Northern District of Ohio

CLEVELAND – Three Lorain County residents, a mother and her adult sons, have been charged with conspiring for more than five years to defraud the IRS and several taxpayer-funded programs established to assist small business owners during the pandemic. 

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Junera Holt Sr., 55, and her sons, Divante Holt, 32, and Richard Henry, 35, with:

• Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
• Wire Fraud
• Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation of False Tax Returns
• Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Bank Fraud

Additionally, Junera Holt was charged with:

• Filing a False Tax Return
• Aggravated Identity Theft
• Bank Fraud

Henry was additionally charged with:

• Bank Fraud
• Engaging in Monetary Transactions in Criminally Derived Property

According to allegations contained in court documents, defendants orchestrated two conspiracies to submit fraudulent applications and claims in efforts to seek more than $5 million in government funds. These methods included obtaining both tax refunds and COVID-19 pandemic stimulus funds through identity theft, the use of shell entities, and numerous misstatements. 

In the tax fraud conspiracy, between 2019 and 2024, the conspirators are alleged to have filed numerous false claims with the IRS in their own names and in the names of shell entities and identity theft victims. They are alleged to have claimed approximately $1,533,395.  

It is also alleged that the defendants engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to obtain COVID-19 pandemic stimulus funds, primarily unemployment insurance benefits for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The amount of funds alleged to have been fraudulently sought was approximately $3,273,455. 

Additionally, allegations contained in the indictment outline that in 2021 the defendants submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking at least $337,645 in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for purported small businesses—funds intended to help small businesses to continue to employ their workers during the pandemic. 

This investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General-Office of Investigations. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Wojtasik and Erica Barnhill for the Northern District Ohio are leading the prosecution.

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

AKRON, Ohio – A Stark County man has been sentenced to federal prison for receiving, distributing, and possessing materials that depicted the sexual abuse of children.

Brian Dazey, 38, of Canton, has been sentenced to 160 months (13.3 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent, after pleading guilty to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). Dazey was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and is required to register as a sex offender.

In May of 2025, law enforcement in the Canton area were investigating suspected CSAM activity. Investigators learned that the child pornography was downloaded from both a church and a grocery store where Dazey was employed. On June 30, 2025, agents executed a search warrant on Dazey’s person and residence and seized his cellphone. Dazey admitted to downloading, viewing, and trading child pornography on several social media platforms. During forensic examination of his electronic devices, investigators located more than 130,000 videos and images depicting child sexual abuse. 

The case was investigated by the FBI Canton Resident Agency, the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Jackson Township Police Department, and the Canton Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND – A 28-year-old Cuyahoga County man has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing distribution amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine base, more commonly known as “crack.”

Haroon Gaines, 28, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 170 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko after being convicted by a federal jury in March 2026 of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine Base.

According to court documents, Gaines was discovered unconscious in the hallway of the La Quinta Inn in Independence, Ohio. Law enforcement responding to the scene found distribution amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine base “crack” in his pockets. According to investigators, the drug amounts found equated to about a two-month supply of methamphetamine and 200 user doses of crack cocaine. Testimony and video footage evidence presented at trial revealed that Gaines was driving in donuts in the parking lot outside of the hotel, knocking on hotel patrons’ doors, and then eventually passed out on the third-floor hallway.

In total, investigators seized:

• 45.76 grams of methamphetamine (with 92% purity)
• 20.2 grams of cocaine base 
• A Smith & Wesson, Model M&P, .22 caliber rifle, with magazines and ammunition

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Independence Police Department.  

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Brenna L. Fasko and Paul E. Hanna.

CLEVELAND – A 61-year-old man pleaded guilty in federal court for selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it.

Mark Buschman, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Goods from the United States before U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., who accepted his plea.

According to the indictment, from about February 2019 to December 2024, Buschman ran an illegal export operation that shipped U.S acquired firearms out of the country. After obtaining the firearms and their related parts in the U.S., he advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. Buschman’s advertising generated sales leads from buyers in Saudi Arabia and he eventually sold and shipped the items to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $305,614. 

Court documents indicate that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before Bushman shipped the items. He then hid the firearms and firearm parts inside household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping hedge trimmers before he packaged the items for shipment. Buschman did not declare that the shipments contained firearms or their parts when sending to freight forwarders located in Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere. 

Buschman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9, 2026. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. As part of his guilty plea, Buschman agreed to forfeit $180,000 in criminal proceeds. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.

The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd, Jerome J.  Teresinski, and Henry DeBaggis for the Northern District of Ohio. Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan of the Western District of Wisconsin U.S. Attorney’s Office, assisted during the investigation of this case.

CLEVELAND – A 66-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court for terrorizing employees at a local bank as he demanded cash and threated them with a bomb.

Mason Hart, of Euclid, pleaded guilty to Bank Robbery before U.S. District Judge Charles Esque Fleming, who accepted his plea.

According to court documents, on Feb. 17, Hart entered  Fifth Third Bank on Lakeshore Boulevard in Euclid around 1 p.m. Hart went to a customer desk and began writing. He then waited his turn in line to speak to a teller. Hart handed a demand note to the teller, and placed a taped shoe box on the counter in the teller’s line of sight. The note to the teller read, "I HAVE A BOMB IN THE BOX ITS REMOTE CONTROL ACTAUATE DO AS I SAY AND NOBODY WILL GET HURT."  In response to Hart’s threat, the teller handed over $920 in United States currency. Hart then fled the bank on foot. He was apprehended at a later time. 

Hart is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 10. He faces a prison sentence of up to 57 months in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Scott Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – The last of six men from Florida has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to manipulate the stock prices of publicly traded “penny stock” companies based in Florida, Colorado, and Wyoming. The stocks were sold at inflated prices to victim investors throughout the country, including in the Northern District of Ohio. 

Charles Vaccaro, 68, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud. Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. accepted Vaccaro’s plea on June 24.

In addition, the co-defendants below previously pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Dror Svorai, 57, of Hollywood, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud, Securities Fraud, , Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.
• Dennis Ruggeri, 80, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
• Kevin Hagen, 57, of Davie, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud.
• Gary Berlly, 74, of Plantation, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud. 
• Yosef Biton 45, of Sunny Isles, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud.
• Eli Taieb, 52, of Davie, Florida - Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud (charged separately).

According to court documents and evidence presented in Court, from approximately January 2014 to July 2019 the defendants intentionally conspired, along with others, to defraud victims who bought shares of stock in public companies whose share prices the conspirators were manipulating. The companies were traded on the OTC Markets, which typically serve smaller public companies that don’t qualify to be traded through traditional U.S. stock exchanges.. 

The defendants acquired small publicly-traded companies, issued millions of shares to themselves and to friends, relatives, and other nominees at little or no cost, and then artificially controlled the price and volume of shares through a number of tactics. One method they used was through promotional media efforts designed to generate public interest and increase the price and trading volumes in the stock. The defendants had the ability to influence or control the authorship, timing, and content of the press releases and promotions, which were issued by the same companies whose stock they were selling. Because the defendants or their nominees controlled significant amounts of stock, they coordinated the sale of large blocks of shares to coincide with the press releases and promotions to entice would-be investors to purchase the stock. 

The defendants also provided false and misleading information to attorneys and brokers to conceal their true relationship to the companies, which allowed them to deposit and sell stock they would not otherwise have been able to sell. 

The defendants then profited by selling stock on the public market at artificially inflated prices without disclosing that they controlled both the stock and the companies themselves, or that they were artificially manipulating the companies’ stock prices. Once the defendants stopped promoting the stock, the stock price fell, causing investors to lose money.  The defendants used the profits from their scheme to enrich themselves and fund luxurious lifestyles.

Among the items seized during the investigation, and later ordered forfeited, were:

• $236,131.05 from a bank account
• 2016 Range Rover vehicle, purchased for $90,327.79
• 2018 Rolls Royce Dawn vehicle, purchased for $376,660.94
• 2019 Porsche 911 vehicle, purchased for $164,481.14
• 2018 Tesla Model S 100D vehicle, purchased for $116,919.83
• 2001 Azimut 70’ yacht, purchased for $265,925 
• AB JET 330 dinghy, purchased for $28,670.00. 

In total, investors lost more than $26 million as a result of the scheme.

Each defendant’s sentence is determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal record, if any, role in the offense, and characteristics of the offense. Berlly was sentenced to 18 months of probation and ordered to pay $18,063.14 in restitution. Hagen was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and $2,033,442.04 in restitution. Biton was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $392,000 in restitution. 

This case was investigated by the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erica Barnhill, Brenna Fasko, and James Morford.

TOLEDO, Ohio – A 43-year-old woman has been sentenced to prison for embezzling money from a church where she was previously employed.

Shenia Watson, aka Shenia Brown, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 40 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary, after she pleaded guilty in February to Wire Fraud, Access Device Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft. Judge Zouhary also ordered Watson to serve three years of supervised release and pay $410,574.39 in restitution.

According to court documents, Watson was an employee of Perfecting Church in Toledo, Ohio. 

As a church employee, Watson was responsible for managing parishioner donations. Investigators discovered that from about June 2019, to June of 2023, Watson used her position at the church to embezzle church funds from an app that was used to receive donations from parishioners. To conceal her embezzlement activities, Watson knowingly provided the board of directors with fraudulent monthly financial summary reports. Additionally, Watson secured a credit card in the name of the church’s pastor and used it to pay church expenses to conceal its true financial condition and to conceal her embezzlement activities.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Dexter Phillips led the prosecution.

AKRON, Ohio – A 35-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of sending and receiving Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) and coercing a purported 14-year-old girl to meet him for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Michael Strimbu, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography, and Coercion and Enticement. District Judge John R. Adams accepted Strimbu’s plea June 25.

According to court documents and evidence presented to the judge, Strimbu communicated with a purported 14-year-old girl, through a social media application in January. Throughout his sexually explicit communications with her, he expressed interest in meeting her for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts. He was later arrested and taken into custody. During forensic examination of his electronic devices, investigators found hundreds of images and videos depicting real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including prepubescent minors under the age of 12.

Strimbu is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 10. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the Cuyahoga County Crimes Against Children Task Force-Internet Crimes Against Children, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

AKRON, Ohio – A 33-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of sending and receiving child pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM).

Joshua Whan, of Kent, pleaded guilty to the following charges in the indictment:

• Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
• Transportation of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Chief Judge Sara Lioi accepted Whan’s plea June 23.

According to a criminal complaint and affidavit, in February 2026 federal agents were notified by the Streetsboro Police Department of suspected CSAM online activity occurring in Portage County. Investigators identified Whan and they learned that he regularly engaged with others through social media platforms and online forums to share CSAM and discuss his sexual interest in boys. In one conversation he indicated that he was visiting Disney World to “check out all the hot kxds (sic) while walking the parks.” Investigators seized Whan’s electronic devices during a search warrant execution at his residence. A forensic analysis of the content of the devices determined that they contained more than 2,100 images and 600 videos that depicted mostly male children, including toddlers, being raped and sexually abused.

Whan is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 6. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI Akron Resident Agency, the Streetsboro Police Department, the Kent Police Department, and the Portage County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Margaret A. Kane for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND – A 35-year-old man is in federal custody after being charged for possessing numerous illicit drugs intended for distribution. After his initial encounter with law enforcement, he fled the country. Authorities located him in Asia where he was arrested and deported back to the United States.

According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed in April, the U.S. Postal Service received for mailing, three packages in late 2025 that were suspected of containing illicit drugs. The packages were mailed from San Bernadino, California, to an address in Parma, Ohio. During a search warrant execution on the packages, agents found pills which later tested positive for being 1,136 grams (2.5 pounds) of methamphetamine. The packages were destined for a residence connected to Stanislav Vinokurov.  During a consensual search of the residence, investigators located various controlled substances and drug trafficking tools, including:

• Methamphetamine – approximately 7,149 grams
• Fentanyl – approximately 305.1 grams
• Bromazolam – approximately 193.6 grams
• Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) – approximately 101.3 grams
• Cocaine – approximately 79.3 grams
• Ketamine – approximately 17.4 grams
• Dimethyltryptamine – approximately 17.3 grams
• Approximately $24,512 in U.S. Currency
• Scales, a vacuum sealer, and packing materials

In May, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Vinokurov with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Fentanyl, and MDMA. Federal and international law enforcement partners located him in Bangkok, Thailand. They arrested him and brought him to the United States to face pending charges. If convicted, Vinokurov faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio, Acting Inspector in Charge David Cunningham for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pittsburgh Division, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon for the DEA Detroit Field Division, made the announcement. 

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA Cleveland District Office, and the Parma Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service for their valuable assistance in this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Joines is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

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

CLEVELAND – Today, United States Attorney David M. Toepfer announced that a Cuyahoga County dentist has agreed to settle allegations that he submitted claims to Medicaid for services that were ineligible for reimbursement. Medicaid is a federal health program that primarily provides benefits to low-income individuals who qualify and is administered through the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM). This settlement is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. 

“Providers who submit claims for payment from federal healthcare programs have a responsibility to verify that those claims are legitimate. It is our duty to ensure that each taxpayer dollar is spent wisely,” said U.S. Attorney Toepfer. “Therefore, if we suspect fraud, we are obligated to earnestly investigate such matters and hold people accountable for their actions. I’d like to especially thank the Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for partnering with us in this investigation.”

“Medicaid fraud steals from taxpayers and vulnerable Ohioans. If you try to cheat this program, you will be held accountable,” said Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.

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

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

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

In the Northern District of Ohio, Stanley Meckler, DDS, 72, of Pepper Pike, agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act (FCA). The FCA imposes liability for claims submitted to the federal government that are false. The settlement agreement follows an investigation by federal, state, and local partners into John W. Ball, DDS, 68, who was employed by Meckler’s dental practice, Family Dental Care, in Parma. Investigators learned that during the relevant time frame, Ball was excluded from participating in the Medicaid program for defaulting on a federal loan. However, during the time he was excluded, Meckler was billing ODM for services provided by Ball by listing Meckler as the rendering provider instead of Ball. In 2021, Meckler sold the practice and the new owner discovered that Ball was excluded from being a Medicaid provider. 

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of coordinated efforts between the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the FBI Cleveland Division. The USAO would like to acknowledge the Ohio Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Unit and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy for their valuable assistance with this investigation. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

This matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Deucher for the Northern District of Ohio.

Other cases nationally are being prosecuted by:

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

About the National Fraud Enforcement Division

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of 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.

Potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/ or 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

TOLEDO, Ohio – A previously convicted sex offender from Williams County was sentenced to federal prison for committing offenses that involved sexual abuse of children while he was out on parole for a separate offense.

James McGregor, 39, of Montpelier, Ohio, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick, after pleading guilty in February to Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release after imprisonment. After imprisonment, he is required to register as a sex offender.

According to the indictment, from about January through December 2024, McGregor knowingly received and distributed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. During the investigation, agents seized two cellphones which were found to contain CSAM.

This investigation was led by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Sara Al-Sorghali for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND – A previously convicted felon from California has been sentenced to prison for traveling about 2,500 miles across the country to convince a 67-year old woman he met through online dating to purchase assault-style pistols on his behalf. 

Chariece Chew, 32, of Hayward, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese after he was found guilty by a jury in August 2025 of the following offenses:

• Two Counts of Straw Purchasing of Firearms
• Two Counts of Felon in Possession of Firearms; previous convictions include Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in 2019

In 2024 Chew was active on an online dating app where he met a 67-year-old woman from Ohio. After conversing through the app, he took a Greyhound bus from California to Ohio to meet with her. During his visit, he asked her to help him purchase four AK-style pistols for his purported “security company.”  

The woman purchased two Micro Draco 7.62 caliber pistols at a Cleveland-area firearms dealer. She later went to a second location in Parma to purchase a Micro Draco and a Mini Draco, 7.62 caliber pistols for Chew. After Chew acquired the firearms from the woman, he returned to California on a Greyhound bus. One of the firearms acquired by Chew in Ohio was later recovered in Modesto, California.  

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Zarzycki, and Brenna Fasko for the Northern District of Ohio.

AKRON, Ohio – A Stark County man, and previously convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to federal prison for child sexual abuse offenses.

Daniel Dobies, 57, of Canton, Ohio, was sentenced to 390 months (32.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, after pleading guilty in February to the following charges in the indictment:

• Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
• Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM)

He was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims identified in the CSAM that Dobies possessed and distributed.

According to court documents, agents were conducting investigations into suspected CSAM activity on social media platforms and identified Dobies in 2025. During a search warrant execution at his residence, which he shared with co-defendant Shane Stouffer, 46, investigators found electronic devices belonging to Dobies that contained approximately 150 videos and 309 images of CSAM. The files included depictions of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Investigators also learned that Dobies had previous convictions for Gross Sexual Imposition in 1991, and Attempted Rape in 1993, both involving minor victims, out of Lake County, Ohio.

Stouffer is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of receipt and possession of CSAM.

The investigation was led by the FBI Canton Resident Agency and the Canton Police Department with assistance from the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Stark County Sex Offender Registry.

Assistant United States Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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CLEVELAND – An Ohio pharmacist who was indicted more than a decade ago and was a fugitive on the run, has pleaded guilty to his role in defrauding the IRS. He was located and arrested overseas earlier this year.

Sbeih Sbeih, 57, previously of North Olmstead, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS. In February, he was arrested in the country of Georgia after being a fugitive for 11 years. 

According to allegations in court documents filed in 2014, Sbeih a was a registered pharmacist licensed by the Ohio Pharmacy Board. Together with codefendant Osama Salouha, 54, previously of Strongsville, the men conspired to divert proceeds from Salouha’s businesses, Southside Pharmacy in Lorain and Medicine Center Pharmacy in Elyria, into personal, non-business bank accounts to otherwise conceal income from their accountant and the IRS. 

Osama Salouha was additionally charged for his role in illicitly selling opioids and opiates. Salouha remains a fugitive. His wife, Samah Salouha, 48, also previously of Strongsville, pleaded guilty in 2015 for her role in the conspiracy for making false statements and structuring bank deposits to avoid triggering bank reports to the IRS. She was sentenced to three years of probation.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Akron Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Drug Task Force, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Drug Task Force, Strongsville Police Department, MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Cleveland Heights Police Department. The USAO would like to acknowledge the country of Georgia and their Prosecutor General’s Office for their valuable assistance to coordinate the extradition of the defendant to the United States.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Collyer.

CLEVELAND – An Ohio physician has been sentenced for her role in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that fraudulently billed Medicare for more than $1,842,524.

Muna Orra, 42, of Westlake, Ohio, was sentenced to five years of probation by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after she pleaded guilty in January to making False Statements Related to Health Care Matters. She was also ordered to pay $997,641 in restitution to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare provides health benefits mainly to individuals age 65 and older or to those who meet certain criteria. 

According to court documents, Orra used her position as a licensed medical doctor in the state of Ohio to issue doctor’s orders for durable medical equipment (DME), primarily braces, and genetic testing for patients who did not need the equipment and tests she authorized. 

From about February 2018 to September 2021, Orra was employed by a telemedicine company based in the state of Georgia as an independent contractor physician. The telemedicine company provided her with documents containing patients’ details such as medical exam notes and recommended treatment plans, along with a detailed written order for the DME or genetic tests. Orra would review the patient files and electronically approve the orders, which she submitted to the telemedicine company to use for billing. The telemedicine company then submitted bills for the equipment and tests, with Orra’s orders as purported proof those items were medically necessary.

However, the investigation found that Orra did not meaningfully review the patient records to determine if the prepared orders were medically reasonable and necessary, nor did she conduct required assessments that could only be performed in person despite signing orders indicating that she did. The investigation also revealed that when Orra opened the electronic patient files, she frequently executed her electronic signature on the relevant order within just seconds of accessing the patient file. 

In total, Orra caused Medicare to be billed approximately $93,473 for medically unnecessary genetic testing orders and $1,749,051 for medically unnecessary braces for patients. Medicare paid approximately $64,189 on those bills for genetic testing and $933,452 on the bills for braces. 

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

This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill led the prosecution.

To submit a complaint about healthcare fraud or abuse of services, visit oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud.

CLEVELAND and TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office has announced immigration enforcement actions for the month of May in the Northern District of Ohio. These are separate cases and are not related.

The following individuals have been sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge after each previously pleaded guilty to their roles in violating federal immigration laws. All defendants will remain detained after serving their sentences, pending deportation from the United States.

Jeyson Rodriguez-Lanza, 35, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the most recent being March 15, 2023. He was found in Norwalk, in Huron County, on Feb. 17.

Genry Sanchez-Espinoza, 29, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the most recent being Feb. 9, 2018. He was found in Sandusky, in Erie County on Feb. 16.

Mario Gregorio-Arias, 49, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least four occasions with the most recent being April 17, 2018. He was found in Norwalk, in Huron County, on Feb. 17.

Candelaria del Rosario Lopez-Bautista, 38, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. She was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the most recent being Nov. 16, 2010. She was found in Perkins Township, in Erie County, on Feb. 20.

Cesar Mazariegos-Lopez, aka Cesar Masariegos-Lopez, aka Cesar M. Lopez, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the most recent being Nov. 16, 2010. He was found in Perkins Township, in Erie County, on Feb. 20.

Yeixon Brito-Gonzalez, aka Yiexon Maikenedy Brito-Gonzalez, 21, a citizen of Venezuela, was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to Possession of Fraudulent Documents. In January, he was found residing in Sandusky, in Erie County, and possessed counterfeit Legal Permanent Resident and Social Security cards.

Additionally, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Victor M. Diaz-Montes De Oca, 34, a citizen of Mexico, with Providing Contraband in Prison and Illegal Reentry. According to court documents and evidence presented before the judge, he was found in Lisbon, in Columbiana County, attempting to provide tobacco, six cellphones, and 30 vapes, to an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Elkton. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being April 20, 2014.

Federal grand juries also returned indictments for the following individuals:

Miguel Galindo De Jesus, 49, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with Illegal Reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the with the most recent being Dec. 11, 2012. He was found May 8 in Canton, in Stark County.

Miguel Angel Hernandez-Chavez, 33, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with Illegal Reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least two occasions with the most recent being June 11, 2024. He was found April 9 in Bryan, in Williams County.

Anibal Tejada-Estrella, 45, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was charged with Illegal Reentry. He was previously removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion with the with the most recent being June 20, 2023. He was found April 22 in Brooklyn Heights, in Cuyahoga County. 

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

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Simko, Ava Rotell Dustin, Jennifer King, Brett Hammond, Dexter Phillips, and Alissa M. Sterling for Northern District of Ohio.

These investigations were conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

CLEVELAND - A federal grand jury returned indictments charging three illegal aliens from Guatemala for international smuggling of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) and defrauding the government, while another illegal alien was sentenced to prison for smuggling a UAC to the United States in 2023 and then fraudulently obtaining custody of the child who he then sexually abused. 

The indictments charge Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38, and her brother Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33, aka Tuco, both illegal aliens from Guatemala, for their roles in an international alien smuggling conspiracy, spanning from approximately December 2020 to October 2023, that included submitting multiple fraudulent sponsorship applications to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to gain custody of UACs. Gladys Marina Caal Chen, 20, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who, herself, was fraudulently sponsored as a UAC, is charged with making false statements to the government in connection with a UAC sponsorship application.  

Juan Tiul Xi, 27, from Guatemala, pleaded guilty for helping smuggle a child into the United States and submitting a fraudulent sponsorship application, falsely representing that he was the child’s brother. After gaining custody, Xi sexually abused the child. For that, he was convicted of sexual battery of a child in state court and sentenced to eight years in prison. Additionally, Xi was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison to be served consecutive to the eight year state prison sentence.

“For too many years, under the prior administration, unaccompanied children were smuggled to the United States and then taken in by a mismanaged government program guided by reckless policy direction,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Instead of protecting children, these defendants and others allegedly took advantage of the program and used it to entice the illegal smuggling of unaccompanied children to the United States and, as the sentence of Tiul Xi shows, leave them vulnerable to sexual assault, trafficking, and other exploitation.”   

“These defendants allegedly induced young children to make the treacherous journey from Guatemala to the United States, and then lied to government authorities to obtain custody, abusing the very program designed to protect vulnerable children,” said Assistant Attorney A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through Joint Task Force Alpha, the Criminal Division is focused on prosecuting alien smuggling and fraud in the UAC program.  In this country, we will not stand for illegal aliens helping to smuggle children into the United States and then sexually assault them.”

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not tolerate criminal schemes that endanger children and undermine the lawful procedure established to protect them,” said Acting Director David Venturella of ICE. “Our agency, working alongside federal partners, remains resolute in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who violate the law. We are determined to continue the necessary work to root out this criminality.”

“We will not tolerate criminals that use deceptive and fraudulent practices to deliberately abuse our immigration programs for their financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “If your business plan is to smuggle others into our country for a profit — especially children — you will come face to face with a federal judge for violating our country’s laws. We owe a debt of gratitude to the federal investigators who brought this dark truth to light taking place right here in Northern Ohio. We will aggressively prosecute these alleged crimes and bring those responsible for such actions to justice.”

“HSI remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and protecting vulnerable children from smuggling and exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office. “This case demonstrates the dedication and collaboration of our agents and partners in dismantling criminal networks that seek to exploit a legitimate government process for personal gain. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety of our communities and the security of our borders.”

“Martiza Azucena Cahuec Coc and her co-conspirators allegedly engaged in a complex and calculated pattern of illegal conduct by committing multiple crimes irrespective of the laws of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “They blatantly disregarded the laws of this country at the expense of minor children.  Making false and fraudulent claims while also purporting to be the children’s relatives lends to further victimization of the minor children for whom they claimed to be helping. These behaviors highlight an incomparable disrespect for the country, programs, and people that, if correctly followed, would have afforded the proper entry into the United States.”

“Exploiting vulnerable children and manipulating a system designed to protect them is abhorrent,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These defendants not only endangered minors by smuggling them into the country, but they also defrauded a federal program entrusted with their safety. HHS-OIG will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those who abuse government processes for personal gain are held fully accountable.”

“The care and welfare of unaccompanied children is paramount to the Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),” said Acting Director Angie Salazar of ORR. “We are committed to continuously reviewing UAC data, identifying suspicious trends, and collaborating with law enforcement whenever there are child safety concerns. We take any attempt to exploit or defraud our agency extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with our partners to protect the integrity of our mission and the safety of the children entrusted to our care.”

UACs who are apprehended by Department of Homeland Security immigration officials or another federal agency are transferred to ORR, which is responsible for the care and custody of UACs awaiting immigration proceedings. The process of releasing a UAC from ORR custody to a sponsor involves several steps, including, but not limited to, the identification of a sponsor, the submission of a sponsor application, and an assessment of sponsor suitability, which includes verification of the sponsor’s identity and relationship, if any, to the child.

According to court documents, between in or around December 2020 and October 2023, Maritza Cahuec Coc coordinated efforts with co-conspirators to smuggle aliens, including minors, into the United States. As part of this scheme, Maritza Cahuec Coc also submitted multiple UAC sponsorship applications to ORR using aliases’ birth certificates and Guatemalan consular ID cards, among other documents, and falsely claimed to be UACs’ close relative to deceptively convince ORR personnel that she was related to the UACs to obtain custody. Several of Cahuec Coc’s applications were successful. Paychecks addressed and made payable to others including at least one of the UACs sponsored by Maritza Cahuec Coc were deposited into Maritza Cahuec Coc’s and a co-conspirator’s bank accounts. 

Also according to court documents, Caal Chen was encountered during a court-authorized search of Maritza Cahuec Coc’s residence on May 22. Caal Chen was previously sponsored as a UAC by one of Cahuec Coc’s co-conspirators who fraudulently used an alias. Caal Chen is alleged to have also lied to ORR in or around January 2024 in her own application to sponsor a UAC using an alias. At the time of her arrest, Caal Chen again lied to law enforcement by providing yet another alias, but later admitted her real name was Caal Chen. Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, the brother of Maritza Cahuec Coc, was subsequently arrested on May 28 while driving a vehicle registered to Maritza Cahuec Coc and at the time had with him a 16-year-old UAC passenger. Carlos Cahuec Coc communicated with Maritza Cahuec Coc, discussed human smugglers bringing a UAC to the United States illegally and how they would deceive ORR and fraudulently sponsor the UAC here in the U.S.

Maritza Cahuec Coc was arrested on May 22 and is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, harboring aliens, and encouraging and inducing and conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States illegally as well as making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Cahuec Coc faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce illegal entry, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, and mandatory consecutive penalties of two years in prison, respectively, for aggravated identity theft. Carlos Cahuec Coc is charged with encouraging and inducing for financial gain and conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States illegally.  Carlos Cahuec Coc faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce illegal entry. Caal Chen is charged with making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Juan Tiul Xi helped arrange for a 14-year-old female child and her family to find someone to lend them money and pay a “coyote” to smuggle the young girl to the United States.  The smuggling arrangement saddled the UAC and her family with a substantial financial burden. Moreover, Tiul Xi took advantage of a government program designed to protect children who enter the U.S. unaccompanied. Specifically, he instructed the UAC to use the name and birth certificate of Tiul Xi’s minor sister to enter the United States so that he could falsely claim in his UAC sponsorship application that he was the UAC’s brother. Tiul Xi made these false representations in an application that he signed under the penalty of perjury. ORR relied on Tiul Xi’s misrepresentations, approved his application to sponsor the UAC, and released the UAC to Tiul Xi’s care in September 2023. After her release to Tiul Xi from ORR’s custody, Tiul Xi sexually assaulted the UAC, which resulted in his conviction on two counts of sexual battery in state court.  Tiul Xi is serving two consecutive 4-year sentences in Ohio for the sexual assault of the child.  Tiul-Xi pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of encouraging or inducing illegal entry for the purpose of financial gain; one count of making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement; and one count of aggravated identity theft.  His sentence announced today will be served after he completes his state sentence. 

HSI, FBI, and HHS-OIG Cleveland field offices are jointly investigating these cases with assistance from HSI’s Attaché team in Guatemala. Additionally, HSI’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking and HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and ORR, have provided valuable assistance. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Guatemala provided significant assistance in this matter.

Acting Deputy Chief Christian Levesque and Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney/Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Skutnik, Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward D. Brydle, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. Collyer for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting these cases, with assistance from HRSP Analyst/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall. 

The indictments and sentence announced today were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 458 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 408 U.S. convictions; and more than 357 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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

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

Cahuec Coc indictment here.

Tiul Xi indictment here.

Tiul Xi sentencing memo here.

Caal Chen indictment here.

Yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio, indictments were returned charging three illegal aliens from Guatemala for international smuggling of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) and defrauding the government, while another illegal alien was sentenced to prison for smuggling a UAC to the United States in 2023 and then fraudulently obtaining custody of the child who he then sexually abused. 

The indictments charge Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38, and her brother Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33, both illegal aliens from Guatemala, for their roles in an international alien smuggling conspiracy, spanning from approximately December 2020 to October 2023, that included submitting multiple fraudulent sponsorship applications to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to gain custody of UACs. Gladys Marina Caal Chen, 20, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who, herself, was fraudulently sponsored as a UAC, is charged with making false statements to the government in connection with a UAC sponsorship application.  

Juan Tiul Xi, 27, from Guatemala, pleaded guilty for helping smuggle a child into the United States and submitting a fraudulent sponsorship application, falsely representing that he was the child’s brother. After gaining custody, Xi sexually abused the child. For that, he was convicted of sexual battery of a child in state court and sentenced to eight years in prison. Additionally, Xi was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison to be served consecutive to the eight year state prison sentence.

“For too many years, under the prior administration, unaccompanied children were smuggled to the United States and then taken in by a mismanaged government program guided by reckless policy direction,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Instead of protecting children, these defendants and others allegedly took advantage of the program and used it to entice the illegal smuggling of unaccompanied children to the United States and, as the sentence of Tiul Xi shows, leave them vulnerable to sexual assault, trafficking, and other exploitation.”   

“These defendants allegedly induced young children to make the treacherous journey from Guatemala to the United States, and then lied to government authorities to obtain custody, abusing the very program designed to protect vulnerable children,” said Assistant Attorney A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through Joint Task Force Alpha, the Criminal Division is focused on prosecuting alien smuggling and fraud in the UAC program.  In this country, we will not stand for illegal aliens helping to smuggle children into the United States and then sexually assault them.”

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not tolerate criminal schemes that endanger children and undermine the lawful procedure established to protect them,” said Acting Director David Venturella of ICE. “Our agency, working alongside federal partners, remains resolute in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who violate the law. We are determined to continue the necessary work to root out this criminality.”

“We will not tolerate criminals that use deceptive and fraudulent practices to deliberately abuse our immigration programs for their financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “If your business plan is to smuggle others into our country for a profit — especially children — you will come face to face with a federal judge for violating our country’s laws. We owe a debt of gratitude to the federal investigators who brought this dark truth to light taking place right here in Northern Ohio. We will aggressively prosecute these alleged crimes and bring those responsible for such actions to justice.”

“HSI remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and protecting vulnerable children from smuggling and exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office. “This case demonstrates the dedication and collaboration of our agents and partners in dismantling criminal networks that seek to exploit a legitimate government process for personal gain. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety of our communities and the security of our borders.”

“Martiza Azucena Cahuec Coc and her co-conspirators allegedly engaged in a complex and calculated pattern of illegal conduct by committing multiple crimes irrespective of the laws of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “They blatantly disregarded the laws of this country at the expense of minor children.  Making false and fraudulent claims while also purporting to be the children’s relatives lends to further victimization of the minor children for whom they claimed to be helping. These behaviors highlight an incomparable disrespect for the country, programs, and people that, if correctly followed, would have afforded the proper entry into the United States.”

“Exploiting vulnerable children and manipulating a system designed to protect them is abhorrent,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These defendants not only endangered minors by smuggling them into the country, but they also defrauded a federal program entrusted with their safety. HHS-OIG will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those who abuse government processes for personal gain are held fully accountable.”

“The care and welfare of unaccompanied children is paramount to the Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),” said Acting Director Angie Salazar of ORR. “We are committed to continuously reviewing UAC data, identifying suspicious trends, and collaborating with law enforcement whenever there are child safety concerns. We take any attempt to exploit or defraud our agency extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with our partners to protect the integrity of our mission and the safety of the children entrusted to our care.”

UACs who are apprehended by Department of Homeland Security immigration officials or another federal agency are transferred to ORR, which is responsible for the care and custody of UACs awaiting immigration proceedings. The process of releasing a UAC from ORR custody to a sponsor involves several steps, including, but not limited to, the identification of a sponsor, the submission of a sponsor application, and an assessment of sponsor suitability, which includes verification of the sponsor’s identity and relationship, if any, to the child.

According to court documents, between in or around December 2020 and October 2023, Maritza Cahuec Coc coordinated efforts with co-conspirators to smuggle aliens, including minors, into the United States. As part of this scheme, Maritza Cahuec Coc also submitted multiple UAC sponsorship applications to ORR using aliases’ birth certificates and Guatemalan consular ID cards, among other documents, and falsely claimed to be UACs’ close relative to deceptively convince ORR personnel that she was related to the UACs to obtain custody. Several of Cahuec Coc’s applications were successful. Paychecks addressed and made payable to others including at least one of the UACs sponsored by Maritza Cahuec Coc were deposited into Maritza Cahuec Coc’s and a co-conspirator’s bank accounts. 

Also according to court documents, Caal Chen was encountered during a court-authorized search of Maritza Cahuec Coc’s residence on May 22. Caal Chen was previously sponsored as a UAC by one of Cahuec Coc’s co-conspirators who fraudulently used an alias. Caal Chen is alleged to have also lied to ORR in or around January 2024 in her own application to sponsor a UAC using an alias. At the time of her arrest, Caal Chen again lied to law enforcement by providing yet another alias, but later admitted her real name was Caal Chen. Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, the brother of Maritza Cahuec Coc, was subsequently arrested on May 28 while driving a vehicle registered to Maritza Cahuec Coc and at the time had with him a 16-year-old UAC passenger. Carlos Cahuec Coc communicated with Maritza Cahuec Coc, discussed human smugglers bringing a UAC to the United States illegally and how they would deceive ORR and fraudulently sponsor the UAC here in the U.S.

Maritza Cahuec Coc was arrested on May 22 and is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, harboring aliens, and encouraging and inducing and conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States illegally as well as making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Cahuec Coc faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce illegal entry, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, and mandatory consecutive penalties of two years in prison, respectively, for aggravated identity theft. Carlos Cahuec Coc is charged with encouraging and inducing for financial gain and conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States illegally.  Carlos Cahuec Coc faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce illegal entry. Caal Chen is charged with making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Juan Tiul Xi helped arrange for a 14-year-old female child and her family to find someone to lend them money and pay a “coyote” to smuggle the young girl to the United States.  The smuggling arrangement saddled the UAC and her family with a substantial financial burden. Moreover, Tiul Xi took advantage of a government program designed to protect children who enter the U.S. unaccompanied. Specifically, he instructed the UAC to use the name and birth certificate of Tiul Xi’s minor sister to enter the United States so that he could falsely claim in his UAC sponsorship application that he was the UAC’s brother. Tiul Xi made these false representations in an application that he signed under the penalty of perjury. ORR relied on Tiul Xi’s misrepresentations, approved his application to sponsor the UAC, and released the UAC to Tiul Xi’s care in September 2023. After her release to Tiul Xi from ORR’s custody, Tiul Xi sexually assaulted the UAC, which resulted in his conviction on two counts of sexual battery in state court.  Tiul Xi is serving two consecutive 4-year sentences in Ohio for the sexual assault of the child.  Tiul-Xi pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of encouraging or inducing illegal entry for the purpose of financial gain; one count of making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement; and one count of aggravated identity theft.  His sentence announced today will be served after he completes his state sentence. 

HSI, FBI, and HHS-OIG Cleveland field offices are jointly investigating these cases with assistance from HSI’s Attaché team in Guatemala. Additionally, HSI’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking and HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and ORR, have provided valuable assistance. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Guatemala provided significant assistance in this matter.

Acting Deputy Chief Christian Levesque and Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney/Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Skutnik, Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward D. Brydle, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. Collyer for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting these cases, with assistance from HRSP Analyst/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall. 

The indictments and sentence announced today were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 458 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 408 U.S. convictions; and more than 357 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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

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

Cahuec Coc indictment here.

Tiul Xi indictment here.

Tiul Xi sentencing memo here.

Caal Chen indictment here.

TOLEDO, Ohio – A 35-year-old man has been indicted for making a willful threat to damage a minor league baseball stadium by means of explosives.

On June 3, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Nikolas Samir Salemassi, aka Nikolas Ford, of Trenton, Michigan, with making Threatening Communications Involving Explosives.

According to allegations in court documents, Salemassi made a call to Fifth Third Field on Washington Street in Toledo and to 911 emergency on April 28. During the calls, he stated that it was “not a joke” and that there were several bombs placed around the stadium. Law enforcement conducted a sweep of the stadium but did not find any indication of explosives. During the investigation, agents learned that Salemassi was in Toledo to perform at an open mic night as a comedian at the time and that he was out on probation for a separate offense.

If convicted, Salemassi faces up to five years in prison.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency and Toledo Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorney Tracey Tangeman is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio. 

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

CLEVELAND – A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for manufacturing fentanyl and methamphetamine pills in Cleveland and using his home day care as part of the drug trafficking operation.

Larry Crenshaw-Broadnax was sentenced to 144 months (12 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Benita Y. Pearson after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. He was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release after imprisonment. 

In January 2023, federal agents were conducting an investigation into drug trafficking in Northeast Ohio, which led them to identify Crenshaw-Broadnax as a suspect. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, during a search warrant execution at a warehouse connected to the defendant, agents discovered thousands of blue-colored pills. Several bags containing a white powder substance or multicolored tablets were also found. Additionally, agents located several industrial pill press machines and a five-gallon bucket filled with a binding agent used to make pills. The pills and powder were submitted for lab analysis and tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl. During a search of the defendant’s residence, investigators discovered that it served as a home day care. Pills and powder substances were found there and later confirmed to contain fentanyl and methamphetamine. Agents also seized two handguns, one of which was loaded and found hidden in a children’s toy toolbox.

In total, agents seized 20 kilograms of methamphetamine and 315 grams of fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Cleveland Field Office. 

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Crook for the Northern District of Ohio.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank H. Spryszak was recently recognized for his dedication to eradicate illegal narcotics from the U.S. Mail system and noted for his support of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Toledo Field Office. 

AUSA Spryszak, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Toledo branch, was presented with the “Prosecutor of the Year” Award from the International Narcotics Interdiction Association (INIA). The award was recently presented at the INIA annual conference held in San Diego, California.

AUSA Spryszak’s efforts to identify, prosecute, and support parcel interdiction has earned him a nickname —“the box guy.” 

From February 2023 to March 2025, Spryszak worked side by side with USPIS and DEA agents to support more than 140 seized parcels and nearly 30 search warrants. The combined amounts of narcotics seized from parcels were approximately 72,971 grams of narcotics, including more than 9,300 grams of fentanyl.  Law enforcement’s and Spryszak’s efforts resulted in 31 arrests over this approximate two-year period. Several defendants received sentences of 10 years or more in federal prison.

According to one nominator, “AUSA Spryszak’s diligence, perseverance, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and keeping with the highest tradition of being a public servant. The USPIS would not be as effective and successful in Northwest Ohio without his direction and dedication. He is truly a team player.” 

About the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)

USPIS is the law enforcement branch of the United States Postal Service. To report mail theft or other crimes committed through, or towards, the United States Postal Service, call the USPIS at 1-877-876-2455 or visit uspis.gov/report. For more information about combatting mail theft visit uspis.gov/project-safe-delivery.

Photo L-R:

Gary Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector, AUSA Frank Spyrszak, and Rafael Nunez, Deputy Chief Postal Inspector

TOLEDO, Ohio – As a result of ongoing investigations into several bomb threats made to schools in northern Ohio, an 18-year-old man from Oregon has now been indicted.

On June 3, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Nathan Hayes, 18, of Sweet Home, Oregon, with six counts of making Threatening Communications Involving Explosives. 

Allegations in the indictment indicate that the threats were made on or about March 4 to the following schools located in the Northern District of Ohio:

• Ottawa Hills High School, Lucas County, Ohio
• Bowling Green High School, Wood County, Ohio
• Shaker Heights High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
• Rocky River High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
• Auburn Career Center, Lake County, Ohio
• Cardinal High School, Geauga County, Ohio

According to a criminal complaint filed May 21, law enforcement began investigating bomb threats earlier this year that were made to at least 17 high schools in Ohio. The threats resulted in multiple schools being placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for bombs or other signs of terrorism. However, the threats were found to be swatting, or hoax, calls originating from out of state. Following an investigation, federal agents identified Hayes as the caller. As alleged in the criminal complaint and affidavit, he used multiple aliases to threaten schools and organizations, offered swatting services for sale, and doxed at least one person in Illinois. Doxing is the act of publicly revealing someone's private, personally identifying information online without their consent. He also monitored media coverage to see public reaction to his swatting calls. Hayes is set for an initial appearance in federal court on June 12.

If convicted Hayes faces up to 10 years in prison.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency. 

Assistant United States Attorney Dexter L. Phillips is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

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

AKRON, Ohio – A 29-year-old Medina County man who was possessing controlled substances and manufacturing illegal drugs out of his home, which he intended to distribute throughout Summit and Medina Counties, has been sentenced to prison.

Andrew Meyers, of Medina, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison after pleading guilty to:

• Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; prior conviction in the state of Wyoming for Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess, or Deliver Marijuana in 2019
• Possession with Intent to Distribute 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Ketamine
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
• Engaging in Money Laundering Transactions in Property Derived from Unlawful Activity

He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and forfeit a property. U.S. District Court Judge Christopher A. Boyko imposed the sentence May 28.

According to court documents and evidence presented before the judge, investigations into suspected drug trafficking activity in Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties led federal agents to identify the defendant. In August 2024, during a search warrant execution of Meyers’ residence on Saxon Avenue in Akron, agents discovered a laboratory, packaging materials, digital scales, a drug press, and a money counter. Agents also seized 882.1 grams of MDMA and 363 grams of Ketamine. Other substances found, which are used for the manufacture of THC products, included 2,010.1 grams of Tetrahydrocannabinol, and 900.4 grams of delta-9-Tretrahydrocannabinol. Law enforcement also discovered a Glock 19, semiautomatic firearm and ammunition in his bedroom. Additional items seized throughout the investigation include a BMW motorcycle, a Suzuki dirt bike, a motorhome, and more than $15,000 in cash. Investigators also found that Meyers was attempting to hide the profits from his drug activities through the purchase and improvement of two properties in Akron. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI Akron Resident Agency. 

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.

AKRON, Ohio – A Summit County man has been sentenced to federal prison for committing offenses that involved sexual abuse of children.

Jordan Gazafy, 35, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, has been sentenced to 140 months (11.6 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent, after pleading guilty in February to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, also known as Child Pornography or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment, pay $162,500 in restitution to 25 known victims, and pay $5,100 in special assessments. After imprisonment, he is required to register as a sex offender.

In February 2023, law enforcement was investigating suspected CSAM activity on an internet platform in Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties. Gazafy was identified. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from January 2024 to February 2025, he was receiving and distributing digital files of the sexual abuse of children. During a search warrant execution of Gazafy’s residence, agents seized his electronic devices. Forensic analysis of these devices determined that they contained more than 25,000 CSAM images. Many were sadomasochistic in nature and included prepubescent children and infants being raped.

This investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, FBI Akron Resident Agency and the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND — Jeffrey Lee, a member of the Fully Blooded Felons gang, 25, of Cleveland, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, drug offenses, including fentanyl distribution, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

“This defendant, now a fully convicted and sentenced felon, will spend the next 12 years in prison because of his drug dealing and firearm crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The long sentence handed down by the court underscores the danger that drugs and guns bring to a community, and the seriousness of crimes like this.  The Criminal Division will continue to seek lengthy sentences for gang members who commit drug and gun crimes.”

“We will not tolerate violent drug traffickers like Mr. Lee who devastate our communities and hurt people with the drugs they peddle,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We want to acknowledge the investigators with the Cleveland FBI and the Cleveland Division of Police for their successful efforts which helped our prosecutors put this dangerous criminal behind bars.”

“We are steadfast in our resolve to bring justice to the families whose loved ones have been impacted by the actions of Jeffrey Lee and the Fully Blooded Felons,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “For too long, these gang members have poisoned our communities through their illicit drug, gun, and criminal activities. This case and subsequent sentencing highlights the power of partnership, combining federal and local resources to identify gang members and drug traffickers leading to well-investigated cases. The FBI and its partners will continue to aggressively investigate individuals to dismantle their criminal network and eradicate violence and crime from our neighborhoods.”

As the defendant admitted during his plea hearing and in other court documents, the Fully Blooded Felons have been in existence in Ohio since approximately 2012, operating primarily out of the eastside of Cleveland, as well as Akron, Youngstown, and elsewhere. They are also active in the Ohio prison system.

The Fully Blooded Felons’ structure includes a “Commission,” which is a group of members tasked with maintaining the structure and organization of the enterprise through physical discipline and by determining which illicit means the organization would use to make money.

The Fully Blooded Felons had rules that members were required to follow. The rules were sent to members online, by text message, and in face-to-face communications. Members were required to abide by “omerta,” or the code of silence, and were required to memorize and recite at meetings the “Fully Five,” a set of rules that included following all orders issued by the Commission. If a member did not know the “Fully Five,” they were punished.

To further their drug trafficking, Fully Blooded Felons members used two separate stash-houses at a local apartment complex. During the execution of search warrants, law enforcement recovered close to three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, and seven firearms. In addition to the two stash houses, gang members also sold drugs in an open-air drug market that operated in the space adjacent to the apartment building where the two stash houses were located. Jeffrey Lee was an enforcer and regularly distributed fentanyl and other drugs on behalf of the gang. In one text message exchange, Lee asked another gang member where a .380 caliber handgun was hidden. Lee was also present at one of the trap houses when it was searched by police, who found over a half-pound of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, and cocaine, along with packing and other items used in drug trafficking.

The FBI investigated this case, with substantial assistance from the Cleveland Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Brian W. Lynch from the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Hanna, Robert F. Corts, and Margaret A. Sweeney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Jeffrey Lee, a member of the Fully Blooded Felons gang, 25, of Cleveland, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, drug offenses, including fentanyl distribution, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

“This defendant, now a fully convicted and sentenced felon, will spend the next 12 years in prison because of his drug dealing and firearm crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The long sentence handed down by the court underscores the danger that drugs and guns bring to a community, and the seriousness of crimes like this.  The Criminal Division will continue to seek lengthy sentences for gang members who commit drug and gun crimes.”

“We will not tolerate violent drug traffickers like Mr. Lee who devastate our communities and hurt people with the drugs they peddle,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We want to acknowledge the investigators with the Cleveland FBI and the Cleveland Division of Police for their successful efforts which helped our prosecutors put this dangerous criminal behind bars.”

“We are steadfast in our resolve to bring justice to the families whose loved ones have been impacted by the actions of Jeffrey Lee and the Fully Blooded Felons,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “For too long, these gang members have poisoned our communities through their illicit drug, gun, and criminal activities. This case and subsequent sentencing highlights the power of partnership, combining federal and local resources to identify gang members and drug traffickers leading to well-investigated cases. The FBI and its partners will continue to aggressively investigate individuals to dismantle their criminal network and eradicate violence and crime from our neighborhoods.”

As the defendant admitted during his plea hearing and in other court documents, the Fully Blooded Felons have been in existence in Ohio since approximately 2012, operating primarily out of the eastside of Cleveland, as well as Akron, Youngstown, and elsewhere. They are also active in the Ohio prison system. 

The Fully Blooded Felons’ structure includes a “Commission,” which is a group of members tasked with maintaining the structure and organization of the enterprise through physical discipline and by determining which illicit means the organization would use to make money.

The Fully Blooded Felons had rules that members were required to follow. The rules were sent to members online, by text message, and in face-to-face communications. Members were required to abide by “omerta,” or the code of silence, and were required to memorize and recite at meetings the “Fully Five,” a set of rules that included following all orders issued by the Commission. If a member did not know the “Fully Five,” they were punished. 

To further their drug trafficking, Fully Blooded Felons members used two separate stash-houses at a local apartment complex. During the execution of search warrants, law enforcement recovered close to three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, and seven firearms. In addition to the two stash houses, gang members also sold drugs in an open-air drug market that operated in the space adjacent to the apartment building where the two stash houses were located. Jeffrey Lee was an enforcer and regularly distributed fentanyl and other drugs on behalf of the gang. In one text message exchange, Lee asked another gang member where a .380 caliber handgun was hidden. Lee was also present at one of the trap houses when it was searched by police, who found over a half-pound of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, and cocaine, along with packing and other items used in drug trafficking. 

The FBI investigated this case, with substantial assistance from the Cleveland Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Brian W. Lynch from the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Hanna, Robert F. Corts, and Margaret A. Sweeney for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – Four Cuyahoga County men were arrested for allegedly running a large-scale drug manufacturing and trafficking organization throughout Northeast Ohio. These arrests are the result of an intensive, 15 months-long investigation by federal agents and prosecutors with the Cleveland Homeland Security Task Force.

The following individuals were charged by criminal complaint:

• Marcus Brown, 36, of Cleveland
• Kardell Henderson, 32, of Solon
• Terence Montgomery, 32, of Cleveland
• Devonte Poteat, 30, of Euclid

All four defendants were arrested and remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

According to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) affidavit, in late summer 2025, ATF and Homeland Security Investigations, along with other federal and local law enforcement agencies, were investigating large-scale narcotics trafficking throughout Northern Ohio. Brown, Henderson, Montgomery and Poteat were subsequently identified by law enforcement as suspected drug traffickers.

During a search warrant execution of a suspected stash house in East Cleveland, agents located more than 20 bags that were later confirmed to contain various amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base (crack). One room in the residence was set up for drug manufacturing. Inside, items such as a breathing respirator and a drug press were discovered, along with a loaded firearm. Multiple bags of suspected illegal drugs, which were packaged and prepped for distribution, were also located throughout the residence hidden under mattresses, in furniture, and in a clothes hamper.

“This investigation would not be possible without the incredible collaboration among all levels of law enforcement here in our Northern District of Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer. “We have a common goal to target and go after suspected drug traffickers who destroy our communities. With the support and full resources of the Homeland Security Task Force we are equipped to stop violent criminals who profit from hurting others.”

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) remains steadfast in its commitment to working alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate and dismantle organized criminal organizations that threaten the safety of our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jorge Rosendo. “Through the coordinated efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, we are holding violent offenders accountable and making Northern Ohio a safer place for all residents.”

“The Homeland Security Task Force works alongside state and local law enforcement to safeguard our communities and stem the flow of illicit narcotics into Northeast Ohio,” said HSI Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “I am proud of the HSI special agents and our partners for removing these dangerous drugs from our streets and preventing further harm and loss for Ohio families.”

Additionally, several other locations in Euclid, South Euclid, and Solon connected to the defendants were also subjected to a court-authorized search. Items that were seized included bags of suspected illegal drugs, firearms, ammunition, digital scales, blenders, numerous cellphones, cash, and money counters.

Among all four locations, federal agents seized:

• 1,355.74 grams of Fentanyl
• 1,117.97 grams of Cocaine
• 2,709.16 grams of Cocaine Base (Crack)
• 5 Firearms
• More than $17,000 in U.S. Currency

Brown, Henderson, Montgomery, and Poteat were each charged with:

• Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl
• Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine
• Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl
• Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine

If convicted, each defendant faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Cleveland comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies including ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Border Patrol Air & Marine Operations. Local and regional agencies involved in this case included the Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Heights Police Department, Westlake Police Department, and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Evidence analysis was conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Laboratory.

Assistant United States Attorneys Marc D. Bullard and Scott Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio are leading the prosecution.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

CLEVELAND – A 46-year-old Cleveland man has been sentenced to prison again for paying others to buy firearms for him while he was out on parole for a separate offense. 

Heath Turner was sentenced to 102 months (8.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty to:

• Making a False Statement in Acquisition of a Firearm, and
• Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm; previous convictions include Aggravated Burglary, Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, and Felonious Assault in 2015.

He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

According to court documents, investigators found that Turner enlisted the help of several individuals to illegally acquire firearms. Due to his status as a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from having firearms or ammunition in his possession. However, he collaborated with these individuals to make false statements on purchase applications to deceive federally licensed firearms dealers. After each purchase, these accomplices then transferred the firearms to Turner. During a search of Turner’s residence in June 2024 conducted by his parole officer, law enforcement found several firearms in his possession that others purchased for him including six pistols, two rifles, and a shotgun.

Three other defendants, also of Cleveland, have been sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in this case:

• Antwon Holt, 37, 37 months in prison; three years of supervised release.
• Cassandra Relik, 34, nine months in prison; three years of supervised release.
• Kristy Standen, 42, three years of probation.

This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Wojtasik for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – A Harrison County man has been sentenced to federal prison for committing offenses that involve the sexual abuse of children.

Jason W. Smith, 52, of Bowerston, Ohio, has been sentenced to 188 months (15.6 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker, after pleading guilty in February to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $42,000 in restitution to victims.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from July to September 2025, Smith received and distributed numerous digital files that contained the sexual abuse of children. Investigators found that he was an active participant in multiple online chat groups where he engaged with other child predators. During a search warrant execution of his residence, agents seized Smith’s electronic devices along with multiple sex-dolls depicting adolescent-aged girls and toddlers. Forensic analysis of his electronic devices uncovered more than 1,000 images and videos of CSAM, with the majority involving the rape and torture of toddlers. Upon further investigation, Smith was found to be a previously convicted sex offender.

The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

###

TOLEDO, Ohio – An 18-year-old man from the state of Oregon has been charged with making dozens of hoax bomb threat calls to schools and other organizations in Ohio.

In March, law enforcement began investigating bomb threats that were made to at least 17 high schools in Ohio, including in Lucas and Lake County. As a result of the threats, multiple schools were placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for bombs or other signs of terrorism. The threats were found to be swatting, or hoax, calls originating from out of state. Following an investigation, federal agents identified Nathan Hayes, 18, of Sweet Home, Oregon, as the caller. As alleged in the criminal complaint and affidavit, Hayes used multiple aliases to threaten schools and organizations. It is also alleged that he offered swatting services for sale and doxed at least one individual in Illinois. Doxing is the act of publicly revealing someone's private, personally identifying information online without their consent. Hayes also monitored media coverage to see public reaction to his swatting calls.

If convicted Hayes faces up to 10 years in prison.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency. 

Assistant United States Attorney Dexter L. Phillips is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

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

CLEVELAND – U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer recently recognized a local patrol officer for his acts of heroism to save a mother and her children from a violent criminal.

Patrol Officer Ali Sabeiha, of the Elyria Police Department, was presented with the Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award for the Northern District of Ohio. The award commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. The Hometown Hero Award honors the enduring ideals of liberty, service, and civic responsibility. This award is dedicated in recognition of a steadfast commitment to these ideals and an embodiment of the spirit upon which our Nation was founded.

On Jan. 21, 2026, Officer Sabeiha was on official duty responding to an armed robbery in Elyria. When the pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle ended, the suspect fled on foot. Armed with a firearm, he ran into a residential area where he encountered a mother entering her residence with her four young children. The suspect forcibly entered the home and took the mother hostage at gunpoint.

Despite the danger, and without hesitation or concern for his own safety, Officer Sabeiha rushed into the residence knowing that there were innocent lives at stake. Once inside, he confronted the armed suspect who was actively holding the mother at gunpoint. With exceptional composure, sound judgment, and tactical proficiency, Officer Sabeiha successfully incapacitated the suspect.

“We are grateful for Officer Sabeiha’s actions that day to save a mother and her children from a violent and dangerous criminal. His professionalism in the face of danger is a testament to his unwavering commitment to keep the public safe. It is our honor to recognize him as the Hometown Hero that he is, and for his exemplary service to his department and our community.” - U.S. Attorney Toepfer

AKRON, Ohio – A Stark County man, and previously convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography offenses.

Shane Stouffer, 46, of Canton, Ohio, has been sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, after pleading guilty in January to the following charges in the indictment:

• Receipt of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
• Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM)

He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment.

According to court documents, agents conducting investigations into suspected CSAM activity on social media platforms identified Stouffer in 2025. During a search warrant execution at his residence, which he shared with co-defendant Daniel J. Dobies, 57, investigators found electronic devices belonging to Stouffer which contained approximately 158 videos and 43 images which were CSAM. The files included depictions of children under the age of 12 being raped and molested.

During the investigation, agents conducted a criminal history search of Stouffer and Dobies. Stouffer was convicted in October 1999 for Rape and Gross Sexual Imposition involving minor victims and was again convicted of Gross Sexual Imposition involving a minor victim in 2014. Dobies also had prior convictions related to sexual abuse including Gross Sexual Imposition in 1991, and Attempted Rape in 1993.

Dobies also pleaded guilty to charges of receipt and distribution, as well as possession, of CSAM and is scheduled to be sentenced June 11.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Canton Resident Agency and the Canton Police Department with assistance from the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Stark County Sex Offender Registry.

Assistant United States Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND – Two brothers from Ghana and a woman from the U.S. have been indicted for allegedly being a part of a criminal network that devised romance fraud schemes to obtain money from victims by mostly targeting the elderly in the United States.

An indictment was recently unsealed in United States v. Jamal Abubakari, et al., charging the following three individuals with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering:

• Jamal Abubakari, aka Jamal Abubakar, aka Arrangement, 22;
• Kamal Abubakari, aka Kamal Abubakar, aka Lancaster, 22; and
• Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, aka Amanda Joy Glum, aka Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman, 53.

All three defendants were arrested in Virginia and remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

According to allegations in the indictment, from about July 2024 to April 2026, the defendants targeted older Americans on dating websites and social media platforms to engage in romance fraud schemes. The defendants conspired with others to use fake personas to establish close personal relationships with the victims which were often romantic in nature. After being misled by false stories, the victims sent money via wire transfer to financial accounts controlled by conspiracy members. Portions of the funds were further provided to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere.

A series of cases related to this matter, which have also charged conspiracies tied to Ghana for targeting elderly victims, have been assigned to one U.S. District Judge to coordinate proceedings. While many defendants in those matters are pending trial or sentencing, nine defendants have already pleaded guilty and been collectively sentenced to approximately 50 years of imprisonment.

In United States v. Frederick Kumi, aka Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng, aka Abu Trica, and Daniel Yussif, aka Denteni, aka Slab, Kumi, 31, of Swedru, Ghana, and Yussif, 31, of Accra, Ghana, were charged in December 2025 with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy.

In United States v. David Onyinye Abuanekwu, et al., the defendants below are currently serving prison sentences after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy:

• Dwayne Asafo Adjei, 29, a citizen of Ghana, was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $372,943 in restitution.
• Nancy Adom, 30, of Akron and Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $1,079,559 in restitution.
• Eric Aidoo, 46, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $668,228 in restitution.

The defendant below is currently serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to Obstruction of Justice:

Nader Wasif, 31, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment; one year of supervised release; and ordered to pay $172,644 in restitution.

Additionally, Kelvin Asmah, 28, a citizen of Ghana, was recently arrested after being charged in a second superseding indictment.

In United States v. Otuo Amponsah, et al., the defendants below are currently serving prison sentences after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy:

• Otuo Amponsah 34, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $3,324,675 in restitution.
• Portia Joe 28, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment; three years supervised release; and ordered to pay $2,035,438 in restitution.
• Anna Amponsah 35, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $1,444,639 in restitution.
• Dwayne Asafo Adjei, 29, a citizen of Ghana, was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $372,943 in restitution. This will run concurrent to the sentence from U.S. v. Abuanekwu et al.
• Hannah Adom, 27, of Akron and Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and ordered to pay $278,894 in restitution.

Defendant Abdoul Issaka Assimiou, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.

If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal records, if any, roles in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.

The investigation leading to the indictments was led by the FBI Cleveland Division.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer would like to acknowledge international and national partners for their valuable assistance in this matter:

• Ghana Attorney General’s Office
• EOCO – Economic Organised Crime Office
• GPS – Ghana Police Service
• Ghana Cyber Security Authority
• NACOC – Ghana Narcotics Control Commission
• Ghana Financial Intelligence Centre
• Ghana Immigration Service
• Ghana National Intelligence Bureau
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Sensitive Investigation Unit
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs
• U.S. Department of State
• FBI Washington Field Office
• FBI Legal Attaché Office in Accra
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia

Assistant United States Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Elliot Morrison are leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

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

This investigation and prosecution are in response to the Elder Justice Initiative Program originating from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA). The mission of the EAPPA and Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and scams that target the nation’s elderly population.

Report suspected elder financial abuse at:  tips.fbi.gov/home or justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation.

CLEVELAND – A Geauga County man has been sentenced to federal prison for engaging in online activities that involved Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM).

Jeffrey A. Williams, 50, of Chardon, Ohio, has been sentenced to 110 months (9.1 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, after pleading guilty in January to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. He was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $184,000 in restitution to victims.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from about November 2022 to February 2024, investigators found that Williams knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files which contained the sexual abuse of children. He served as a moderator and participant in online groups where he engaged with others to share CSAM and discuss their sexual interest in children. As moderator, he served as a gatekeeper to more than 50 chat groups and required others to provide CSAM files to him before they were admitted. During a search warrant executed on his electronic devices, investigators found more than 5,300 images and videos of CSAM. About 80 CSAM videos were more than 15 minutes long, with two being more than one hour. His collection included the sexual abuse of infants and the torture and rape of pre-pubescent children.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Cleveland Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer King for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLEVELAND – A New Jersey couple has been indicted for allegedly running an investment scam that took investors’ money with a promise to receive high returns on the development of real estate properties mostly in the Cleveland area. The scam operated as a Ponzi scheme, with victims being misled and lied to, and some early investors paid with funds from later investors.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Gregory, 50, and Danielle Parker, 50, of New Jersey, with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud.

According to allegations in the 65-page indictment, the married couple carried out the real estate investment scheme between January 2017 to December 2023. Victims were led to believe they were purchasing properties, mostly located in Cleveland and East Cleveland, to be developed into multi-family dwellings that would generate above-market returns from rental income. However, the Parkers instead took the investors’ money and used it to repay earlier investors and fund their own lavish lifestyle.

Investigators learned that the Parkers hosted seminars throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, including one held at the Cleveland Hyatt Regency in May 2022. Potential victim investors were then identified from among the seminar attendees. People were enticed to attend the seminars after seeing the Parkers’ luxurious lifestyle depicted on a social media platform. Some videos featured Gregory Parker flying in a private jet, driving a Mercedes-Maybach, or vacationing in the Bahamas. They also shared video announcements for upcoming seminars with titles such as “Rolling with the Parkers,” “Greg Parker Presents: Big Bizzneesss Minus the Business Suit!!!” and “Year of the Millionaire Tour.”  In one video, the Parkers were observed driving a Lamborghini to promote an upcoming seminar entitled “The Road to Financial Freedom.”

Victim investors were typically charged $2,000 to $5,000 to enroll in the Parkers’ real estate investment and mentorship program. Then, the couple would purportedly obtain a single-family or multi-unit rental property on the victim’s behalf in exchange for an agreed-upon down payment.

Victims received very little information about the properties they believed they had purchased. When they contacted the Parkers to ask questions or complain, the Parkers’ responses were often delayed and consisted of run-around excuses.

Investigators found that some victims never received a property, or they received a property without a clear title. Others received a condemned, dilapidated, or otherwise uninhabitable property and were forced to sell, or attempt to sell, the property they did receive at a loss.

While the indictment focuses on 13 victims, investigators believe there are more.

If you believe you were a victim in this matter, please contact the Cleveland FBI at ParkerInvestorTips@fbi.gov with “Parker Investor” in the subject line.

If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal records, if any, roles in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Cleveland Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Megan R. Miller for the Northern District of Ohio is leading the prosecution.

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

CLEVELAND – A Cuyahoga County man who committed a string of armed robberies while he was out on parole for a separate offense has been sentenced back to prison. Fourteen individuals were terrorized with life-threatening violence by his robberies.

Lawrence Sturdivant, 36, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, was sentenced to 352 months (29.3 years) in prison after pleading guilty to:

• Use, Carry, and Brandish a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence
• Interference with Commerce by Robbery
• Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery
• Felon in Possession of Ammunition; prior convictions include Burglary and Attempted Burglary in 2010; and Aggravated Robbery in 2014.

He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese imposed the sentence May 5.

According to court documents and information presented in court, throughout a three-week period in December 2021, Sturdivant terrorized employees and patrons at 10 Cleveland-area stores as he committed robberies at gunpoint. Each time he entered a store, he would wander around the aisles before bringing a small item to the cashier counter. When the cashier opened the cashbox for the sale, Sturdivant pointed his gun at the employees, threatened their lives, and demanded money.

“Mr. Sturdivant’s violent actions inflicted a level of trauma on the employees and customers of these stores that was devastating and life altering,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We are thankful to the ATF and our local police departments for piecing together the evidence in these robberies and bringing this individual to justice. Our community is safer now that this serial criminal will spend decades behind bars.”

The victim businesses that were affected were:

• Walgreens Pharmacy, Chagrin Boulevard, Shaker Heights, Dec. 5, 2021
• Walgreens Pharmacy, Union Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 5, 2021
• Family Dollar, Madison Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 11, 2021
• Family Dollar, South Miles Road, Cleveland, Dec. 11, 2021
• Walgreens Pharmacy, Clark Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 16, 2021
• CVS Pharmacy, Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 16, 2021
• Family Dollar, East 93rd Street, Cleveland, Dec. 17, 2021
• Family Dollar, Kinsman Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 26, 2021
• Family Dollar, 4172 Pearl Road, Cleveland, Dec. 2021
• Family Dollar, Detroit Road, Cleveland, Dec. 26, 2021

“There is no place in our society for criminals like Lawrence Sturdivant,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Smerglia. “The crimes he committed were despicable and cut to the very core of our moral fabric. Prison is exactly what he deserves. The tremendous work conducted by ATF Agents in conjunction with our local partners is a tribute to the excellent partnerships here in Cleveland. Violence will not be tolerated in our community, and I could not be prouder of our investigators and prosecutors for their efforts here every day.”

Investigators also discovered that Sturdivant attempted to hide evidence of his crimes. After the tenth robbery, he cleaned his car, parked it away from where he was staying, and reported it stolen to Cleveland police. When agents later searched his home, they found 9mm rounds of ammunition. In total, Sturdivant stole nearly $3,000 during the robberies.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Cleveland Division of Police-Real Time Crime Center, the Shaker Heights Police Department, and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Joines and Margaret Kane for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – A 38-year-old man has pleaded guilty to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy to transport fentanyl pills from Arizona to North Carolina.

Sadai Lopez, of Goodyear, Arizona, pleaded guilty to the following charges in the indictment:

• Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
• Distribution of a Controlled Substance

According to court documents, from about August 2023 to November 2024, Lopez was engaged in trafficking illegal narcotics from Arizona to Ohio, to be further transported to North Carolina for redistribution. Investigators found that during the conspiracy, Lopez used U.S. Postal Service offices throughout the Phoenix area to mail six parcels to an accomplice in Newton Falls, Ohio. A search warrant on one of the parcels uncovered 1.150 kilograms of fentanyl pills that were contained inside of two vacuum-sealed bags.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the U.S Postal Service Inspection Service.

The prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin E. Bringman for the Northern District of Ohio.

About the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)

USPIS is the law enforcement branch of the United States Postal Service. To report mail theft or other crimes committed through, or towards, the United States Postal Service, call the USPIS at 1-877-876-2455 or visit uspis.gov/report. For more information about combatting mail theft visit uspis.gov/project-safe-delivery.

TOLEDO, Ohio – A Hancock County man has been sentenced to prison for possessing homemade explosives and for being a felon in possession of over 30 firearms.

Robert J. Niederbrack, 70, of Findlay, Ohio, was sentenced to 57 months (4.75 years) in prison after pleading guilty to the following charges:

• Felon in Possession of Firearms
• Possession of Unregistered Firearm Silencers
• Felon in Possession of Explosives

Niederbrack’s prior convictions were in 2009 and included: Possession of Firearm/Ammunition by a Felon; Possession of Place for Trafficking/Sale/Manufacture of Controlled Substances; Cultivation of Cannabis; and Possession of Cannabis over 20 grams.

U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick imposed the sentence May 5. Judge Helmick ordered Niederbrack to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment as well as the forfeiture of 16 rifles, 11 pistols, and 6 shotguns.

According to court documents, federal agents were following up on a report about explosives being manufactured out of a home. Niederbrack was subsequently identified. During a search warrant execution of his storage unit in Ottawa, Ohio, agents seized 33 firearms, firearm silencers, and ammunition. They also found sealed tubes containing explosive powder and fitted with fuses to enable detonation. Additionally, about 25 pounds of explosive powders, including aluminum and sulfur, were in a unit. Instruments for measuring explosive powers, funnels, cardboard tubes, end cap seals, and fuse cords were also found. Agents recovered several materials about warfare devices and techniques. During a second court ordered search where he was residing, additional firearms, firearm silencers and parts, ammunition, and a taser were seized.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI Cleveland Division, and the NW Ohio Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Dexter L. Philips for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – Two brothers, and a public official they befriended, have been sentenced to prison for their roles to carry out schemes to obtain millions of dollars from victims. A federal jury previously convicted the three men for their roles in a multi-layered, elaborate bribery and fraud conspiracy that spanned multiple states and countries.

In January, after a more than two-week-long trial that included 35 witnesses and 324 exhibits admitted as evidence, Zubair Al Zubair, aka Zubair Mehmet Abdur Razzaq, 43, recently of Bratenahl, Ohio; his brother Muzzamil Al Zubair, aka Muzzamil Ibn Muhammad, 33, recently of Pepper Pike, Ohio; and their associate Michael Leon Smedley, 57, of Cleveland, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and Hobbs Act conspiracy. The Al Zubair brothers were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, several counts of money laundering, theft of government funds, and aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Zubair Al Zubair was also found guilty of willful failure to file tax returns. Judge Donald C. Nugent imposed the following sentences May 5:

• Zubair Al Zubair, 288 months (24 years) in prison; three years supervised release after imprisonment.
• Muzzammil Al Zubair, 276 months (23 years) in prison; three years supervised release after imprisonment.
• Michael Smedley, 97 months (8.08 years) in prison; three years supervised release after imprisonment.

Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair were also ordered to pay $19,202,017.98 in joint and several restitutions to victims. Furthermore, Zubair was ordered to pay $1,751,643.20 in unpaid taxes and interest in restitution to the IRS as a condition of supervised release. Muzzammil was ordered to pay $308,498.08 in unpaid taxes and interest in restitution to the IRS as a condition of supervised release. In addition, the brothers were ordered to forfeit 70 firearms and a motorcycle purchased with fraud proceeds.

“The Al Zubair brothers shamelessly used the illusion of being successful high rollers to defraud victims, sway a local city official into doing corrupt actions, and engage in massive fraud,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We appreciate the work of the FBI and IRS investigators who painstakingly uncovered the layers of lies and deception, including attempts to defraud the Small Business Administration and not pay taxes. These lengthy sentences serve as a warning to others that we will not tolerate actions resulting from greed.”

“Today’s sentences send a clear and unmistakable message: elaborate fraud schemes and abuses of public trust will be met with serious consequences. These defendants orchestrated a calculated deception-impersonating foreign royalty to exploit victims for millions-while a public official betrayed the very community he was sworn to serve. Together, their actions undermined confidence in both financial systems and local government,” said Detroit Field Office Special Agent in Charge, Karen Wingerd. “IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to following the money, unraveling complex financial schemes, and holding accountable those who believe they can profit through fraud and corruption. We will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of our financial system and ensure that justice is served”

“This case underscores the depths of deviance criminals will take to cheat people, programs, and the public to fuel their greed and create lifestyle built upon deception,” said FBI Cleveland Acting Special Agent in Charge Tori Gaskill. “While the Al Zubair brothers fraud and scam scheme was complex, the multi-agency partnership led to a thorough investigation resulting in a right and just sentencing and an undeniable message to criminals: whether one person or as part of a criminal network, the FBI and its federal, state, and local partners will not relent in its pursuit to protect the American public from deceptive people and their practices that cause incalculable harm.”

Evidence at trial showed that the brothers used their lies and schemes to obtain millions of dollars from victims which were then spent on a lavish lifestyle of luxury automobiles, designer clothes, expensive dinners, first-class travel all over the world, and an arsenal of firearms. In addition to their fraud and deceit, they engaged in a corrupt bribery scheme to advance their interests with Smedley who served as chief of staff for the City of East Cleveland. Smedley received and solicited thousands of dollars in current and future benefits in exchange for performing, and attempting to perform, official actions.

Among the types of schemes used to access funds from victims were investment fraud, a cryptocurrency mining venture, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and fraudulently obtaining emergency loans from the Small Business Administration during the pandemic.

This case was investigated by the IRS−Criminal Investigation and the FBI Cleveland Division.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Joseph H. Walsh for the Northern District of Ohio.

About the National Fraud Enforcement Division

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

TOLEDO, Ohio – A 46-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to sending and receiving child pornography through a social media platform and to firearms charges.

Ricardo Gibson, of Willard, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment:

• Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM)
• Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; previous conviction for same offense in 2002

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, in May 2023 federal agents were investigating a report made by an online marketplace seller about a man who was buying her children’s used clothing and who then sent her provocative images of prepubescent girls through the platform’s chat function. Agents subsequently identified Gibson and found he continued to express his sexual interest in children and send CSAM to the seller. During a search warrant execution where he was residing, agents found two cellphones, adult sex toys, little girl’s clothing, two handguns, three magazines and 19, 9mm rounds of ammunition. A forensic analysis of his electronic devices uncovered 6,448 CSAM files in his possession.

Gibson is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20, 2026. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 40 years for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and a 15-year maximum for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency, the Huron County Sheriff’s Office, and the Willard Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Frank H. Spryszak for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A 32-year-old Trumbull County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a convenience store shooting in Warren, Ohio. The Aug. 3, 2025, shooting left one person dead.

Jumal Ellis Rowe, of Warren, was sentenced to 92 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; he was previously convicted of trafficking cocaine in 2013 and possession of cocaine in 2020. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

On Aug. 3, 2025, the Warren Police Department and the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunshots and of an individual who was shot at a Convenient Food Mart in Warren. According to court documents, investigators determined that around 5 a.m., several individuals were seen loitering and playing a dice game on the walkway just outside the main door. A fight then broke out and escalated into a mass shooting incident in the parking lot involving multiple individuals. One individual was later pronounced dead and another injured as a result.

Two other defendants involved in the incident, Sean King, 37, and Rayjon Ray McElroy, 25, were charged separately. King is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition. McElroy was sentenced to 25 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person.

This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Youngstown Field Office, the Warren Police Department, and the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin E. Bringman for the Northern District of Ohio.

AKRON, Ohio – A Summit County man with a history of criminal conduct has been sentenced to prison again for violating several federal drug and firearms laws while out on parole for a previous offense.

Darron Portis, 36, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison after pleading guilty to:

• Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; prior convictions include Aggravated Robbery in 2008, Abduction in 2012, Burglary in 2015, and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm in 2021.
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine).
• Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

He was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release after imprisonment. U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson imposed the sentence April 30.

According to court documents, investigations into suspected drug trafficking activity in Akron led federal agents to identify Portis. During the execution of a search warrant in Akron where Portis was staying in January 2025, agents found Portis in possession of a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver and a bag of a white powdery substance, which was later confirmed to be cocaine. Hidden inside the home’s duct work, agents also located a lock box containing purple and white substances and a digital scale. The purple substance was confirmed to be a mixture of tramadol, xylazine, fluorofentanyl, and fentanyl. The white substance tested positive for methamphetamine. Other items seized from the residence included a 12-gauge shotgun and about $1,400 in cash.

This case was investigated by the DEA Cleveland District Office and the Akron Police Department.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Wojtasik and James P. Lewis for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl pills shipped from Arizona to Ohio.

Alijaha Scott, of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
• Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering

According to court documents, from about April 2022 to 2024, Scott and other co-conspirators engaged in a drug trafficking operation that included shipping parcels of fentanyl pills from Arizona to the Youngstown area, where the pills were redistributed to customers. On Aug. 2, 2023, Scott flew from Ohio to Arizona, shipped a drug parcel to the Youngtown area, and then flew back to Ohio. Law enforcement stopped Scott on Interstate 80 after he returned from the trip and found a vacuum-sealing machine (commonly used to package bulk drugs or cash for smuggling) in his suitcase. Law enforcement also reviewed cellphone evidence, which showed Scott was talking to another conspirator about fentanyl pills.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4. A federal district court judge will determine sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

The prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorney James P. Lewis for the Northern District of Ohio.

TOLEDO, Ohio – After a four-day trial, a federal jury found two men and a woman guilty of involvement with an international email hacking scheme that defrauded more than 1,000 victims out of approximately $215 million. The scheme spanned 47 states and 19 countries.

On April 24, 2026, a jury in Toledo, Ohio, convicted Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, 40, of Romeoville, Illinois, Aruan Drake, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Peter Reed, 35, of Oak Forest, Illinois, of Wire Fraud Conspiracy. Additionally, Awoyemi and Drake were convicted of a Money Laundering Conspiracy. U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp II presided over the trial.

In total, 25 defendants have been convicted for their roles in this fraud and money laundering scheme, commonly referred to as a “business email compromise.”

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, individuals, businesses, and other organizations in the United States, were targeted and hacked by Nigerian-linked fraud organizations. Their objective was to gain access to e-mail accounts held by individual users. The co-conspirators would then monitor the communications, and other activities of the individual email users to learn about their business practices and contacts. After gaining sufficient intelligence about the nature of a hacking victim’s activities, the co-conspirators would send a fraudulent e-mail to either the hacking victim, or to someone communicating with the hacking victim, requesting payment. Because the co-conspirators were familiar with the victims’ activities, the fraudulent e-mails were crafted in a way to convince recipients that the request for payment was for legitimate business activities. Once members of the conspiracy obtained payment from victims, conspiracy members used a web of fraudulently created bank accounts and cash transfer systems to launder and distribute the funds.

Approximately $50 million of the stolen money was used to purchase cashier’s checks that were presented for payment to the New Dolton Currency Exchange, a Chicago-area money service business owned and operated by co-defendant Lon Goodman. Goodman accepted cashier’s checks from co-conspirators who presented false identifications or presented checks payable to others. Goodman routinely accepted false know-your-customer information and continued doing business with individuals after being warned by banks that checks were obtained with stolen funds or otherwise returned as fraudulent. When it became too risky to accept cashier’s checks in an individual’s name, Goodman would nonetheless accept checks from those individuals payable to shell companies that those individuals controlled.

In Ohio, victim businesses affected were in Norwalk, Kent, Akron, Hudson, Maple Heights, Westfield Center, New Riegel, and Greenwich.

Outside Ohio, victims were identified in New York, California, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware, Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, New Jersey, and numerous other states.

International victims were identified in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Malaysia, Panama, Bermuda, Romania, and other countries.

The wire transfers sent by the victims ranged from tens of thousands, to millions of dollars. In one instance, a victim business sent $2.7 million to a shell company bank account that was controlled by a conspiracy member.

Among the items seized or subject to forfeiture during the investigation included:

• Nearly $1.2 million worth of cashier’s checks, cryptocurrency, and cash
• Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, $45,000 value
• Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, $30,000 value
• Richard Mille Felipe Massa watch, $140,000 value
• 4,423 square foot residence in Lawrenceville, Georgia

In addition to the convictions obtained after trial of Awoyemi, Drake, and Reed, the following defendants pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering Conspiracy:

• Ayobami Osas Christopher, aka Lovely Man, 30, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Emmauel Okereke, aka Omo Igbo, 42, a Nigerian national, residing in Atlanta,
• Olalekan Bashiru, aka Ola Bash, 36, a Nigerian national, residing in Chicago
• Mark Dabney, 26, of Chicago
• Casey Adesulu Jr., 28, of Houston
• Jeremiah Agina, 29, a Nigerian national, residing in Houston
• Ayorinde Emmanuel Adebayo, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen, residing in Olympia Fields, Illinois
• Emily Agyemang, 35, of Joliet, Illinois
• Ademola Balogun, 43, a Nigerian national, residing in Chicago
• Olabode Bankole, 37, a naturalized U.S. citizen, residing in Loganville, Georgia
• India Barnes, 37, of Atlanta
• Emmanuel Essilfie, 28, a Ghanaian national, residing in Naperville, Illinois
• Chukwuemeka Evulukwu, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen, residing in Atlanta
• Jeremiah Glinsey, 32, of Chicago
• Lon Goodman, 69, of Whiting, Indiana
• Shaquille I. Jackson, 33, of Chicago
• Mikhail Keize, 31, of Loganville, Georgia
• Katiera Lackey, 25, of Houston
• Kingsley Owusu, 37, a naturalized U.S. citizen, residing in Chicago
• Anton Parker, 37, of Chicago
• Carlton Pruitt, 27, of Bellwood, Illinois
• Ronnell Spencer, 35, of Chicago

Each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.

The investigations leading to the indictment were conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Border Patrol Sandusky Bay Intelligence Unit.

Assistant United States Attorneys Gene Crawford and Robert Melching led this prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio recently honored employees for outstanding work in support of the office’s mission during the 2025 calendar year. Award recipients were recognized at the office’s annual USAO Awards during an in-house ceremony April 17.

“Each year, we recognize a special group of employees for their exceptional achievements. The contributions of these men and women—whether behind the scenes or in the courtroom—are critical in executing our mission to protect the public by aggressively enforcing the law,” said United States Attorney David M. Toepfer. “These recognitions signify our deep appreciation for their hard work and dedication to serving our office, and to the people of Northern Ohio.”

USAO employees were recognized across administrative, criminal and civil divisions and are as follows:

Career Achievement Award

Awarded to an attorney with more than 15 years of experience and demonstrated superior professionalism in the execution of duties, excellence in leadership and mentorship throughout their USAO career.

• Assistant United States Attorney Robert Corts, Criminal Division Chief

Attorney of the Year

Awarded for outstanding overall performance and demonstrated a superior commitment to the interests of justice and the USAO mission.

• Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Czerwien, Financial Litigation Unit

Supervisor of the Year

Awarded for superior management skills and excellence in leadership.

• Assistant United States Attorney Elliot Morrison, White Collar Crimes Unit Chief

Support Staff Career Achievement Award

Awarded to a staff member with more than 15 years of experience who demonstrated superior professionalism in the execution of duties, excellence in leadership and mentorship throughout their USAO career.

• Karen Vesely, Paralegal Specialist

Support Excellence

Awarded for outstanding performance for a particular project/case/duty or series of projects/cases/duties in a respective office division:

• Excellence in Administrative Support: Andrew Hejl, Information Technology Specialist
• Excellence in Civil Support: Tina Tennant, Paralegal Specialist
• Excellence in Criminal Support: Ekaterina Marceta, Paralegal Specialist
• Excellence in Criminal Support: Kristen Eder, Legal Assistant

Excellence in Criminal Advocacy

Awarded to the Project Safe Childhood prosecution team for their work to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

• Margaret Kane, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Tracey Tangeman, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Jennifer King, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Sara Al-Sorghali, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Toni Beth Schnellinger Feisthamel, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Carol Skutnik, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Joseph Dangelo, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Frank Spryszak, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Peter Daly, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Allison Kretz, Victim Assistance Specialist
• Gail Hollis, Victim Assistance Specialist

Excellence in Civil Advocacy

Awarded to the litigation team of a medical malpractice action:

• Kimberly Lubrani, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• James Bennett, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Karen Vesely, Paralegal Specialist
• Tina Tennant, Paralegal Specialist
• Devin Zabarsky, Paralegal Specialist

Merit Award

Awarded to the prosecution team of a complex cryptocurrency/cybercrime case:

• James Morford, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Daniel Riedl, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Henry DeBaggis, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Jason Katz, Assistant U.S. Attorney
• Bridget Gedeon, Asset Forfeiture Contractor
• Kristin Thresher, Asset Forfeiture Contractor
• Carol Farago, Asset Forfeiture Contractor

For more information on career opportunities with the USAO, visit usajobs.gov to search for openings in Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, or Akron. To learn more about the Northern District of Ohio, visit justice.gov/usao-ndoh.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Three Northwest Ohio men have been federally charged for child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) related offenses as part of an investigation that culminated in the execution of 16 search warrants last week. An additional four defendants were also arrested during last week’s roundup and are being held on state charges.

The three defendants were arrested on criminal complaints and each charged with Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, also known as CSAM. These cases are separate and not related:

• Gavin Jaffe, 27, of Millbury, Ohio

  According to court documents, investigators found that Jaffe was allegedly active on a social media platform where he sent and received CSAM, as well as messaged others about his sexual interest in children. Agents later learned that Jaffe was previously the subject of a local investigation into CSAM.

• Jared Mishka, 26, of Toledo, Ohio

  Court documents show that during a search warrant execution at Mishka’s residence, agents located several thumb drives that contained thousands of child sexual abuse images and videos. The CSAM materials included pre-pubescent children under the age of 12. Agents also located a list of addresses near his home, each with the name of a female, as well as a collection of girls’ socks.

• Alexander Rojas, 38, of Toledo, Ohio

  According to court document, Rojas allegedly hid a cellphone in the vent of the floorboard during a search warrant execution. Investigators later found that the cellphone contained multiple images of child sexual abuse, including infants. Other items seized from his residence were child-like sex toys, children’s onesies, and underwear for young girls.

“These arrests happen to coincide with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is recognized each April,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer. “Together with the investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners, my office will aggressively prosecute those who take part in any type of these heinous crimes against children and hold them accountable for these despicable actions.”

U.S. Attorney Toepfer will also be highlighting the awareness of crimes against children on the office’s Facebook page in the coming days through timely public service announcements.

Throughout the week-long operation, agents seized a total of 128 digital items of evidentiary value, including computers and cellphones. According to investigators, thousands of CSAM files were located on electronic devices.

The FBI Toledo Resident Agency led the investigations in a multi-agency effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement including:

• Toledo Police Department
• Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
• Henry County Sheriff’s Office
• Paulding County Sheriff’s Office
• Wauseon Police Department
• Lake Township Police Department
• Rossford Police Department
• Defiance Police Department
• Seneca County Sheriff’s Office
• Noble County Sheriff’s Office
• Ohio State Highway Patrol
• Tiffin Police Department
• Defiance County Prosecutor’s Office
• Hancock County Sheriff’s Office
• Lima Police Department
• Hardin County Sheriff’s Office

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Assistant United States Attorney Sara Al-Sorghali is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that criminal and civil collections for the Northern District of Ohio during the first three months of the calendar year totaled $4,338,795.21.

As the chief federal law enforcement officer for the 40 northern counties in Ohio, U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer is responsible for enforcing collections resulting from settlements, restitution paid to crime victims, or money owed to the U.S. Government. In criminal division cases, monetary penalties included as part of a defendant’s judgment are enforced soon after sentencing and are not suspended due to a defendant’s incarceration. In civil division matters, the amounts collected are often the results of monetary settlements.

The months of January, February and March represent the second quarter (Q2) of the USAO’s Fiscal Year 2026 which runs Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 31, 2026.

The Civil Division collected $1,584,586.83 during Q2. Notable cases contributing to the amounts include:

• Dr. Mohammed Kanawati, D.D.S. – The USAO and Drug Enforcement Administration reached a settlement with Pepper Pike, Ohio, dentist Mohammed Ali Kanawati, D.D.S. The settlement resolved civil penalty claims arising under the Controlled Substances Act for failure to maintain complete and accurate records. Kanawati paid a $450,000 civil penalty in full.
• MP Lab Solutions, LLC – The USAO and Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reached a settlement with MP Lab Solutions, LLC, located in Highland Heights, Ohio. The settlement resolved claims related to alleged false claims to Medicare for over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits. MP Lab Solutions has paid the $200,000 settlement in full.

The Criminal Division collected $2,754,208.38 during Q2. Notable cases contributing to the amounts include:

• U.S. v. Davis Lu - Davis Lu, 55, a citizen of China residing in Houston and authorized to legally work in the U.S., was convicted in 2025 by a federal jury of intentionally damaging protected computers by creating destructive computer code that he deployed on his former employer’s network. Lu was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to repay $326,073.04 in restitution to his former employer, Eaton Corporation. This amount has now been paid in full.
• U.S. v. Soumya Rudra - Soumya Rudra, 42, of Whitehall, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and to possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), also referred to as child pornography. Rudra was sentenced to 30 years prison and ordered to pay a $17,000 assessment paid to the Defined Monetary Assistance Victims Reserve, a $5,000 assessment paid to the Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund, and a $50,000 fine paid to the Crime Victims Fund. The fines and assessments have been paid in full.

CLEVELAND – Five men have been charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal nearly $1 million worth of food assistance benefits from low-income families and individuals in Ohio and California.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the following defendants. All are citizens of Romania:

• Ionut Ilie, aka Ionut Dorabantu, aka Morgan Anderson, aka Ionut Craciun-Cercel, aka Lukas Hladky, aka Frederick Juhl, 44, not legally present in the U.S.;
• Constantin Eugen Ion, aka Piranha, 44, also a citizen of Mexico;
• Valentin Velicu, aka Grasu, aka Yanis Karagunis, 50;
• Dragos Georghie Vasile, 46; and
• Marian Alexandru Semplican, 23.

Each defendant is charged with:

• Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud
• Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud
• Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft
• Sale or Receipt of Stolen Government Monies

Ilie faces an additional charge for Reentry of a Removed Alien. He was previously removed from the United States twice: Feb. 24, 2023, and Feb. 25, 2019, after being found in the country without the consent of the Secretary for Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the U.S.

Defendants were apprehended in a series of coordinated arrests throughout Ohio and California, and one remains at large.

According to the indictment, the conspiracy allegedly targeted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is intended to help low-income families and individuals purchase food. In Ohio, the SNAP benefits are loaded onto Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that can be used at retailers to purchase food. Court documents show that the conspiracy also targeted retailers in California with a similar scheme.

Through a form of financial fraud that takes place at the point of sale known as “POS skimming,” the defendants allegedly conspired to install devices onto legitimate card readers at retailers that EBT card users frequent. The devices blend seamlessly with the payment terminals, and victims are most likely not aware that their information has been compromised. The devices are programmed with software to capture payment and personal information from the magnetic stripe when EBT cards are swiped.

To carry out the SNAP benefits theft in Ohio, POS skimmers were mailed from California to several local locations including a UPS Store in Mentor in Lake County. The skimmers were then placed at 7-Eleven stores in Toledo and Maple Heights, Ohio, and at a Broadway Food Center in Toledo. Investigators also found that skimmers were placed at gas stations throughout Cleveland and Toledo. Defendants then allegedly checked card balances before draining the EBT accounts of their funds to load onto blank cards which they then re-sold to others.

During a search warrant execution at one defendant’s residence in North Hills, California, agents found a room that served as a workshop to manufacture POS skimmers. Among the items seized were faceplates for EBT machines, keypads, wiring, schematics for overlay devices, tools to construct the devices, data extraction components, and several fake IDs.

In total, approximately $961,000.00 was stolen, or attempted to be stolen, during the conspiracy.

If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal records, if any, roles in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U. S. Postal Inspection Service.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also acknowledges the assistance of the United States Secret Service, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol-OSP Intelligence Unit.

Assistant United States Attorney Duncan T. Brown for the Northern District Ohio is leading the prosecution.

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

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

CLEVELAND – A 68-year-old man has pleaded guilty to his role in leading a conspiracy to obtain millions of dollars from his employer.

Barry Anderson, of Findlay, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud
• Mail Fraud

According to documents and evidence presented in court, Anderson was a 20-plus year employee with a multinational company specializing in industrial explosives and technical and blasting services, who served in various roles throughout the years. In his role as regional president, Anderson embezzled approximately $400,000 through a fraudulent invoice scheme. Anderson coordinated with Gregory Shuey, the owner of a backhoe and dump truck business, to falsify 373 invoices from 2016 to 2023. Anderson directed the business owner either to greatly inflate the invoices or create fake invoices for services that were never performed. Anderson then paid these invoices on behalf of his employer to Shuey’s business. Shuey then deposited the checks into a bank account that he controlled. From there, he gave Anderson a 50 percent cut of the fraudulently obtained funds as part of their arrangement. Anderson’s employer paid approximately $2,432,844 in fraudulent invoices to Shuey’s business.

In addition to Anderson’s fraudulent invoice scheme, he also caused his employer to make lease payments to himself and others under false and fraudulent pretenses. Anderson and his confederates created limited liability companies (LLC)s which they owned and controlled. Through the LLCs, they purchased properties which they then leased to Anderson’s employer. Anderson caused his employer to enter into lease agreements under false pretenses by concealing the fact that he and his confederates were benefitting financially from the deals. From 2014 to 2023, Anderson was linked to 34 invoices seeking rental payments from his employer, totaling approximately $954,330.

Anderson’s sentencing date is yet to be scheduled. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Megan R. Miller for the Northern District of Ohio leads the prosecution.