on and around the Church property and within the Church gates.  A photo taken by a witness at about 1:27 p.m. shows smoke and low burning on an area of the Bushwick Avenue side of the Church. Jones appears to have approached areas of the Church exterior near to the location where low burning ultimately appears on the front of the Church.

The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, Jones faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney William Bristow is in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

JOHN JONES
Age:  24
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.26-MJ-0143

Today, Edwin Chavez-Garay, also known as “Spooky” and “Cruger,” and Jairo Diaz-Gamez, also known as “Cameleon” and “Antonimo,” who are both members of the Vegas Locos Salvatruchas (Vegas) subgroup or “clique” of the MS-13, a violent transnational organization, were arraigned in federal court in Central Islip on a second superseding indictment charging them with racketeering offenses in connection with two murders—the February 19, 2016 murder of Miguel Garcia-Moran in Brentwood, New York, and the August 19, 2023 murder of Carlos Lemus Interiano in Fort Washington, Maryland—and with other charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and narcotics trafficking conspiracy (the Superseding Indictment).  The Superseding Indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on July 30, 2026, also contains allegations against six previously charged defendants, all members of the MS-13, related to two additional murders on Long Island and other crimes.  United States Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields ordered both defendants detained pending trial.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the arrests and charges. 

“The charges in the Superseding Indictment demonstrate the commitment by our Office and our law enforcement partners to hold vicious transnational organized crime groups like MS-13 accountable for their crimes, no matter how long it takes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Too many families in our community have been permanently separated from their loved ones at a young age because of the ruthless and senseless violence of the MS-13, and we will not stop investigating until everyone is held accountable.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his grateful appreciation to the Washington and Baltimore Field Offices of the FBI, the New York City Police Department, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York, the Prince George’s Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, the Prince William County Police Department, and the United States Marshal Service, for their valuable assistance and partnership in this case. 

“Two families spent years carrying the unbearable weight of unanswered questions while these accused MS-13 killers continued their lives as though they had not helped leave devastation in their wake.  The charges announced today lay bare the brutality of these crimes: a 15-year-old boy allegedly lured into the woods in Brentwood and beaten to death with metal rods, and a Long Island man allegedly taken to Maryland and killed after falling out of favor with the gang.  HSI New York, as a co-leader of the Homeland Security Task Force, remains steadfast in its mission to pursue violent transnational gangs, support our law enforcement partners, and help deliver long-overdue accountability for victims and their families,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas. 

“The FBI condemns the brutal violence carried out by MS 13, including two murders that have deeply shaken our community,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.  “Working closely with our partners, we remain unwavering in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their families. Protecting the people of New York is our top priority, and we will continue to take decisive, coordinated action to disrupt, dismantle, and hold accountable any group that threatens public safety.

“Thanks to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and our partners at EDNY, this pair is now being held accountable for a series of crimes dating back a decade, proving that we do not relent in our pursuit of justice," stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina.  “The killings carried out by these gang members were barbaric and senseless. The victims’ families have endured unimaginable loss, and we will continue working with our partners to dismantle criminal networks and prevent others from suffering the same pain and fear.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, Chavez-Garay and Diaz-Gamez participated in the murder of Garcia-Moran, a 15-year-old boy, who the defendants wrongly believed was a member of a rival gang.  On February 19, 2016, the defendants lured the victim to a wooded area in Brentwood, behind 80 Emjay Boulevard, where they beat him to death with metal rods.  On September 21, 2016, members of the FBI and the SCPD, who were looking for evidence in connection with another MS-13 victim whose body was recovered in the same area, located skeletal remains which were later identified as those of Garcia-Moran.  Years later, Chavez-Garay and Diaz-Gamez, who continued to rise in rank in the Vegas clique, lured Lemus Interiano, a resident of Huntington, New York, to Maryland so that he could be killed.  Lemus Interiano, a member of the Vegas clique, had fallen out of favor with the gang, and was targeted for death by not only the Vegas clique but also co-defendant Gervin Barrera-Perez, a member of the Huntington clique.  On August 19, 2023, Chavez-Garay and Diaz-Gamez drove Lemus Interiano to Maryland, where he was shot and killed in a wooded area. In February 2025, law enforcement in Maryland, while searching for another body, recovered Lemus Interiano’s arm bone at Piscataway Stream Valley Park in Fort Washington, Maryland.  A subsequent search and excavation led to the discovery of additional evidence, including more human remains, clothing, and a bullet.  Between the end of 2023 and March 2025, Chavez-Garay and Diaz-Gamez participated in the conspiracy to murder Carlos Lopez-Lopez, who was eventually stabbed to death and drowned after being attacked on the beach in Blue Point, New York.  Lopez-Lopez, a former member of the MS-13, was targeted because the gang members believed that he was cooperating with law enforcement.  Three co-defendants in this case were previously charged with having committed that murder. 

Finally, the Superseding Indictment charges Chavez-Garay and Diaz-Gamez with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana.  These charges stem from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations, including purchasing firearms, ammunition, and other weapons, and sending money to MS-13 leadership in the United States and Central America. 

The Superseding Indictment is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13 is comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America, and it has leaders in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States, with thousands of members all over the world.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults.  Since 2010 alone, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, and it has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of extensive collaboration with numerous law enforcement agencies, including HSI, FBI, and local and state partners. 

The charges in the Superseding Indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, each of the defendants faces up to life in prison, or the possibility of the death penalty. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law. 

This case is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigation, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Megan E. Farrell and Paul G. Scotti are in charge of the prosecution.

New Defendants:

EDWIN CHAVEZ-GARAY (also known as “Spooky” and “Cruger”)
Age: 25
Brentwood, New York

JAIRO DIAZ-GAMEZ (also known as “Cameleon” and “Anonimo”)
Age: 27
Bayshore, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-209 (S-2) (GRB) 

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Omari Scott, also known as “Prince” and “Sir Prince,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 50 years in prison for murder in the course of sex trafficking, sex trafficking two victims (Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2), and promoting prostitution.  Scott was convicted by a federal jury in June 2025 of murder in the course of sex trafficking and sex trafficking Jane Doe 2.  Prior to trial, Scott pleaded guilty to sex trafficking Jane Doe 1 and promoting prostitution.  The charges relate to Scott’s trafficking of women at an open-air sex market in Brooklyn known as the “Penn Track” and his orchestration of the murder of a rival pimp after a dispute over the control of Jane Doe 2.  Restitution to the victims will be determined at a later date.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
                        
“The defendant earned this lengthy sentence through a pattern of ruthless violence, exploitation of vulnerable women, and abuse,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “His actions caused lasting harm to his victims and demonstrated a complete disregard for the law and for human dignity. Our Office’s prosecutors and law enforcement brought him to justice and their noble work demonstrates a deep commitment to protecting the community from those who commit these heinous crimes.”

“Omari Scott carried out a disturbing level of violence and exploitation of innocent victims. The FBI is dedicated to defending the individuals subjected to these crimes and pursuing offenders who threaten innocent civilians,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“The NYPD has no tolerance for anyone who sexually exploits women and profits from these horrific crimes,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “Omari Scott was a predator of the worst kind – using violence and financial control to force victims into this work and even orchestrating the murder of a rival for encroaching on his business. Thank you to the NYPD investigators, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their work to get this sex trafficker off our streets for good.”

As proven at trial, for years, Scott trafficked women at the Penn Track and other locations in New York City and New Jersey.  He lured his victims in with promises of love and money, but once he had manipulated them into working for him, he took all the money they earned.  He imposed nightly quotas and used violence and threats of violence to keep his victims earning.  For example, Scott told an associate on a recorded call that he was “beating this b--- up tonight” for failing to work quickly enough to locate customers and, on another occasion, Scott warned a victim that he would “knock [her] out for disrespecting me.”  In taking the money they earned, Scott rendered these women dependent on him for food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and for their young children.                   

In April 2023, Scott learned that Jane Doe 2 was planning to leave him to work for a rival, Cleveland Clay, in prostitution.  Scott found Jane Doe 2 on the Penn Track, grabbed her by the hair, dragged her through the street, and threw her into his car.  After Clay refused to back down, the defendant recruited another sex trafficker, Michael Simmons, to murder Clay.  The defendant gave Simmons a gun and sent him to kill Clay, which Simmons did on May 1, 2023 in a White Castle parking lot on the Penn Track.  Simmons then returned to Scott, who had been waiting for him in a nearby laundromat parking lot, to report that the job was done.  Clay succumbed to his wounds several hours later.  Simmons pleaded guilty in January 2025 to murder in the course of sex trafficking and sex trafficking of Jane Doe 2 and is awaiting sentencing.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Erin Reid, Anna L. Karamigios, and Miranda Gonzalez are in charge of the prosecution, with additional assistance from Victim Witness Coordinator Huda Abouchaer and Victim Witness Specialist Kristina Marius.

The Defendant:

OMARI SCOTT (also known as “Prince” and “Sir Prince”)
Age:  45
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-158 (KAM)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Lori Zeno, the former executive director of Queens Defenders, a nonprofit legal services organization, and Rashad Ruhani, a former employee of the Organization, were sentenced by United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner for their roles in a scheme to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from Queens Defenders. Judge Kovner sentenced Zeno to 43 months’ imprisonment and Ruhani to 57 months’ imprisonment.  The defendants were also ordered to pay $656,349.57 in restitution to Queens Defenders and forfeiture money judgments of $187,014.24 (Zeno) and $102,534.27 (Ruhani).

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the sentences. 

“Lori Zeno brazenly betrayed and abused her position of trust as the director of a nonprofit organization, while Rashad Ruhani worked hand in hand with her to steal funds intended to provide legal services and other critical resources to disadvantaged members of the community,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Instead of upholding the law and serving those in need, the defendants greedily served themselves by spending those funds on luxury goods, lavish travel, and other personal indulgences.  Today’s sentences serve as a reminder that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who steal public funds and thereby deprive our communities of essential services.” 

“Rather than honoring their responsibility to the community and safeguarding the resources entrusted to them, Lori Zeno and Rashad Ruhani chose to embezzle non-profit funds for their own interests. Their actions deprived people who needed and deserved legal support. Today’s sentencing reinforces our commitment to protecting the integrity of the services non-profits provide,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“Providing indigent New Yorkers with access to quality legal services is essential to ensuring a justice system governed by the rule of law and respect for constitutional rights. Lori Zeno and Rashad Ruhani betrayed their responsibility to help indigent New Yorkers through the City-funded legal services organization that Zeno co-founded and where Ruhani worked. Instead, they chose to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization, spending lavishly on themselves, including on a penthouse apartment, a vacation to Bali, and extravagant purchases at luxury retailers. Today, they stand convicted and face the consequences of their crimes. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Office of the FBI for working with us to hold accountable anyone who misuses City funds and compromises vital services to New Yorkers.” stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.

As set forth in court filings, Zeno co-founded and served as the executive director of Queens Defenders, which provided legal services and community support services to indigent residents of Queens, New York.  Zeno hired Ruhani to work for Queens Defenders in October 2023. 

Between June 2024 and January 2025, Zeno and Ruhani engaged in a corrupt scheme to embezzle funds from Queens Defenders, diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars for their own personal benefit, including spending these stolen funds on foreign travel, expensive meals, luxury shopping, and rent for a penthouse apartment (the Penthouse Apartment). Zeno and Ruhani made extravagant purchases with the Queens Defenders’ credit cards, spending over $10,000 on a vacation to Bali; $1,700 at a luxury resort in Santa Monica, California; $3,300 for an 85-inch smart television to be installed at the Penthouse Apartment; thousands of dollars in food deliveries to the Penthouse Apartment; and thousands of dollars at luxury retailers such as Ralph Lauren and Neiman Marcus.  In one instance, Zeno and Ruhani charged over $4,000 to a Queens Defenders credit card to buy a Louis Vuitton designer handbag. As part of the conspiracy, Zeno and Ruhani repeatedly lied to the Queens Defenders, falsely characterizing personal expenses as business expenses to obtain approval for the expenditures.  To pay for the Penthouse Apartment, Zeno and Ruhani fraudulently obtained reimbursements from Queens Defenders for over $39,000 in rent by submitting lease documents that were altered to conceal Zeno’s involvement.  Zeno also secured lucrative positions at Queens Defenders for relatives and associates of Ruhani who did little or no substantive work, including hiring a woman married to Ruhani as the director of a non-existent “health and wellness” program with a salary of $60,000.  As a result of Zeno and Ruhani’s misuse of its funds, Queens Defenders lost its city contract to provide criminal defense services to low‑income New Yorkers. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Russell Noble, Sean M. Sherman, and Brooke Theodora are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Johnson Peow and Daniel Arakawa.

The Defendants: LORI ZENO
Age: 65
Garden City, New York

RASHAD RUHANI
Age: 56 
Corona, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-182 (S-1) (RPK)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, David Ortiz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the gunpoint robbery of a Brinks armored truck transporting money belonging to a Bank of America branch. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.  When sentenced, Ortiz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment for brandishing a firearm, in addition to any sentence imposed for the bank robbery charges, and restitution.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea. 

“The defendant planned and carried out a violent armed robbery in broad daylight, threatening Brinks armored truck employees with a firearm while stealing more than half a million dollars destined for a neighborhood bank,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This calculated crime may have looked like a scene out a movie, but it was terrifyingly real, and placed the victims in fear for their lives.  Today’s guilty plea ensures that the defendant will face the consequences of his violent actions.”

"This was a brazen, violent crime that put innocent people in immediate danger. The FBI and NYPD moved quickly to track down David Ortiz to ensure he faced federal charges,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.  “Violent robberies have absolutely no place in New York, and we will not hesitate to go after those who threaten our communities. Our work with our partners has led to this guilty plea.”

“This defendant planned and executed an armed robbery outside a bank in Queens, threatening employees at gunpoint and stealing more than $500,000 from an armored truck,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “He thought he could get away with this dramatic crime, but his plan was no match for the skilled NYPD detectives and the investigative tools they used to track and arrest him. I thank our investigators and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for working to hold this criminal accountable.”

According to court filings and statements made during the plea hearing, on the morning of June 2, 2025 at approximately 8:43 a.m., Ortiz and an accomplice, both wearing masks and armed with guns, staged an ambush outside a Bank of America branch located at 205-02 Linden Boulevard in Queens, New York.  The pair arrived before the scheduled cash delivery and waited for Brinks employees to transport money from an armored truck into the bank. When the employees began wheeling a bag of cash toward the bank entrance, Ortiz brandished a firearm, ordered the employees to the ground, and stole the service weapon of one of the armored car guards.  At the same time, Ortiz’s accomplice loaded the bag containing approximately $542,000 into a Chevrolet sport utility vehicle which did not have license plates.  The two men then fled with the stolen cash.  Later, NYPD officers recovered a mask, a jacket, and a firearm discarded by Ortiz in the vicinity of Hilburn Avenue and Dunkirk Street.  The stolen cash has not been recovered and Ortiz’s accomplice remains at large.  

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Special Assistant United States  Attorney Brachah Goykadosh and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Amzallag are charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

DAVID ORTIZ
Age:  49
Brooklyn, New York and Texas

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 2-CR-343 (EK)

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today a Settlement Agreement with the East Hampton Housing Authority resolving the United States’ lawsuit against East Hampton Housing Authority under the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit alleged that East Hampton Housing Authority discriminated against a minor tenant by refusing to permit him to live with his emotional support dog to accommodate his disability. As alleged, over the course of nineteen months during 2021 and 2022, East Hampton Housing Authority took the erroneous position that emotional support animals did not qualify for reasonable accommodation under the law.  The settlement will ensure equal access to housing for all East Hampton Housing Authority tenants who demonstrate their need for a reasonable accommodation for assistance animals under the Fair Housing Act.

“Today’s settlement ensures that tenants with disabilities who require assistance animals will be reasonably accommodated so that they have the same opportunity to use and enjoy their homes as other tenants,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office will continue to enforce the Fair Housing Act and its protections against discrimination for people with disabilities.”

Under the terms of the settlement, East Hampton Housing Authority has agreed to adopt a reasonable accommodation policy regarding requests for assistance animals, comply with certain notice, training, and recordkeeping requirements to ensure that its officers and employees are knowledgeable about and comply with the terms of the Fair Housing Act, and allow the United States to monitor compliance with the Settlement Agreement. East Hampton Housing Authority has also agreed to pay the victim’s family $82,500 in damages, upon a release of claims.

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the terms and conditions of the sale or rental of, or to otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling based on the prospective buyer or renter’s disability. The Fair Housing Act also mandates that reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, and services be provided when necessary to afford equal housing opportunities to persons with disabilities. 

This matter has been handled by Chief of the Office’s Civil Division Civil Rights Section Megan Freismuth.

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Andrey Shevlyakov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations for his role in a procurement network which obtained sensitive electronics for the benefit of Russian military and government contractors.  The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.  When sentenced, Shevlyakov faces a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment.  The defendant has agreed to forfeit approximately $1.5 million to the government. Shevlyakov was arrested by Estonian authorities in 2023 and was extradited to the United States in August 2025.

 Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division; Jason M. Hudson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Houston; and Ramon Alvarado, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security – Office of Export Enforcement’s Dallas Field Office, announced the guilty plea.

“For nearly a decade the defendant operated a foreign procurement network and supplied sophisticated U.S. technology to hostile Russian military actors, undermining U.S. national security and the security of our allies,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that our Office will vigorously prosecute and hold to account those who aid Russian attempts to illegally procure U.S. technology, no matter who they are or where they reside.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) for their assistance in investigating the defendant’s conduct and securing his arrest and extradition.

“Andrey Shevlyakov’s arrest was the result of a spinoff case from a much larger FBI investigation that goes back some 14 years,” stated FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Hudson,  “Given the length, complexities and transnational borders involved, this case was extremely difficult, but at the end of the day our team endured and justice prevailed. Shevlyakov’s plea is the result of the FBI’s commitment to national security and relentlessness in preventing our foreign adversaries from illegally acquiring U.S. technologies for their weapons systems – technologies that can one day be used against our own service members.”

According to court documents, Shevlyakov engaged in a years-long effort to evade U.S. export controls.  The defendant was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity list (Entity List), meaning he was prohibited from acquiring any items from the United States without the Department of Commerce’s permission.  Using multiple shell companies, Shevlyakov deceived U.S. manufacturers and suppliers and acquired sensitive technology and electronics.  He then shipped the items to end-users in Russia, including defense contractors and Russian government agencies.   

Shevlyakov was aware of his prohibited status but flouted U.S. export controls.  In one instance, Shevlyakov placed an order with a U.S. company for sensitive electronic components, but the company refused to sell to the defendant and informed him he was on the Entity List.  Shevlyakov then canceled his order, only to place it again days later using a different email address and under a false name. 

Shevlyakov’s scheme caused the illegal export of over $1 million worth of sensitive electronics from the United States.  The items he obtained for his Russian customers included low-noise pre-scalers and synthesizers used to conduct high-frequency communications.  He also obtained analogy-to-digital converters which are used in defense systems, including avionics, missiles, and electronic warfare systems.  He communicated extensively with Russian defense contractors and telecommunications companies about the sensitive items he procured. 

Shevlyakov traveled extensively between Estonia and Russia to deliver the items he obtained.  International border crossing records for the period 2010-2016 show that during that period, Shevlyakov crossed the Estonian border and into Russia over 100 times, many times on same-day trips.  Records provided by the Finnish government show that the defendant was stopped by Finnish authorities while trying to smuggle electronics into Russia.  Shevlyakov failed to provide a customs declaration, and Finnish border guards searched the defendant’s car and discovered approximately €70,000 worth of electronics hidden throughout the vehicle.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Alexander Mindlin and Gilbert Rein are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Matthew Jennings, Rebecca Roth, and Emma Tavangari. 

The Defendant:

ANDREY SHEVLYAKOV
Age:  Tallinn, Estonia

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-490 (RPK)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Franklin Gillespie was sentenced by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to 52 years’ imprisonment for multiple crimes related to his high-ranking membership of the Bully Gang, a violent street gang based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.  Among other serious crimes, Gillespie committed two murders, including the murder of a potential witness, as well as two armed robberies, while on supervised release for multiple federal firearms convictions. 

Gillespie was one of four Bully Gang leaders and managers who were convicted after a 13-week trial in 2024, in a case that resulted in the arrest and conviction of 53 defendants.  Gillespie’s co-defendants at trial—Moeleek Harrell, Derrick Ayers, and Anthony Kennedy—were sentenced to 60 years’ imprisonment in April 2026, 59 years’ imprisonment in June 2026, and 41 years’ imprisonment in May 2026, respectively.  The trial defendants were convicted variously of racketeering, murder conspiracies, assaults, firearms offenses, drug trafficking offenses, and money laundering conspiracies.  In connection with the racketeering conviction, a jury found several racketeering acts proven, including murder, murder conspiracy, robbery, bribery, drug trafficking conspiracy, and money laundering.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the sentence. 

“Franklin Gillespie was one of the most violent members of an extraordinarily violent street gang and our Brooklyn community is rid of him thanks to today’s sentence,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This important prosecution demonstrates our Office’s commitment to seeking justice for Gillespie’s many victims and their families, and ensures that our communities will be protected in the future from the leaders of this violent criminal organization.”   

Mr. Nocella thanked the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Maine and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for their assistance during this investigation and prosecution. 

“This sentence holds accountable a senior gang member whose actions brought violence, fear, and tragedy to our communities. From orchestrating violent criminal activity to committing multiple murders, armed robberies, the defendant demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and the rule of law. ATF/ NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force remains committed to working alongside the NYPD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle violent criminal organizations, ensuring those who terrorize our neighborhoods are brought to justice,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo.

“For years, the Bully Gang waged a campaign of violence and terror in Brooklyn, committing murders, shootings, armed robberies, and drug trafficking,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “Thanks to the tireless work of NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners, Franklin Gillespie and the other top members of this ruthless gang will never walk free on our streets again.  This case is yet another example of the NYPD’s precision policing strategy at work – going after the gangs and the guns to make our communities safer.”

“This sprawling investigation and today’s outcome have made the people of Brooklyn and beyond safer. With this sentence, Franklin Gillespie, one of four high-ranking gang leaders responsible for terrorizing neighborhoods by instilling fear, trafficking drugs, and committing murder, has been held accountable for his devastating conduct,” stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.  “While this sentence cannot bring his victims back to their loved ones or undo the devastation his crimes have caused—it sends a clear message that those who endanger our communities will be brought to justice. I thank the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the ATF’s New York Division and the NYPD for their partnership on this significant investigation.”

As proven during trial and set forth in court documents, the Bully Gang was a violent criminal organization whose members committed murders, including the murder of a potential law enforcement witness; regularly shot at gang rivals in public streets; burned down a home with people inside; committed armed robberies with an arsenal of weapons trafficked from out of state; and engaged in multiple sprawling narcotics trafficking schemes.  Gillespie was the gang’s violent enforcer who targeted the gang’s enemies and committed multiple murders.  Gillespie’s three co-defendants at trial also played critical roles in the gang: Harrell was a founder and leader who directed the gang’s crimes; Ayers ran the gang’s extensive Maine drug trafficking organization and committed numerous violent crimes for the gang, including murder; and Kennedy was a trusted member of the gang who participated in the murders carried out by Gillespie and the gang’s drug trafficking. 

Crimes of Violence

Gillespie committed numerous acts of violence on behalf of the Bully Gang.  Over four days in April 2020, Gillespie, with the assistance of Kennedy, murdered two people. First, Gillespie murdered Paul Hoilett in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.  Before the murder, Gillespie surveilled and followed Hoilett as Hoilett walked down the sidewalk.  Gillespie then shot Hoilett in the back of the head at point-blank range.  On the day of the murder, Kennedy drove Gillespie from New Jersey to Brooklyn, where Gillespie met Mike Hawley.  Hawley then drove Gillespie directly to the murder.

Four days later, Gillespie and Kennedy murdered Hawley in Far Rockaway, Queens.  After Gillespie and Kennedy came to believe that law enforcement was looking for Hawley, they targeted Hawley to prevent him from speaking to law enforcement authorities about Hoilett’s murder.  Kennedy drove Gillespie to and from Queens to commit this murder, while Gillespie arranged a meeting with Hawley in Queens under false pretenses.  As with the murder of Hoilett, Gillespie shot Hawley multiple times, also at point-blank range.  Gillespie and Kennedy took many steps to hide their involvement in this murder from law enforcement authorities, including removing the license plate and inspection sticker from the getaway car used in the murder.

In addition to these two murders, Gillespie committed many other violent crimes.  In August 2020, Gillespie and other Bully Gang members and associates committed two gunpoint robberies on consecutive days in Manhattan.  After the robberies, Gillespie and his co-conspirators made social media posts flaunting the proceeds of the robberies and bragging about their crimes.  One week later, Gillespie was found with three guns, including the two guns used in these robberies. 

Gillespie’s violence was part of a larger pattern of violence among members of the Bully Gang.  For example, in a shooting on October 1, 2017, Harrell, Ayers, and other gang members targeted a victim who the gang believed was responsible for the death of one of the Bully Gang’s founders.  During this shooting, their intended target and an innocent bystander were shot.  Separately, Harrell, Ayers, and other gang members targeted their rival “Stukes Crew” in numerous acts of violence over several years.  These acts of violence included Ayers’s murder of Jonathan Jackson, a Stukes Crew associate, in March 2018.  Harrell, Ayers, and other Bully Gang members also planned and participated in three additional shootings in Crown Heights targeting the Stukes Crew.  One of these shootings resulted in a car crash that injured multiple people.

Notably, Gillespie is not alleged to have committed these 2017 and 2018 shootings because, from March 2016 through August 2019, he was in federal prison in connection with his second federal gun conviction.  At the time of the murders and other conduct of which he was convicted in this case, Gillespie was on federal supervised release in connection with the federal firearms convictions. 

Drug Trafficking

While still on federal supervised release, Gillespie also played an important role in the Bully Gang’s drug trafficking operation in Maine.  As part of this scheme, the Bully Gang and its associates transported large quantities of drugs, including cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl, from New York and New Jersey to Maine, where they sold the drugs out of stash houses throughout the state. For months, Gillespie recruited and directed subordinates who sold and transported drugs, managed the gang’s stash houses, traveled to Maine in connection with the scheme, and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit from the drug sales.  All of Gillespie’s co-defendants at trial were also involved in the Maine drug trafficking scheme, including Ayers, who ran the day-to-day operations of the scheme for many years. 

Other members and associates of the gang, including Harrell and Kennedy, ran a separate drug smuggling scheme at jail facilities on Rikers Island.  In connection with this scheme, Harrell, Kennedy, and their co-conspirators arranged for comic books and other papers soaked in synthetic cannabinoids, also known as “K2,” to be delivered to Rikers where the drugs were sold to inmates at a substantial profit. 

* * * * *

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Moscow, Lindsey R. Oken, Joy Lurinsky, Victor Zapana, and Stephen H. Petraeus, and former Assistant United States Attorneys Drew Rolle and Michael J. Castiglione, were in charge of the prosecution, with significant assistance from Legal Administrative Specialist Samantha Ward, Intelligence Analyst Eungee Hwang, and Law Enforcement Coordinator Specialist Herbert Martin, among others.

The Defendants: DERRICK AYERS (also known as “Dee” and “Mel”)
Age: 39
Rahway, New Jersey
(Sentenced to 59 years’ imprisonment on June 18, 2026)

FRANKLIN GILLESPIE (also known as “Spazz” and “Frankie Gino”)
Age: 35
Newark, New Jersey
(Sentenced to 52 years’ imprisonment on July 22, 2026)

MOELEEK HARRELL (also known as “Moe Money”)
Age: 36
Brooklyn, New York
(Sentenced to 60 years’ imprisonment on April 30, 2026)

ANTHONY KENNEDY (also known as “Biggie”)
Age: 40
Queens, New York
(Sentenced to 41 years’ imprisonment on May 12, 2026)

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 11-CR-371 (BMC), 16-CR-252 (BMC), 20-CR-239 (S-8) (BMC), 20-CR-240 (BMC), 25-CR-229 (BMC)

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 20-CR-239 (S-8) (BMC) and 20-CR-240 (BMC)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Adnan Arshad, also known as “Eddie,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 97 months in prison for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a scheme to steal over $19 million from Medicaid.  Arshad was also ordered to pay forfeiture of over $19 million, including the forfeiture of several real properties and vehicles. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI); and Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney, announced the sentence. 

“While taxpayers footed the bill, Arshad financed a lavish lifestyle with multimillion-dollar homes and luxury vehicles.  Today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who defraud public healthcare programs for personal enrichment should take notice of the price this defendant will now pay for his greed,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office and the Administration are vigorously prosecuting criminals like the defendant who treat Medicaid like their own personal piggy bank.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Office of the New York State Comptroller and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New York State Attorney General's Office for their work on the case. 

“The defendant in this case brazenly defrauded the Medicaid program of tens of millions of dollars for transportation services that were never provided,” stated HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Gruchacz.  “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable individuals who, to satisfy their own greed, exploit federal health care programs.” 

“Adnan Arshad and his co-conspirators orchestrated a scheme that siphoned millions from Medicaid, depriving vulnerable patients of resources and fueling a lavish lifestyle built on fraud,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis. “This sentencing demonstrates that IRS Criminal Investigation will relentlessly pursue those who exploit public healthcare programs for personal gain. Today, justice has caught up with those who treat taxpayer dollars as their own.”

“Healthcare fraud on this scale does not stay hidden, and it will not go unpunished. This defendant saw hard-earned taxpayer funds meant for the less-fortunate as nothing more than a way to line his pockets. He billed Medicaid for transportation that never happened to finance a lavish lifestyle at the public's expense," stated Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney.  “My Office is proud to stand with our federal partners to ensure that this defendant answers for his greed and forfeits what he stole.”

As set forth in court filings and facts presented in court, Arshad owned MTK Taxi LLC in Montauk, Long Island, and co-owned All-Star Taxi LLC, in Ronkonkoma.  From approximately December 2020 to his arrest in June 2024, Arshad and his co-conspirators orchestrated a scheme to defraud Medicaid by paying illegal health care kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries in exchange for ordering transportation services through their companies, including transportation purportedly for methadone treatment at addiction treatment centers.  In reality, Arshad’s companies generally did not provide the medical transportation services for which they billed Medicaid.  Instead, they submitted millions of dollars in fraudulent claims for nonexistent rides, including claims for individuals who were deceased, hospitalized or incarcerated.  

Arshad and his co-conspirators also inflated their Medicaid reimbursements by directing beneficiaries to request transportation to addiction treatment centers in New York City, despite the availability of numerous treatment centers on Long Island, and by instructing beneficiaries to provide false pickup addresses to make the trips appear longer and therefore more lucrative.  Through this scheme, the transportation companies owned or operated by Arshad and his co-conspirators billed Medicaid over $16 million for trips to three addiction treatment centers in New York City.

Arshad used the illicit proceeds to expand and perpetuate the scheme by purchasing several additional transportation vehicles and to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of multimillion-dollar homes and luxury vehicles, such as a Ferrari and multiple BMWs and Mercedes.

To date, at least five of Arshad’s co-conspirators have pleaded guilty for their participation in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Adam Toporovsky and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Milito of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Janelle Robinson.  Assistant United States Attorney Tanisha Payne of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters. 

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people.

The Defendant:

ADNAN ARSHAD (also known as “Eddie”)
Age:  47
Mount Sinai, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-231 (JMA)

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Bianca Vieux was arraigned on a superseding indictment charging Vieux and seven other defendants in a fraud scheme relating to deposits of falsified checks and the production of fraudulent Social Security cards.  Vieux was arrested on July 7, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Steven Boyce, Daija-Nek Johnson, Michelle Wilson, and Valeria Waldron were arrested on June 18, 2026 and previously arraigned.  Christopher Walker and Destiny Mendez were previously charged in the original indictment and their cases are pending.  One additional defendant remains at large.  In addition, in May 2026, two defendants charged in the original indictment, Aaron Warren and Tara Dildy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and are awaiting sentencing. 

Several of the defendants are current or former government employees.  Walker is a New York City Correction Officer and made at least one fraudulent deposit while wearing his Department of Correction uniform.  Waldron is a former New York City Correction Officer and was more recently employed as a parole officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.  Boyce is a track worker with the New York City Transit Authority.  Warren and Dildy are also former New York City Correction Officers.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI); and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the arrests and charges in the superseding indictment.

“As alleged, the defendants conspired to create and deposit fake checks at various banks to line their own pockets at the expense of financial institutions,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “It is particularly egregious when individuals who took an oath to uphold the law and serve the public, choose to commit serious federal crimes to serve themselves.”

“Public employees who exploit their positions for fraud don’t just break the law—they break the public’s trust. These defendants allegedly turned their access into a multi‑million‑dollar scheme built on fake checks, fraudulent documents, and deception. IRS‑CI and our law enforcement partners will follow the money, cut through the lies, and hold anyone who abuses their authority fully accountable,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.

“As alleged in the superseding indictment, Vieux, Johnson, Mendez, Walker, Waldron, and Wilson each participated in a scheme to deposit into bank accounts falsified checks made out to themselves from various entities. Vieux orchestrated the scheme, advertising her services on an encrypted messaging platform, and solicited recruits to provide their debit cards and bank account information.  As Vieux herself said in a text message: “lol I scam the government not human beings[.]  I don’t steal from people I still [sic] from banks[.]”  Once Vieux received an accountholder’s banking information, she or another co-conspirator would deposit a falsified check into their account. If it cleared, the accountholder would travel to Queens to make large cash withdrawals in person at various bank branches, stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.

Johnson, Mendez, Walker, Waldron, and Wilson were each recruited to receive deposits of falsified checks into their bank accounts and, if the funds cleared, make large cash withdrawals from their accounts.  Walker took the scheme further, hiring other fraudsters to create fake checks and documents for him.  Boyce created fake Social Security cards for Walker in exchange for a fee and explicitly acknowledged in a text message that he was in the business of “fraudulent federal documents.”

In total, the defendants created and/or deposited over $3 million worth of fictitious checks and obtained over $500,000 in fraudulent proceeds.  The defendants spent their stolen cash on luxury handbags, plastic surgery, and tropical vacations, among other personal expenses.

The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States  Attorney Russell Noble is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Daniel Arakawa.

The Defendants:

BIANCA VIEUX
Age:  33
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

STEVEN BOYCE
Age:  32
Brooklyn, New York

DAIJA-NEK JOHNSON
Age:  21
Queens, New York

DESTINY MENDEZ
Age:  29
Brooklyn, New York

CHRISTOPHER WALKER
Age:  34
Queens, New York

VALERIA WALDRON
Age:  37
Pflugerville, Texas

MICHELLE WILSON
Age:  54
Fort Worth, Texas

Defendants Who Previously Pled Guilty:

AARON WARREN
Age:  36
Queens, New York

TARA DILDY
Age:  36
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-271 (S-1) (NCM)

BROOKLYN, NY - Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia was sentenced today by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan in federal court in Brooklyn to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role as a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — and for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) violations.

Zambada Garcia pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025, admitting to being a principal leader of the continuing criminal enterprise and to the RICO charge. As part of his plea agreement, the Court entered a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment against him at today’s sentencing. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Terry Cole, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Frank Tarentino, Associate Chief of Operations (DEA), North East Region; John A. Condon, Acting Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI);  Jeffrey L. Tyler, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office (FBI); Jason A. Reding Quiñones, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Justin R. Simmons, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas announced the sentence. 

“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good,” stated United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr.  “He will spend the rest of his life in a United States prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement who refused to let El Mayo’s years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs.  We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics trafficking and violence.”

“Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “El Mayo’s conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: no matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you. For decades, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel – now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization – fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people,” stated DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole. 

“Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time — the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia,” stated HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon.  “For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa’s victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world’s most dangerous criminals off the map permanently.”

“El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades," stated Jeffrey Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office'.  “It’s also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence.  In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel — bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice.”

“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power. Today’s life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished,” stated Jason A. Reding Quiñones, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

“The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations,” stated Justin R. Simmons, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas.  “This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life.  Today’s sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it.” 

Zambada Garcia had faced indictments in six federal jurisdictions: the Eastern District of New York, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 09-CR-466 (EDNY) (the “EDNY Indictment”); the Western District of Texas, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 12-CR-849 (WDTX) (the “WDTX Indictment”); the District of Columbia (03-CR-34; 03-CR-331 (DDC)); the Northern District of Illinois (09-CR-383 (NDIL)); the Southern District of California (14-CR-658 (SDCA)); and the Central District of California (15-CR-566 (CDCA)). 

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX Indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York. Zambada Garcia was thus held accountable in the Eastern District of New York for the criminal conduct encompassing both indictments.  The remaining indictments will be dismissed in the coming days.

The EDNY Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise for conduct spanning January 1989 through January 2024.  The WDTX Indictment charged him with RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, as well as violations of state law for murder and kidnapping, for conduct between January 1, 2000 and April 11, 2012. 

Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Sinaloa Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Sinaloa Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Sinaloa Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Sinaloa Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Sinaloa Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.

Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.

HSI, the FBI, and the DEA investigated the case.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York.  Assistant United States Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters.  Assistant United States Attorneys Monique Botero and Andrea Goldbarg of the Southern District of Florida and Assistant United States Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers of the Western District of Texas are leading the prosecution for their respective offices.  Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich are leading the prosecution for the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.  The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The Defendant:

ISMAEL ZAMBADA GARCIA (also known as “El Mayo”)
Age:  76
Mexico

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 09-CR-466 (BMC) (S-5), 25-CR-262 (BMC)           

Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Edixon Briceno Montilla was charged in a criminal complaint with the sexual exploitation of a minor.  Montilla was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho and was ordered detained pending trial.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the arrest.

“As alleged, Montilla preyed on minors who he had access to, abused them for his own sexual gratification, and filmed their victimization,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Prosecuting those who victimize children is a priority for the Department of Justice, this Office, and our law enforcement partners.”

“Edixon Briceno Montilla’s alleged conduct represents a level of depravity that is difficult to put into words.  As charged, he targeted innocent children entrusted to his proximity, sexually abused them for his own gratification, recorded that abuse, and did so while brazenly remaining in this country unlawfully — demonstrating a callous disregard for his young victims and the safety of our entire community.  HSI New York is unwavering in our commitment to protecting vulnerable members of our communities from those who would exploit them, and we will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who targets children, wherever they may try to hide," stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.

As set forth in court filings and statements, Montilla was identified by law enforcement as the male adult who sexually abused a minor victim in a video depicting child sexual abuse that had circulated on the dark web.  Law enforcement executed a judicially-authorized search warrant at Montilla’s residence in Brooklyn, New York, and recovered Montilla’s cellular telephone, which had additional videos that he had filmed and that depict his sexual abuse of another minor victim. 

The charge in the complaint is an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of the charge, the defendant faces a mandatary minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.

If you believe you were victimized by the defendant, or know someone who was, please contact the Homeland Security Investigations Tipline at 1-800-843-5678 or HSI Know2Protect: 1-833-591-5669.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Sussman is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

EDIXON BRICENO MONTILLA
Age:  28
Brooklyn, New York 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-142 (JRC)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Zhuoying Chen, also known as “Jolene,” and Haojie Zhang, also known as “Kevin,” with money laundering conspiracy in connection with their participation in a scheme to launder funds derived from cyber investment fraud scams, or “pig butchering” scams.  The defendants were arrested today and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho.

Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; John A. Condon, Executive Associate Director, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI New York); and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS) announced the arrests and indictment.

“As alleged, the defendants were key members of a sophisticated money laundering network that funneled over $40 million in victim funds to bank accounts in China,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to prey on vulnerable victims with investment fraud schemes.”  

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants laundered fraud proceeds, enabling scammers to continue to victimize Americans and deprive them of their hard-earned money,” stated Assistant Attorney General Duva.  “Dismantling Chinese money laundering networks that support investment fraud schemes is critical to protecting Americans.  The Criminal Division will relentlessly pursue the financial networks that fuel and profit from these fraud schemes.”  

“For nearly two years, these two Chinese nationals allegedly ran a sophisticated, illicit network that laundered funds stolen from unsuspecting victims’ life savings,” stated HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Condon.  “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of HSI and our partners on the Homeland Security Task Force, this dangerous criminal enterprise has been exposed. HSI special agents remain relentless in their pursuit to dismantle money laundering networks and bring to justice anyone who seeks to profit from defrauding hard-working Americans.”

“The defendants' alleged operation laundered more than $40 million from American victims and deposited them directly in Chinese accounts overseas. The FBI is committed to working alongside our federal partners to dismantle scam compounds that seek to steal the hard-earned money of our citizens,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“Today’s indictment shows we’re not backing down against fraudsters who target innocent people—justice is coming for those who steal from hardworking Americans,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.  “This case reflects how IRS‑CI and our partners work side‑by‑side to uncover money‑laundering networks and protect the public. Together, we’re pushing forward to ensure Americans’ hard‑earned money is safe from schemes like these.”

“Investment fraud schemes exploit the trust of victims through false promises of favorable returns,” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward.  "The US Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating fraud and protecting the community from those who seek to profit through deception.“

As alleged in the indictment, between 2020 and 2022, Chen and Zhang managed a network of more than a dozen individuals based in Queens and Brooklyn, New York who opened bank accounts in the name of shell companies to launder proceeds of investment scams known as “pig butchering” fraud schemes, a term derived from a foreign-language phrase used by perpetrators to describe the crimes. These schemes consist of perpetrators contacting victims via messaging services or social media applications. The perpetrators then initiate relationships with the victims and gain their trust, convincing victims to send money for lucrative investment opportunities.  The perpetrators also show the victims fake profits on the purported investment and encourage the victims to invest more.  Ultimately, the perpetrators steal the victims’ funds.   

Chen and Zhang allegedly conspired with China-based co-conspirators to transfer the funds involved in pig butchering fraud schemes abroad.  Chen, Zhang and other co-conspirators oversaw the use of approximately 45 shell companies and 140 company bank accounts located primarily in the Eastern District of New York to launder at least $43 million in criminal proceeds from these schemes.

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section and by the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Weintraub and David I. Berman, and Trial Attorneys Claire Galasso, David Ginensky, and Adrienne Rosen are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Laura Mansour.

The Defendants:

ZHUOYING CHEN (also known as “Jolene”)
Age: 27
Brooklyn, New York

HAOJIE ZHANG (also known as “Kevin”)
Age: 38
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-205 (KAM)

An indictment was unsealed yesterday in federal court in Central Islip charging Omar Morales-Negron, also known as “O,” with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.  Morales Negron was arrested on July 14, 2026 in Florida and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); Frank A Tarentino III, Associate Chief of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Northeast Region (DEA); and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and indictment.

“As alleged, the defendant coordinated the shipments of massive amounts of cocaine into our Long Island community,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “For years Morales-Negron profited from his international trafficking and taking advantage of end users who are addicted to his drugs.  These charges will hold him accountable for the harm he has wrought.” 

“As alleged, Omar Morales-Negron directed a criminal pipeline that moved thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico into Long Island, hiding drugs inside furniture and sham electronics shipments to flood our neighborhoods with poison.  By dismantling this operation and seizing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, HSI New York and our partners have cut off a major source of narcotics that fuels addiction, violence, and instability in our communities.  HSI, as a leader of the Homeland Security Task Force New York, together with HSI Tampa and our law enforcement partners will continue to combine intelligence, investigative authorities, and resources to confront transnational criminal organizations and safeguard the American people,” stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.

“By concealing cocaine inside furniture and shipments disguised as electronic parts, Omar Morales-Negron deliberately attempted to evade law enforcement while fueling addiction and violence throughout Long Island and our region” stated DEA Northeast Associate Chief of Operations Tarentino.  “As alleged, Morales-Negron operated a sophisticated drug trafficking organization responsible for moving thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico into New York. The seizure of more than 465 kilograms of cocaine, coupled with investigative findings indicating the distribution of more than $100 million worth of cocaine on Long Island, underscores the immense scale of this operation. Thanks to the hard work of the DEA, our prosecutors, and our law enforcement partners, Morales-Negron is now in New York to answer for the harm he inflicted on the very communities he sought to poison.” 

“Omar Morales-Negron allegedly trafficked large quantities of cocaine right into our backyard. Drug trafficking tears at our communities, fueling violence, addiction, and instability. The FBI, with its partners, continues to disrupt these operations to protect our neighborhoods,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

From 2019 through the present, the defendant coordinated large scale shipments and distribution of narcotics from Puerto Rico to Long Island utilizing, among other methods, freight shipping routes.  The defendant’s drug trafficking organization (DTO) shipped narcotics, which were secreted inside furniture, by ocean freight from Puerto Rico to the continental United States.  Once the narcotics arrived in the United States, DTO members loaded the furniture containing narcotics onto trucks and transported them to warehouses in New York, including locations in the Eastern District of New York for distribution.

The defendant also orchestrated the surreptitious shipment of narcotics through the United Parcel Service. All the suspected narcotics-filled shipments weighed approximately the same amount and were labeled as electronics parts sent from a fictious corporation in Puerto Rico (“Company-1”) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport).  Once the purported electronics parts arrived at the JFK Airport, other members of the DTO picked up the shipments for further distribution within the United States. 

To date, law enforcement has intercepted some of the narcotics trafficked by the defendant’s DTO including:

• The January 29, 2026, seizure of 312 kilograms of cocaine (valued at $20 million) from two of Morales-Negron’s subordinates.  The cocaine was shipped from Company-1 in Puerto Rico, arrived at JFK Airport and was picked up on the same day by a member of the DTO.  The DTO member who picked up the shipment arrived driving a U-Haul truck.  Later that day, Nassau County Police Detectives observed two individuals in a Plainview, New York hotel parking lot conduct a hand-to-hand narcotics exchange.  Police approached the two individuals and observed numerous open suitcases which appeared to contain kilograms of cocaine (some of which is pictured below): 
• The July 3, 2026, seizure of 153 kilograms of cocaine (valued at $10 million) from a shipment container seized in Queens, New York (some of which is pictured below):

During the investigation, ledgers detailing Morales-Negron’s large scale and highly profitable narcotics business were recovered allowing law enforcement to determine that his narcotics operation was responsible for the distribution of more than $100 million of cocaine on Long Island. 

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of the charges, Morales-Negron faces up to life in prison.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Misorek and Special Assistant United States Attorney James P. Scahill are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of the Eastern District of New York’s Criminal Investigation Unit and Paralegal Specialist Dejah Turla. 

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The Defendant:

OMAR MORALES-NEGRON
Age: 36
Orange City, Florida

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-207 (SJB)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, John B. Mensch, the owner and chief executive officer of a bus conglomerate based in Medford, Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury to 18 months in prison for bank fraud conspiracy.  Judge Choudhury also ordered Mensch to pay restitution in the amount of $9,326,366.03.  Mensch pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2024. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, New York Field Office (USSS), announced the sentence. 

“John Mensch kept a failing business afloat by manipulating the banking system and exploiting the trust that financial institutions place in their customers,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “By cycling worthless checks through multiple bank accounts, the defendant obtained millions of dollars in funds that did not exist, creating the illusion of financial stability while concealing the company’s insolvency. Today’s sentence should serve to warn fraudsters like the defendant that the loss of freedom and restitution to victims is the price of their crimes.  This Office will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the financial system through sophisticated fraud schemes.”

“John Mensch’s feedback loop of fraud stole more than nine million dollars and manipulated financial institutions to keep his bankrupt business afloat. The FBI continues to hold accountable fraudsters who abuse our economic system for personal enrichment,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“This was not a victimless crime.  It was a sophisticated scheme involving millions of dollars in fraudulent checks to benefit the defendant, while threatening the integrity of the banking system and harming his creditors, customers and employees,” stated USSS Special Agent in Charge McCool.  “This sentencing should serve as a warning to other criminal fraudsters: We will catch you and you will be held accountable.  Thanks to our partners in the New York law enforcement community and the Eastern District of New York for your collaboration in bringing justice in this case.”

Mensch was the owner and operator of East End, a transportation company that provided busing services for students on Long Island and elsewhere.  Between 2017 and September 2018, East End maintained numerous accounts—and was granted expedited check-clearing privileges—at banks located in Suffolk County, New York, and Orange County, New York.  Those privileges allowed East End to obtain near-immediate access to the deposited funds before the underlying checks had cleared.  Mensch and other East End executives abused those privileges by engaging in an elaborate “check-kiting” scheme, passing fraudulent checks between East End’s various accounts to keep East End operational despite being effectively insolvent. 

Specifically, Mensch and other East End executives drew checks on East End’s bank accounts at Financial Institution #1, despite those accounts containing insufficient funds to cover the checks.  Those bad checks were then deposited into East End’s bank accounts at Financial Institution #2, which, unaware that the checks would eventually bounce, allowed East End immediate access to the funds.  East End withdrew those funds to meet various financial obligations and then, before the checks bounced, conducted the same process in the reverse, drawing bad checks on its Financial Institution #2 accounts and depositing them into its Financial Institution #1 accounts to create the false impression that funds were available to cover the earlier checks.  This circular flow of worthless checks continued, with the banks advancing East End non-existent funds for several months until the scheme was detected in September 2018.  By that time, East End had obtained nearly $10 million dollars from Financial Institution #1 and Financial Institution #2, all of which it had spent while continuing to operate at a deficit. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Adam R. Toporovsky is in charge of the prosecution, with help from Paralegal Specialist Janelle Robinson. 

The Defendant:

JOHN B. MENSCH
Age:  55
Quogue, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-334 (NJC)

Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, John Merrone pleaded guilty to all five counts of an indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact relating to the rape of a 21-year-old United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) student cadet (Jane Doe) working on a vessel under the command of the defendant. Merrone pleaded guilty after a jury was selected yesterday.  The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ramon E. Reyes.  When sentenced, Merrone faces up to life in prison.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

“The defendant today admitted abusing his authority as a ship captain to carry out a heinous sexual assault on a young woman, who was under his supervision, as she embarked on a career as a mariner,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “It is my hope that today’s guilty plea will give the survivor of this attack some measure of closure knowing that the defendant has been held accountable for his despicable conduct.”

Mr. Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the United States Coast Guard for its investigative work on the case.

“Former Captain John Merrone grossly violated his authority by drugging and raping a U.S. Merchant Marine cadet training aboard his ship. The FBI is dedicated to holding accountable those in trusted roles from heinously abusing the brave servicemembers protecting this country,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

In September 2019, Jane Doe was aboard a commercial vessel as part of her participation in the USMMA Sea Year Program where cadets study to be midshipmen and are assigned to a U.S.-flagged merchant vessel to obtain experience being a merchant mariner.  The vessel was in the Atlantic Ocean bound for Corpus Christi, Texas.  Merrone, then 47 years-old, was the highest-ranking official on the vessel.  On September 9, 2019, Merrone summoned Jane Doe and another female cadet to his stateroom for a soda and poured each of them an alcoholic drink from an open bottle. Shortly after consuming the drinks, Jane Doe and the fellow student lost recollection of the remainder of the evening. Jane Doe awoke the next morning in her bed wearing only a shirt and bra, and no underwear or pants.  She felt nauseous, had a headache and felt like someone had had sex with her.  The next day, Merrone called Jane Doe to his stateroom and said that he had “fun last night” and asked her to do it again.  Jane Doe told him that she did not recall what had happened, and Merrone told her “one thing led to another.”  Jane Doe reported the sexual assault to her mother and a friend when she returned to the United States, and sought medical attention.  She reported the attack to law enforcement in 2021.  At his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that he knowingly gave Jane Doe an intoxicant without her knowledge or consent, and she became incapacitated.  He then had sex with her without her consent.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Kayla Bensing and Rachel Bennek are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Emily Woodruff.

The Defendant:

JOHN MERRONE
Age:  54
Hohenwald, Tennessee

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-171 (RER)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, also known as “Creeper,” “Malcriado,” “Sombra,” “Vinky” and “Dabura,” a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 42 years’ imprisonment for his role in the May 21, 2016 murder of Kerin Pineda and the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo, both of whom were killed in Freeport, New York, as well as a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Del Cid had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes in July 2025.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.

“Today, the defendant faces justice for his role in the brutal murder of two innocent victims, young men who were targeted and tortured by the MS-13 street gang,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This defendant used social media to lure Kerin Pineda to his death, and this callous disregard for human life has now been met with a just punishment thanks to the work of our Office.” 

“Today's sentencing marks an important step in holding violent MS-13 gang members accountable for the harm they inflict on innocent civilians. Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, an alleged MS-13 gang member, is facing punishment for the abhorrent crimes he committed. Rest assured that the FBI with its partners will continue to dismantle the MS-13 gang presence in New York and across the United States,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. 

“Gang activity will never be tolerated here in Nassau County.  The County Executive and I will dedicate any resources necessary to combat criminal behavior.  Our department worked aggressively to investigate these cases with our partners in the FBI and US attorneys’ office.  Today’s sentencing demonstrates our commitment to holding the defendant accountable for these murders," stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder. 

According to court filings and statements by the defendant at the guilty plea proceeding, the defendant participated in the murder of 20-year-old Kerin Pineda, who was killed because of his suspected membership in the 18th Street gang.  Specifically, in May 2016, Del Cid and other MS-13 members devised a plan where Del Cid created a fake Facebook profile of a young female to communicate with Pineda and lure him out to be killed.  On May 21, 2016, Pineda went to a secluded wooded area near the Merrick-Freeport border believing that he was meeting the young female he had been communicating with on Facebook, who was, in fact, Del Cid. When Pineda arrived, he was surrounded and violently attacked by Del Cid and the other MS-13 members, each of whom took turns hacking and slashing him with the machetes.  Pineda’s body was then buried in a hole that had been dug in the ground the day before, in anticipation of the murder.  Del Cid is the first of six participants in the Pineda murder, all of whom have pleaded guilty, to be sentenced for that crime. 

Del Cid also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Javier Castillo, who, like Pineda, was killed because the MS-13 suspected him of being a member of the 18th Street gang.  On October 10, 2016, members of the Sailors clique in Brentwood convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Del Cid and the other MS-13 members took Castillo to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete.  Thereafter, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in October 2017.  More than a half dozen MS-13 members have been charged and pleaded guilty in connection with the Castillo murder. 

Del Cid, who was 16 years-old at the time of the Pineda and Castillo murders, initially was charged by a juvenile information filed under seal on May 20, 2020. The government subsequently filed a motion to transfer Del Cid to adult status for prosecution, and an evidentiary hearing was held on June 3, 2022.  On July 6, 2022, United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco, sitting by designation, issued a Memorandum and Order granting the government’s motion, and ordering Del Cid be prosecuted as an adult. 

Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York.  A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, NCPD, Suffolk County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. 

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

The Defendant:

KEVIN CUEVAS DEL CID (also known as “Creeper,” “Malcriado,” “Sombra,” “Vinky” and “Dabura”)
Age: 26 
Freeport, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-251 (S-1) (JMA)

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Adrian Lawrence, also known as “Mastermind,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 66 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud elderly United States citizens.  In addition to the prison term, Lawrence was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5.4 million. Lawrence was arrested in Jamaica, and was extradited to the United States.  He pleaded guilty in December 2023. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS), and Joel D. Weaver, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Southeast Field Division (TIGTA), announced the sentence.  

“Today’s sentence punishes Lawrence for targeting dozens of vulnerable senior citizens, who were manipulated into believing they had won an official sweepstakes prize, in order to line his pockets with their hard-earned savings,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “It will always be a priority of our Office to aggressively investigate elder fraud and hold responsible those who shamefully exploit our seniors for personal gain.” 

"Adrian Lawrence defrauded at least 50 elderly victims of more than $5.4 million through manipulation and deceit. May today's sentencing highlight the FBI's commitment to holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable Americans out of greed," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“Individuals who financially and emotionally exploit the elderly need to be held accountable. The United States Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting the public and collaborating with other law enforcement agencies in combating schemes that target vulnerable victims. We encourage all USPS customers to be cautious, speak to loved ones about financial scams, and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward.

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration takes all investigations into Internal Revenue Service impersonation scams targeting elderly United States citizens seriously," stated TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Weaver.  “We would like to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecuting such egregious acts in this case."

As set forth in court filings and on the record at sentencing, for more than six and a half years—between October 2013 and April 2020—Lawrence and his co-conspirators located in Jamaica and elsewhere outside the United States, carried out a scheme to defraud elderly U.S. citizens (the Victims).  They used the telephone and email to falsely inform the Victims that they had won sweepstakes contests that were sponsored by Publishers Clearing House.  Lawrence and his co-conspirators instructed the Victims that to facilitate the release of their purported prize money, the Victims first needed to wire money, mail checks, or send cash to bank accounts controlled by Lawrence to cover the purported taxes and fees.  The Victims were led to believe that once these funds were wired or otherwise received by the defendant and others, their prizes would be released to them.  In reality, Lawrence knew that the Victims had won no sweepstakes prizes and owed no fees. At least 50 victims, whose average age was approximately 82 years old, sent more than $5.6 million to Lawrence and his co-conspirators.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin McTague is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

ADRIAN LAWRENCE (also known as “Mastermind”) 
Age: 34
Kingston, Jamaica

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-159 (JMA)