Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Michael Jefferson, 43, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a correctional officer at Federal Detention Center (FDC) Philadelphia, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson Wednesday afternoon on one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse of a ward, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, arising from his sexual abuse of an FDC inmate under his authority.

The defendant was charged with those offenses by indictment in May of this year.

As detailed in court filings and statements, in the early morning hours of July 6, 2024, Jefferson entered the cell of an inmate at the FDC and forced the victim to engage in a sexual act, resulting in bodily injury to the victim. While acting under color of law, Jefferson willfully deprived the victim of her right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, a right secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, which includes the right to be free from sexual abuse by a correctional officer.

Jefferson has been suspended from his position by the Bureau of Prisons.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7 and faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Claiborne Bisio.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kevin Krebs, 32, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Mary Kay Costello to possession of an unregistered firearm or destructive device.

The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint in October and charged by information earlier this month.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on June 14, 2025, Krebs was arrested by the West Chester Police Department for carrying a firearm without a license. Two days later, Chester County Detectives executed a state search warrant at Krebs’s residence and discovered what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED), specifically a pipe bomb, and related materials, in a garage attached to the premises.

Bomb technicians responded, examined the device, and determined that it contained nails and screws, which are frequently placed inside IEDs to serve as shrapnel. As the search continued, investigators located multiple additional IEDs, as well as other explosive materials and related components.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31 and faces a maximum possible term of 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency, and the West Chester Police Department, with the assistance of the Montgomery County, FBI, and ATF Bomb Squads, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Frank Menna.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Valentin Lubinski, 26, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, a $3,600 special assessment, and a total of $28,000 in restitution and other assessments by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage for the online sexual exploitation of numerous minor girls and child pornography offenses.

In February 2023, the defendant was charged by indictment with 18 counts of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct, and 18 counts of manufacture, attempted manufacture, and willfully causing the manufacture of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all 36 charges in December of last year.

As detailed in court documents and statements, throughout June of 2022, Lubinski, operating with the handle “Leo_32149,” used a social media application to sexually exploit and extort 18 identified minor victims to self-produce sexually explicit images and videos of themselves and send them to him. The defendant’s victims ranged in age from nine to 16 years old and lived primarily in rural areas throughout the United States.

Lubinski engaged in a common communication style with each victim. He quickly asked the victims how old they were and then lied about his own age, identifying himself as a male between the ages of 13 and 17 years old. He then asked for an image to see what the victim looked like, and upon receipt, responded with a compliment. Lubinski often sent the victims a photo of a teen boy he purported to be himself.

After the initial exchange, the defendant commonly told the victim that he had a question for her, and asked some variation of “R u freaky?” Regardless of the victim’s response, he then asked her to make a deal with him – the victim would send him a picture of his choice, and, in exchange, Lubinski promised to send a combination of pictures and videos of himself to the victim.

Depending on the victim’s level of resistance at this point, the defendant would explain that the photo he wanted “wasn’t bad” and would then ask for a photo of the victim in her bra or underwear, followed by a topless photo. Upon receipt of these images, he took screenshots and asked the victim for more sexually explicit images, and sexually explicit photos with her face included.

Typically, the victim declined to send these images, at which point Lubinski began his sextortion of the victim, threatening to post her topless photo/bra photo/underwear photo on various social media platforms and often sending the screenshot back to her with a banner of text such as, “follow [the victim’s social media handle] she sends nudes.”

Lubinski continued to ask for more explicit and humiliating photos and videos of the girls, often employing a countdown, giving the victims “one minute” to pose in a certain way and send him a photo or video or he would post their other images. Many of the defendant’s victims begged him to stop, as he extorted them.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Amanda McCool.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that RST-Sanexas, Inc. (Sanexas), a Las Vegas, Nevada-based manufacturer and marketer of electric stimulation devices, and its principal owners, Richard Sorgnard, Lisa Sorgnard, and Morhea Sorgnard (“the Settling Defendants”), along with certain related entities, have jointly agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, by causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for electrical muscle stimulation, vitamin injections, and other related services that were not medically reasonable or necessary and for services that were tainted by impermissible kickbacks. The settlement amount is based on the Settling Defendants’ ability to pay.

“Our office continues to lead the national charge to hold alleged fraudsters accountable for improper Sanexas billing,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We will continue working closely with our partners at CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country to hold accountable any other providers who inappropriately billed for these devices and caused false claims to be submitted.”

“Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare enrollees is required of all health care providers participating in the program,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Alongside our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to evaluate and pursue allegedly inaccurate billings of Sanexas and similar devices.”

Sanexas manufactures and markets a medical device called the “RST Sanexas neoGEN-Series,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for electrical nerve stimulation to treat neuropathy and other forms of chronic pain, in certain limited circumstances. The United States contends that between September 2017 and May 2022, the Settling Defendants improperly marketed the Sanexas device for indications that were outside its FDA clearance and not reasonable and necessary, including for treatment of acute pain, improving nerve health, regrowing nerves, and as a combination product with vitamin injections.

Further, Medicare did not cover some Sanexas treatments, or vitamin injections used in conjunction with Sanexas treatments, as marketed by the Settling Defendants and performed by Sanexas customers. In particular, National Coverage Determination 160.7.1 states that “[e]lectrical nerve stimulation treatments furnished by a physician in his/her office, by a physical therapist or outpatient clinic are excluded from coverage...” Multiple local coverage determinations contain similar statements and further provide that vitamin injections are not medically reasonable and necessary when used to perform a nerve block function.

The United States further contends that the Settling Defendants caused provider customers to submit false claims to Medicare for epidermal nerve fiber density (ENFD) testing. ENFD testing involves performing a “punch biopsy” on patients to evaluate nerve damage that purportedly could be treated with the Sanexas device. Sanexas allegedly encouraged providers to conduct ENFD testing following treatment with the Sanexas device to evaluate any improvement in nerve health. However, the Sanexas device is not cleared for healing or regrowing nerves and procedures using the device for those purposes are not covered, and therefore it was not medically reasonable or necessary to conduct such additional testing.

Finally, the United States alleges that the Settling Defendants violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), by paying and accepting illegal inducements in exchange for customer referrals. The AKS prohibits anyone from offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration — which includes money or any other thing of value — to induce referrals of items or services covered by federally funded healthcare programs. The United States alleges that the Settling Defendants violated AKS in two ways. First, the Settling Defendants offered volume-based discounts to distributorships owned and operated by medical providers who performed procedures using the Sanexas device, and paid commissions that were conditioned upon and directly tied to the value of business that the distributors generated on behalf of Sanexas. Second, the Settling Defendants received commissions from a diagnostic laboratory for referring medical providers to perform ENFD testing in conjunction with Sanexas treatment.

This settlement resolves certain allegations in lawsuits filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Western District of Pennsylvania under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Those provisions allow private individuals known as “relators” to sue on behalf of the United States and to share in the proceeds of any settlement or judgment that may result. The relators in these cases will receive statutory awards from this recovery, and also may be entitled to shares of future recoveries from other defendants named in the lawsuits.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Investigative support and assistance were provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The matter was handled in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. Wolfish and Civil Chief Gregory B. David, Eastern District of Wisconsin by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Yun and Michael Carter, and Western District of Pennsylvania by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Brown and Paul Skirtich, along with Civil Fraud Section Senior Trial Counsel Kelley C. Hauser and Trial Attorney Evan J. Ballan.

Prior DOJ press releases related to the Sanexas national initiative include:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/two-doctors-and-their-medical-practice-pay-more-181000-resolve-false-claims-act

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/us-attorney-announces-two-additional-civil-settlements-part-national-effort-combat

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/us-attorney-announces-additional-civil-settlement-chiropractor-and-his-practice-part

In addition, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently entered a Consent Judgment to resolve the action that this Office filed against Joseph M. Childs, DC, Charles H. Durr, DC, and Active Integrated Medical Centers, PC, for breaching their payment obligations under the parties’ $1.9 million settlement agreement relating to Sanexas billing.

The investigation and pursuit of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud, including in the healthcare technology arena. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the FCA. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The claims above are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Donte Samuel Brown, 45, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by superseding indictment with two counts of robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of bank robbery.

The indictment alleges that Brown robbed a Family Dollar store in Delaware County on August 15, 2024; robbed at gunpoint a Sunoco gas station in Montgomery County on January 28, 2025; and robbed a TD Bank branch in Delaware County on February 19, 2025, stealing a total of over $8,000 cash in these robberies. The defendant was initially indicted in July of this year for the bank and gas station robberies.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency, the East Norriton Township Police Department, Ridley Township Police Department, and Upper Darby Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Sandra Urban and Brian Doherty.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Saikeen Dixon, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 147 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for his role in the armed carjacking of a FedEx truck in August of 2022.

Dixon and co-defendant Ronald Byrd, 37, also of Philadelphia, were charged by superseding indictment in September 2023. In June of this year, both were convicted at trial of carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.[1]

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on August 9, 2022, a package was sent from “Karen Boothe” of “Caliber Consulting LLC” in Buena Park, California, to “Universal Medical Inc” at 3401 North Broad Street, Suite 101, in Philadelphia, which is the address for Temple Hospital.

A FedEx Express driver, J.H., was delivering packages to Temple Hospital on the morning of August 10, 2022. J.H. began receiving phone calls and text messages from a former FedEx Express employee, P.A., asking for a package addressed to “Universal Medical Inc” at Temple Hospital.

After J.H. arrived at the Temple Hospital loading dock, P.A. met him there and asked him again for the package addressed to “Universal Medical Inc.” J.H. told P.A. he could not give him the package. P.A. continued asking for it, even offering J.H. $5,000 in exchange. J.H. refused and called his supervisors.

J.H.’s supervisors, R.J. and D.J., arrived at the Temple Hospital loading dock driving a FedEx van. They took the package P.A. was asking for onto their FedEx van, told J.H. to do his next round of deliveries at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, which is right next to Temple Hospital.

D.J. saw a black Jeep Cherokee come out of the Temple Hospital loading dock and follow the FedEx truck. P.A. then approached D.J. and asked her if he could have the package that he had asked J.H. for; she told him that he could not.

After finishing his deliveries at Shriners, J.H. drove his FedEx truck south on Broad Street towards the FedEx distribution center at 3600 Grays Ferry Avenue, with D.J. and R.J. following behind in their FedEx van. The black Jeep Cherokee that D.J. had seen continued following J.H.’s FedEx delivery truck.

At a red light about a block from the FedEx facility, the black Jeep, driven by defendant Dixon, pulled in front of the FedEx truck. Defendant Byrd got out of the passenger side of the Jeep, pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at J.H., and approached the driver’s side of the FedEx truck. J.H. jumped out of the passenger side door and ran into oncoming traffic, heading toward the FedEx facility.

Byrd climbed into the FedEx truck and drove westbound across the Grays Ferry Bridge before pulling over at 47th and Linmore in Southwest Philadelphia, with Dixon following him in the Jeep. Byrd tried to open the back of the FedEx truck but could not, so he abandoned the FedEx vehicle and got back into the Jeep, which fled the scene.

After the carjacking, a trained narcotics K9 alerted to the package that P.A. had been asking for and investigators obtained a search warrant. Inside were nine individual packages wrapped in plastic and labeled “DSQUARED2,” each of which weighed approximately one kilogram and field-tested positive for cocaine. Lab testing later confirmed that the packages contained a total of approximately 9.005 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $500,000.

“The brazen acts in this case posed a direct threat to the safety, security, and quality of life to Philadelphia residents,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The coordinated efforts and diligence of the Violent Crimes Task Force and our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office made today’s result possible. We remain steadfast in our collective mission of combating violent crime and keeping our communities safe.”

This case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Bowerman.

[1] Byrd was also convicted at trial of attempted possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. After trial, Byrd also agreed to plead guilty to an additional firearms charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that David Easley, 39, of Georgia, was sentenced to two months' incarceration and 26 months of supervised release, with the first two months on home confinement, by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for evading security requirements at Philadelphia International Airport.

The defendant was charged by information in May of this year and pleaded guilty in July to one count of evading airport security, arising from his use of the identification badge of an airline employee to access a secured, sterile area of Philadelphia International Airport, knowingly and willfully bypassing airport security. Easley has never been employed at the Philadelphia International Airport.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on March 9, 2024, Easley was a ticketed domestic airline passenger, scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Georgia, on a flight departing at 7:05 p.m. At approximately 6:35 p.m., video surveillance captured Easley using an airport Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) badge belonging to an airport employee, typing a passcode on the keypad, and gaining access through the secure doors leading from the public side of the airport ticketing area to the secure area of the airport.

The defendant entered a restricted area for employees that is between the public, pre-security ticketing area and the public, post-security “sterile” terminal. Easley did not go through TSA screening before entering this secure area.

Easley then used another door to enter the public “sterile” terminal area of the airport, that being the area where screened passengers have access to board their flights. The TSA encountered Easley while conducting random security inspections to prevent prohibited items and unauthorized individuals from accessing the sterile area.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Recovery Centers of America (RCA) has agreed to pay $1,000,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) that are designed to prevent the diversion of controlled substances for illegal uses, and an additional $1,000,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by billing the government for drug and alcohol treatment services that it failed to adequately provide.

The United States’ allegations under the CSA arise from audits and investigations the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted at RCA facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland between 2019 and 2024. Based on those audits and investigations, the United States contends that RCA dispensed controlled substances in an unlawful manner, that certain controlled substances were missing from the company’s records, and that the company failed to comply with additional recordkeeping requirements of the CSA.

In addition, the United States alleges that, at certain facilities during a period from 2017 through 2019, RCA violated the FCA by billing the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and Medicaid for the care of beneficiaries to whom it failed to provide and document the requisite treatment services.

“Drug and alcohol treatment facilities must prescribe and store controlled substances in a manner that comports with rules designed to ensure that dangerous drugs do not fall into the wrong hands. They also must provide treatment services that comply with all governing laws and regulations,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “When they fail in either of those critical duties they will face significant consequences.”

“When rehabilitation and treatment centers do not live up to their obligations, our office will vigorously pursue the violations,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Division. “Careless behavior and failure to adhere to the provisions of the CSA allows for substances to be diverted and sold without accountability.”

“This settlement underscores our agency’s steadfast commitment to investigating alleged False Claims Act violations targeting federal health care programs,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Unlawful dispensing of controlled substances and billing for unprovided care endanger patients and defraud taxpayers. HHS-OIG will continue working with our partners to hold providers accountable and protect patient safety.”

“Patients seeking to recover from addiction should be able to trust that treatment facilities will provide safe, legitimate care in support of their health,” said Derek M. Holt, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG). “We thank our dedicated staff and federal law enforcement partners for holding accountable those facilities that instead seek to exploit vulnerable federal employees and their family members.”

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblower, a former Outcomes Supervisor at RCA’s corporate headquarters in King of Prussia, Pa., to receive a $230,000 share of the settlement amount. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. McLoyd v. TRC-OC, Trading as Recovery Centers of America Holdings, LLC, No. 17-cv-5164 (E.D. Pa.).

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the DEA, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

The matter was handled in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Carr and Charlene Keller Fullmer and former auditor Dawn Wiggins.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability. 

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Michael Hochman, 52, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 240 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for downloading and collecting thousands of images and video of child sexual abuse material.

The defendant was charged by information with receipt of child pornography and pleaded guilty in June.

In 2002, Hochman was convicted in the state of Kansas of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, for which he was sentenced to 55 months’ imprisonment. In that case, he communicated online with a 13-year-old girl, manipulated her into producing sexually explicit images, and traveled to Kansas and engaged in sex with the child on multiple occasions.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Vernon Baker, 41, of Linden, New Jersey, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Anita B. Brody to one count of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft.

The defendant was charged with that offense by indictment in January of this year.

As detailed in court filings, on October 30, 2024, aboard a commercial flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Baker made sexual advances toward the female passenger sitting next to him. After the victim refused his advances, Baker took out his penis and forcibly tried to get the victim to touch him. He then grabbed her breast over her clothing and untied her pants. Traumatized and shaken, the victim rushed to the back of the cabin, where she reported this assault to flight attendants.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3 and faces a maximum possible term of three years’ imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh Davison and Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan Gordon.

Mark Tucci, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and $16,529.44 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for multiple offenses arising from racist, violent threats made by phone, email, text message, and in person, that targeted African-Americans.

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: hate-based violence has no place in America,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division remains committed to ensuring that all Americans feel safe in their cities and communities.”

“Every citizen is entitled to a peace and security undisturbed by the abhorrent and racist threats that took place in this case, full stop,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “No citizen has the right to inflict, and no citizen has the duty to endure, the verbal harassment and racist attacks that the defendant committed in our District.”

“Today's sentencing reinforces our commitment to protecting every individual's civil rights and ensuring that those who intimidate, harass, or threaten our citizens are brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office. “The FBI and our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the United States Attorney's Office will continue to work side by side to safeguard our communities from threats of violence.”

The defendant pleaded guilty to an information on Aug. 21, charging him with two counts of interfering with federally protected activities, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of interstate communication of threats.

As detailed in the information and other court filings, the defendant repeatedly called and sent text messages and emails that consisted of racial epithets and violent threats to harm an employee (Victim 1) of an agency of the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Agency 1), and Victim 1’s colleagues.

Between about April 18, 2024, and June 2, 2024, Tucci emailed Victim 1 multiple times regarding a records request he had made to the agency. This escalated on June 3, 2024, when he repeatedly called Philadelphia Agency 1, and during two of those calls, he spoke with Victim 1, identified himself by name, and screamed at Victim 1, who asked him to stop screaming. He continued to do so, causing Victim 1 to hang up each time.

During subsequent calls on June 3 with Philadelphia Agency 1, Tucci spoke with two of Victim 1’s colleagues, using racial epithets and making threats. Specifically, the defendant said that he was going to come down to Philadelphia Agency 1 the next day and hurt everyone, and that he had Victim 1’s home address and was going to hurt Victim 1.

Tucci sent multiple emails to Victim 1 the same day, using similar racial epithets and threats. He also texted Victim 1 on their personal cell phone, a phone number that Victim 1 had never provided to the defendant. The text messages from Tucci to Victim 1 mentioned Victim 1 by name, and the name of the street on which Victim 1 resided at the time. The messages included a warning that “This is personal now,” and additional threatening language.

Tucci’s communications caused Victim 1 severe emotional distress, and fear that Tucci would find Victim 1 and seriously injure or kill them or their family members.

Tucci willfully intimidated and interfered, and attempted to intimidate and interfere, with Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s race and color, and because Victim 1 was enjoying employment by, and all perquisites of, an agency of the City of Philadelphia, a subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Also detailed in court filings, on the morning of Feb. 1, 2024, Tucci pulled up next to another car in heavy traffic on I-95 southbound, lowered his windows, and repeatedly screamed racial epithets and threats to kill and shoot the other car’s driver (Victim 2), who is African-American. Tucci then reached down into his car, at which point Victim 2 believed Tucci was reaching for a gun. Instead, Tucci pulled out a glass mug containing coffee, and threw it at Victim 2’s vehicle, terrifying Victim 2 and damaging their car.

The incident occurred while Victim 2 was enjoying a facility provided and administered by a state and a subdivision thereof, that is, driving on I-95.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Jeanette Kang and Michelle L. Morgan for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Samuel Kuhn of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Tucci, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and $16,529.44 in restitution by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for multiple offenses arising from racist, violent threats made by phone, email, text message, and in person, that targeted African Americans.

In August of this year, the defendant pleaded guilty to an information charging him with two counts of interfering with federally protected activities, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of interstate communication of threats.

As detailed in the information and other court filings, the defendant repeatedly called and sent text messages and emails that consisted of racial epithets and violent threats to harm an employee (Victim 1) of an agency of the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Agency 1), and Victim 1’s colleagues.

Between about April 18, 2024, and June 2, 2024, Tucci emailed Victim 1 multiple times regarding a records request he had made to the agency. This escalated on June 3, 2024, when he repeatedly called Philadelphia Agency 1, and during two of those calls, he spoke with Victim 1, identified himself by name, and screamed at Victim 1, who asked him to stop screaming. He continued to do so, causing Victim 1 to hang up each time.

During subsequent calls on June 3 with Philadelphia Agency 1, Tucci spoke with two of Victim 1’s colleagues, using racial epithets and making threats. Specifically, the defendant said that he was going to come down to Philadelphia Agency 1 the next day and hurt everyone, and that he had Victim 1’s home address and was going to hurt Victim 1.

Tucci sent multiple emails to Victim 1 the same day, using similar racial epithets and threats. He also texted Victim 1 on their personal cell phone, a phone number that Victim 1 had never provided to the defendant. The text messages from Tucci to Victim 1 mentioned Victim 1 by name, and the name of the street on which Victim 1 resided at the time. The messages included a warning that “This is personal now,” and additional threatening language.

Tucci’s communications caused Victim 1 severe emotional distress, and fear that Tucci would find Victim 1 and seriously injure or kill them or their family members.

Tucci willfully intimidated and interfered, and attempted to intimidate and interfere, with Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s race and color, and because Victim 1 was enjoying employment by, and all perquisites of, an agency of the City of Philadelphia, a subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Also detailed in court filings, on the morning of February 1, 2024, Tucci pulled up next to another car in heavy traffic on I-95 southbound, lowered his windows, and repeatedly screamed racial epithets and threats to kill and shoot the other car’s driver (Victim 2), who is African American. Tucci then reached down into his car, at which point Victim 2 believed Tucci was reaching for a gun. Instead, Tucci pulled out a glass mug containing coffee, and threw it at Victim 2’s vehicle, terrifying Victim 2 and damaging their car.

The incident occurred while Victim 2 was enjoying a facility provided and administered by a state and a subdivision thereof, that is, driving on I-95.

“Every citizen is entitled to a peace and security undisturbed by the abhorrent and racist threats that took place in this case, full stop,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “No citizen has the right to inflict, and no citizen has the duty to endure, the verbal harassment and racist attacks that the defendant committed in our District.”

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: hate-based violence has no place in America,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division remains committed to ensuring that all Americans feel safe in their cities and communities.”

“Today's sentencing reinforces our commitment to protecting every individual's civil rights and ensuring that those who intimidate, harass, or threaten our citizens are brought to justice,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI and our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the United States Attorney's Office will continue to work side by side to safeguard our communities from threats of violence.”

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Jeanette Kang and Michelle L. Morgan and Trial Attorney Samuel Kuhn of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that five foreign nationals convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were recently sentenced.

Gerardo Antonio Estrada-Rios, 28, a Honduran national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Costello to 18 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Estrada-Rios had previously been removed from the U.S. in August 2016 and July 2019, and again in October 2024, after he had completed a two-year prison sentence resulting from his 2022 conviction in Houston, Texas, on a charge of “robbery – bodily injury.”

In March of this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became aware that the defendant was incarcerated at the Lehigh County Prison in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Estrada-Rios was arrested on a federal criminal complaint and warrant in May, charged by indictment with illegal reentry in June, and pleaded guilty in August.

Julio Cesar Concepcion, 41, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney to 12 months and one day in prison for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

In 2019, Concepcion was indicted for drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Following the expiration of his sentence, he was removed to the Dominican Republic in August 2021.

In April of this year, ICE encountered Concepcion in a Philadelphia parking lot. He admitted he was in the U.S. illegally and was taken into custody. The defendant was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in May and pleaded guilty in August.

Sean Christian, 35, a Jamaican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. to 12 months and one day in prison and two years of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Christian had previously been removed from the U.S. in August 2016, following his conviction that April in Maricopa County, Arizona, of attempt to transport marijuana for sale in an amount over the statutory threshold, for which he was sentenced to three years of probation with six months’ imprisonment.

ICE became aware in 2024 that Christian had reentered the U.S. illegally. After conducting surveillance to confirm his identity and location, ICE officers took him into custody in March of this year. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in April and pleaded guilty in June.

Isaac Tapia Hernandez, 35, a Mexican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Kai N. Scott to 10 months in prison for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Tapia Hernandez had previously been removed from the U.S. in May 2019 and twice in June 2019, after he was stopped at the border by immigration authorities in Laredo, Texas.

In February of this year, ICE learned that the defendant was in Chester County Prison on an outstanding warrant, in connection with charges brought against him in April 2019 in the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County.

ICE arrested Tapia Hernandez on a federal criminal complaint and warrant in May. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in June and pleaded guilty in August.

Geysi Enecon Aguilar Montoya, 41, a Honduran national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to time served, approximately three months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Montoya had previously been removed from the U.S. four times, in October 2007, November 2012, November 2013, and March 2024.

In July of this year, ICE received information that Montoya had again illegally reentered the United States. He was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in August, charged by indictment with illegal reentry in September, and pleaded guilty last month.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Potts, Robert Schopf, and Terri Marinari.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that the United States has entered a settlement agreement with Scottie Girl, LLC, d/b/a The Breastfeeding Shop, in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and its owner Patricia Gatter to resolve allegations that The Breastfeeding Shop submitted false claims for reimbursement for breast pumps and related equipment for TRICARE beneficiaries. The Breastfeeding Shop and Ms. Gatter will collectively pay the United States $1 million to resolve the allegations.

TRICARE, managed by the Defense Health Agency, is the health care program for U.S. military service members, retirees and their families worldwide. In 2015, the TRICARE program rolled out a new benefit of breast pumps and related equipment for nursing mothers.

The United States alleged that during the early years of the new benefit, The Breastfeeding Shop billed the TRICARE program hundreds of dollars more per breast pump than it charged to the Pennsylvania Medicaid Program, thereby utilizing a prohibited dual fee schedule. The United States also alleged that The Breastfeeding Shop engaged in prohibited “unbundling,” meaning The Breastfeeding Shop would take breast pump accessories that are pre-packaged and included in the standard breast pump kit and then bill TRICARE separately for each item as a replacement part.

“Durable medical equipment suppliers play a vital role in providing safe and effective medical products to patients in need, and especially to our brave service members and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “As alleged, The Breastfeeding Shop and Gatter prioritized their own financial interests through a billing scheme that was to the detriment of the government. This conduct will not be tolerated by my office.”

“Today’s settlement is a direct result of the relationship we have with our partners at the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Audit component and the Department of Justice,” stated Christopher M. Silvestro, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Northeast Field Office, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Office of Inspector General. He further stated, “Fraud involving TRICARE, the healthcare system for military members and their families, is something we take seriously and will investigate fully.”

“Protecting the integrity of the TRICARE program and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars are top priorities for the Defense Health Agency. This settlement sends a clear message that we will not tolerate practices that exploit the program and inflate costs at the expense of our service members, veterans, and their families. Access to essential medical equipment, like breast pumps, is vital for the health and well-being of new mothers and infants within our TRICARE community. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service for their continuing dedication to the pursuit of justice,” stated Dr. Glen Diehl, Acting Deputy Director of the Defense Health Agency.

Assistant United States Attorney Judith Amorosa and former Auditor Dawn Wiggins handled the case for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The matter was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Services of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the establishment of the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a focused federal effort dedicated to eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that fuel fentanyl overdoses and deaths, inject violence into our communities, facilitate human trafficking, and exploit vulnerable communities across the city and surrounding region.

HSTF Philadelphia is part of the Department of Justice’s nationwide campaign to dismantle TCOs, following the President’s Executive Order and the Attorney General’s directive establishing Homeland Security Task Forces across the country.

Philadelphia faces unique challenges as a major metropolitan hub and port city. At the center of those challenges is the fentanyl crisis and the violence that accompanies it. As cartels pour deadly drugs into this district that do immeasurable damage, they’re also fueling gun trafficking and violent gang activity that destabilize neighborhoods and put families at risk.

From drug corners in Kensington to illegal firearms transported through the interstate corridor, HSTF Philadelphia will confront these threats head on, uniting federal, state, and local resources to identify, prosecute, and eliminate the criminal networks responsible.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will bring the most serious charges available — racketeering, continuing criminal enterprise, terrorism-related statutes, and major narcotics conspiracies — to dismantle TCOs from top to bottom. Prosecutors will also pursue human trafficking and smuggling cases, especially those exploiting minors, and will strip cartels of their financial power by seizing and forfeiting illicit assets. Where violence threatens communities, the office will move swiftly to secure detention and bring offenders to justice.

“Transnational gangs bring fentanyl, violence, and human misery into Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. Let me be clear: they will find no safe harbor here,” said U.S Attorney Metcalf. “My office will use every federal statute, every investigative tool, and every ounce of our authority to prosecute them, dismantle their networks, and put their leaders behind bars for as long as the law allows.”

HSTF Philadelphia is co-led by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Partner agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This announcement builds on prosecutions already under way in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Recent indictments have charged defendants allegedly tied to transnational criminal organizations and foreign distribution networks pouring millions of dollars of fentanyl, cocaine, and other illegal drugs through Philadelphia:

• Humberto Gutierrez-Orozco, 37, a Mexican national illegally in the United States, was charged with trafficking over $10 million worth of cocaine from Mexico, after he attempted to smuggle these deadly drugs into and across the United States, including to Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, as alleged in court filings.

  HSTF investigators conducted a covert operation after agents identified a tractor-trailer with 440 kilograms of cocaine secreted inside. As part of that operation, Gutierrez-Orozco was arrested, and the drugs were seized.

  If convicted, Gutierrez-Orozco faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.

• Four defendants have been charged with allegedly trafficking bulk amounts of fentanyl, in related cases.

  Victor Bueno-Fermin, 54, a Dominican national illegally in the United States, and Yesenia Duarte-Paulina, 35, of the Dominican Republic, were charged with trafficking 689 grams of fentanyl, and heroin. Bueno-Fermin was also charged with illegally reentering the United States after a prior deportation. Jose Rondon, 25, of New York, was charged with trafficking 865 grams of fentanyl, and cocaine, and Manuel Antonio Sanchez-Santos, 51, of the Dominican Republic, was charged with trafficking 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl.

  Their indictments followed coordinated drug raids earlier this year in North and Northeast Philadelphia by HSTF agencies and partners. As detailed in court filings, HSTF investigators seized over three kilograms of fentanyl in the raids, which equals millions of individual doses of this dangerous drug.

  If convicted, each of these defendants faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.

• Francis Rondon-Caceras, 32, a Dominican national and the alleged leader of a large-scale fentanyl trafficking organization, was charged along with seven other individuals with distributing millions of dollars' worth of fentanyl into Philadelphia, as well as Western Pennsylvania.

  As alleged in the indictment, this criminal organization utilized packaging houses in Philadelphia to process bulk amounts of fentanyl, which members of the organization mixed with adulterants, including the horse tranquilizer xylazine, in order to expand their profit margins and to “boost” and extend the drugs’ effects.

  As further alleged in court filings, HSTF partners caught the defendants trafficking over 10 kilograms of fentanyl, and over $185,000 in drug proceeds was seized during the investigation.

  Donald Griffin, 32; Francisco Quezada, 41; Alexi Quezada, 36; Juan Fransella-Jose, 36; Alexander Rodriguez Crouset, 38; Victor Jose Herrera Castillo, 44; and Juan Ortiz, 35, were charged in the indictment, along with Rondon-Caceres. Except for Griffin, of Allegheny County, Pa., the defendants in this case are Dominican nationals illegally in the United States.

  If convicted, each of these defendants faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.

These cases demonstrate how federal prosecutions can both disrupt the flow of deadly drugs into our region and eliminate criminal drug trafficking organizations operating here.

“Our neighborhoods deserve to be free from the grip of cartels and gangs that traffic in drugs, guns, and people,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “HSTF Philadelphia is about more than prosecutions — it’s about protecting families, restoring safety, and ensuring that no community in our district is left vulnerable to the reach of transnational criminal organizations.”

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

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments above are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rasheen Harvey-Fields, 18, Tavon Fry, 20, and Saair Steele, 21, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were charged by superseding indictment with conspiring to commit, and committing, multiple carjackings, and related firearms offenses.

Harvey-Fields and Fry made their initial appearances in federal court in Philadelphia this week and Steele made his initial appearance last week. All three are detained in federal custody.

The superseding indictment alleges that, from approximately June 25, 2025, until at least July 11, 2025, the defendants and others conspired to steal at gunpoint numerous vehicles, often using the vehicles they carjacked to commit other crimes, including robbery, aggravated assault, and more carjackings.

As further alleged, the defendants sometimes used the pretense of buying or selling marijuana to mislead their victims and facilitate the carjackings, and other times targeted individuals who were exiting their vehicles.

The three defendants are charged with conspiring to commit a total of 11 carjackings, all in Philadelphia, with the alleged participants in each carjacking noted:

June 25, 2025 – 1400 block of Bouvier Street (Harvey-Fields and others)

June 28, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street (Harvey-Fields and others)

June 29, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street (Harvey-Fields, Fry, and others)

July 1, 2025 – 11th and Wallace streets (Harvey-Fields and others)

July 3, 2025 – 1700 block of North 60th Street (Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)

July 3, 2025 – 700 block of South 55th Street (Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)

July 3, 2025 – 6000 block of North 5th Street (Harvey-Fields and others)

July 6, 2025 – 6100 block of West Girard Avenue (Harvey-Fields and others)

July 6, 2025 – 600 block of West Cumberland Street (Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)

July 7, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street (Harvey-Fields and others)

July 7, 2025 – 2100 block of Natrona Street (Harvey-Fields and others)

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Branwen McNabb O’Donnell and Shannon Zabel.

The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jeffrey Hernandez, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, the statutory maximum sentence allowed by law, and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone for illegal possession of a firearm by felon.

Hernandez was charged by superseding information and pleaded guilty in August of this year.

As detailed in case filings and admitted to by the defendant, Hernandez possessed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol loaded with 30 live rounds of ammunition, despite knowing that he was not permitted to possess a firearm given his status as a convicted felon.

As further detailed in court documents and hearings, Hernandez was found in possession of the firearm after the FBI and Philadelphia police received credible information that the defendant and three other men were on their way to kill someone in retaliation for an earlier shooting.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Martin and Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan Gordon.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Marvin Enrique Pena-Portillo, 38, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to seven months in prison and two years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mia Roberts Perez for possession of a firearm by a felon.

Pena-Portillo was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in April of this year and charged by information in June. He pleaded guilty in July, waiving prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on April 15, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested the defendant for immigration violations, Pena-Portillo had a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his waistband.

In August of 2024, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pena-Portillo had pleaded guilty to carrying an illegal firearm in public and was sentenced to two years of probation for that offense.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Eckert.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Khalil Dickens, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, five years’ supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney for committing a series of violent armed carjackings and robberies in the summer of 2023.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January 2024 and pleaded guilty in July of this year to conspiracy, eight counts of carjacking, and three counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, between approximately June 2023 and July 2023, Dickens and others took part in seven armed carjackings, an attempted armed carjacking, 11 additional gunpoint robberies, and one receipt of a carjacked car, all in the city of Philadelphia. A number of these crimes involved the perpetrators physically assaulting, pistol-whipping, or even shooting, or shooting at, their victims.

“Khalil Dickens and his associates created their own crime wave, committing some 20 violent gunpoint robberies and carjackings in six weeks,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We simply will not permit dangerous criminals to run around our city terrorizing innocent people. As Dickens can now attest, anyone violently victimizing others like this should be ready to spend not just years, but decades, in prison.”

“With Khalil Dickens sentenced to a quarter century in federal prison, a dangerous criminal is taken off Philadelphia’s streets,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Dickens and the other perpetrators physically assaulted and even shot at the victims of their many carjackings and robberies. Working with our Carjacking Task Force partners we are using the ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools to stop criminals and protect our communities.”

“Violent carjackings and armed robberies cause fear in our neighborhoods and inflict real trauma on the people we serve,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: if you choose to commit violent crimes in Philadelphia, you will be held fully accountable. I want to thank our federal partners and the dedicated investigators of the Philadelphia Police Department who worked tirelessly to bring this individual to justice. Together, we will continue to pursue those who harm our residents and work every day to make our city safer.”

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Shaquan Brown, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe on Thursday to 272 months’ incarceration for conspiracy to commit armed home invasion robberies targeting the businesses and attached residences of their owners, as well as robbery affecting interstate commerce and attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Brown was charged by indictment with these crimes in August 2020 and convicted at trial on April 16, 2024.

From November 2019 through January 3, 2020, Brown and three co-conspirators conspired to carry out a series of robberies that targeted business owners and another individual that they believed would keep cash in their home. The offenders used zip ties, duct tape, and firearms to commit these crimes. Brown researched his victims and their businesses, using a GPS tracking device to learn where the victims lived. The defendant and his co-conspirators targeted victims they believed kept cash in their homes, including business owners who were Asian and other business owners who dealt in cash.

On the night of December 31, 2019, Brown and two co-conspirators accosted the owner of a nail salon in Delaware County, Pa., as the owner returned to the business. The offenders forced the victim inside, and repeatedly demanded money, placing zip ties on the owner’s wrists, covering his mouth with duct tape, and striking his face with their fists and a gun. The men took cash from the business, then forced the owner to his residence, where they encountered his wife, their children, and their nanny. The men zip-tied the wife and all of their children, then continued to beat and injure the owner, and demand money. They ransacked the residence while making statements such as “we have been watching you for weeks.”

On the morning of January 3, 2020, Brown and another individual attempted to break into a residence in Chester County, Pa. The defendant had planned to commit an armed home invasion robbery of the homeowner, who was a business owner, and his family, to steal the owner’s business proceeds. While attempting to enter the victim’s home, the home security alarm system went off, and the police responded within minutes. The defendant led the police on a foot chase through the woods and into a creek, where he was arrested. The police recovered duct tape, zip ties, and a firearm from the defendant’s backpack.

“What Shaquan Brown and his crew put their victims through was utterly horrifying,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “No one should have to endure a violent ambush in their home or business, be brutally beaten, and see their family traumatized. Today’s sentence ensures that Brown’s home invasion days are over. We will not permit criminals who’d rather take money than make it to terrorize innocent people and whole communities.”

“Shaquan Brown violently terrorized his victims in their business and in the sanctity of their home,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “He is now going to federal prison where he will no longer endanger his neighborhood. ATF Philadelphia Field Division has a long history of partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office, and we will continue to work tirelessly together to ensure justice for the victims and to make our communities safer.”

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

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Carissimi and J. Jeanette Kang, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Doherty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Chihean Jones, aka “Cha,” 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted this afternoon at trial of two commercial robberies in the city and the murder of a gas station attendant during one of those robberies.

Jones was charged by second superseding indictment in January 2024 with two counts of robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), murder in the course of using and carrying a firearm, and using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. A federal jury found him guilty on all counts.

As proven at trial, on August 22, 2022, the defendant drove two other men to a cell phone store on the 100 block of East Olney Avenue. While Jones waited in his Chevrolet Suburban, the two others went inside the store, forced their way into a back room, and stole multiple cell phones. The three men then fled the scene in the defendant’s Suburban.

As further proven at trial, on January 17, 2023, Jones, accompanied by his girlfriend and two other men, drove the Suburban to a gas station on the 7100 block of Torresdale Avenue, which the group intended to rob. They planned to wait for the gas station attendant to leave the store to smoke a cigarette, at which point the defendant would approach with his .45-caliber pistol. The two men accompanying Jones would zip tie the attendant and force him back into the station to open the safe.

When the attendant failed to exit, however, the group sent the defendant’s girlfriend into the store to see what was happening and to determine if the men could kick in the door to the register area. After she reported back, the three men entered the store. Immediately upon entering, Jones pushed his pistol under the protective glass and shot the attendant in the back as the attendant tried to run away. Jones and the two men ransacked the store and stole the attendant’s wallet as he lay dying on the floor.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26 and faces a maximum possible term of life in prison.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Parisi and Amanda McCool.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Norman Copper, 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 540 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney for drug and gun crimes.

In March of this year, the defendant was convicted at trial of one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possession of firearms by a felon.

He was charged with those offenses by superseding indictment in June 2024.

In December 2023, the Upper Merion Township Police Department had received information from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Parole Field Services that Copper, who was on state parole at the time for attempted murder, had been intercepted on recorded prison calls and video visits that suggested he might be involved in narcotics sales and/or the illegal possession of firearms. As a condition of his parole, Copper wore a GPS monitor.

As proven at trial, GPS location data indicated that he spent many early morning hours at an unapproved area in King of Prussia, Pa., which investigators determined was the apartment of his then-girlfriend. Through physical and video surveillance, Upper Merion detectives saw Copper entering and exiting the apartment on many occasions, often heading in the direction of what was later learned to be a storage unit associated with his girlfriend’s apartment.

In January of last year, law enforcement served search warrants on the apartment and storage unit, seizing more than a pound and a half of methamphetamine, three semiautomatic handguns, one of them equipped with a silencer, and one AK-style semiautomatic rifle, weapons that he was not permitted to possess due to his previous felony conviction.

“Again and again, Norman Copper has flouted the law and chosen to engage in criminal activity that endangered the community,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He was deeply involved in the distribution of large quantities of meth — and heavily armed to protect his profits, product, and drug dealer persona. Our office and our partners are working every day to put dangerous offenders like him behind bars, to make the public safer.”

“This case is another example of our law enforcement cooperation to prevent violent crime,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Copper, who was on parole for attempted murder, was heavily armed and loaded with drugs. Working with the Upper Merion Township Police Department, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and Assistant United States Attorneys, Copper will no longer threaten his neighborhood.”

The case was investigated by the Upper Merion Township Police Department, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsey Mills and Justin Ashenfelter.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Willie Jordan, 68, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, $142,991 in restitution, and forfeiture of $142,991 by United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III for two separate fraud schemes Jordan conducted.

The defendant was charged by information with two counts of wire fraud and pleaded guilty in July of this year.

As detailed in court filings and statements made in court, Jordan was a deacon and trustee for Religious Organization #1, located in Philadelphia, Pa. Jordan was responsible for managing and overseeing various financial matters involving Religious Organization #1, including collecting funds for the organization, depositing those funds in the organization’s bank accounts, and paying the organization’s expenses.

Religious Organization #1 placed Jordan in a position of trust and allowed him to exercise almost total control over its funds. The defendant did not receive a salary from Religious Organization #1. Rather, he received his salary from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where he was a Director of Operations for a state senator.

From at least in or about January 2020 through at least in or about January 2024, Jordan exploited Religious Organization #1 for his personal financial benefit. On a regular basis, the defendant improperly issued checks to himself from Religious Organization #1’s business checking account, and made it appear that such checks were to reimburse him for expenses that he incurred on behalf of Religious Organization #1. In fact, Jordan did not incur those expenses and simply issued those checks for his personal benefit. The defendant engaged in this activity fraudulently and without the knowledge or permission of Religious Organization #1, its trustees, or members.

As part of this scheme, Jordan issued approximately 82 fraudulent checks to himself totaling approximately $57,384, resulting in significant losses to Religious Organization #1.

As presented in court filings and statements, Political Organization #1 was one of 66 wards in Philadelphia and a subdivision of Political Organization #2, which represented the interests of a political party in the City of Philadelphia.

From in or about 1996 through in or about April 2025, the defendant was the elected leader of Political Organization #1 and controlled and managed the organization’s finances. Jordan did not receive a salary from Political Organization #1.

From at least in or about January 2020, through at least in or about January 2024, Jordan exploited Political Organization #1 for his personal financial benefit. He opened two bank accounts in name of Political Organization #1, made himself the sole signatory on the accounts in the name of Political Organization #1, and obtained, for both accounts, debit cards that he controlled.

On a regular basis, the defendant improperly conducted financial transactions, through debit card charges, checks, and ATM cash withdrawals, using Political Organization #1’s bank accounts to transfer the funds of Political Organization #1 to himself or others, for his personal benefit.

Jordan used Political Organization #1’s funds for personal purchases at airlines, car dealerships, furniture stores, grocery stores, and other retail establishments. He also used those funds to pay his personal credit card bills, utility bills, and cellular telephone bills. In or about the summer of 2023, Jordan used the funds of Political Organization #1 to pay more than $12,500 in expenses for a family member’s funeral. The defendant engaged in these personal financial transactions without any benefit flowing to Political Organization #1 and without the knowledge or permission of any of its members.

As part of this scheme, Jordan defrauded Political Organization #1 and its members of at least $85,607.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen and Special Assistant United States Attorney James E. Price.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Vanessa Velez, 51, and Felix Mendez, 44, both of New York, New York, were sentenced today by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage for conspiring to possess and distribute bulk amounts of powder cocaine shipped from El Paso, Texas, to Philadelphia.

Velez was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $325,000, and Mendez to 18 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $325,000.

The defendants were charged by indictment in January of this year. In August, they each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine, and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine.

As detailed in court filings, Velez and Mendez traveled together to Philadelphia with a duffel bag containing approximately $325,000 in U.S. currency. On October 29, 2024, in a South Philadelphia parking lot, they exchanged the cash-filled bag for two other duffel bags, which they believed contained cocaine. The defendants then drove away.

Shortly thereafter, Philadelphia police stopped the defendants’ Range Rover in the area of 59 E. Oregon Avenue. Both Mendez and Velez were detained, and investigators recovered the two bags containing the “sham” kilograms of cocaine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Philadelphia Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Diviny.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Chinedu Ekuma, 45, of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Gallagher on two counts of wire fraud, in connection with a scheme that defrauded victims of nearly $2 million.

The defendant was charged by information earlier this month.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from about August 2020 through March 2023, Ekuma devised a scheme to defraud victims and to obtain money and property of these victims by materially false pretenses, representations, and promises. The victims were individuals and businesses that intended to make payments to businesses and individuals for personal and/or business reasons.

Ekuma owned entities called Intelaris Solutions, LLC (“Intelaris Solutions”) and Verge Capital (“Verge Capital”), and opened several bank accounts in the name of these entities.

He and others caused the fraud victims to send payments to the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, by falsely representing to the victims that those accounts were associated with the businesses and individuals who the victims intended to pay, when, in fact, the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts were controlled by Ekuma, and Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital had no legitimate relationship with any of the victims.

As part of the scheme, the defendant and co-schemers created, or caused the creation of, fraudulent documentation that falsely represented that Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital were entitled to payments from the victims.

After the fraud proceeds were received into the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, Ekuma transferred most of the fraud proceeds to other co-schemers and retained other amounts of the fraud proceeds for himself.

In total, Ekuma and the others caused the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts to receive more than $1.75 million from fraud victims and attempted to cause these accounts to receive over $650,000 more from fraud victims.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12 and faces a maximum possible term of 40 years in prison.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis Weber.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Darryl T. Wells, 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky to bank fraud.

Wells was charged by indictment in January of this year.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, in December 2018 and January 2019, while employed as a Deputy Sheriff Officer with the City of Philadelphia, Wells submitted eight fraudulent loan and credit applications to financial institutions in which he falsely and materially overstated his monthly income and, in some instances, attached forged paystubs.

In total, Wells received $145,000 in fraudulently obtained proceeds, which he immediately spent or transferred, and the financial institutions were not repaid.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3 and faces a maximum possible term of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samuel Dalke.

The Department of Justice announced that Clift Seferlis, 55, of Garrett Park, Maryland, entered a plea of guilty today before U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney on 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, arising from numerous threats sent to Jewish organizations and entities.

“We welcome today’s guilty plea, which holds the defendant accountable for sending threatening communications intended to intimidate Jewish individuals based on their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Division holds a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitic threats, and will continue to vigorously prosecute such violations of federal civil rights laws.” 

Seferlis was charged with those offenses by information last month, following his arrest in June on a criminal complaint and warrant in connection with such threats.

As presented in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from at least March 2024 through at least June 2025, Seferlis used the United States mail to transmit at least 40 letters and at least two postcards to more than 25 Jewish organizations and entities located in multiple jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, synagogues, Jewish museums, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, Jewish non-profit organizations, and a Jewish delicatessen. In many of these letters and postcards, Seferlis threatened to destroy physical buildings and/or to injure individuals.

Specifically, Seferlis caused the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver threatening communications to these institutions on or about the following dates:

• Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
  • (March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 2, an entity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • (April 4, 2024; July 29, 2024; January 18, 2025; March 5, 2025; May 7, 2025; May 9, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 3, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia
  • (January 18, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 4, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland
  • (February 3, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 5, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia
  • (February 7, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 6, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland
  • (March 2025)
• Jewish Institution 7, an entity in Rockville, Maryland
  • (May 12, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 8, an entity in Washington, D.C.
  • (May 29, 2025; June 3, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 9, an entity in Washington, D.C.
  • (June 3, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 10, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts
  • (June 3, 2025)

Each communication listed above contained a threat to injure the occupants of the receiving institution.

As court filings further detail, the defendant, by threat of force, intentionally obstructed and attempted to obstruct congregants and other attendees in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, by threatening to harm the occupants of:

• Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
  • (March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 11, a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland
  • (January 25, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 12, a synagogue in Falls Church, Virginia
  • (January 31, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 13, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland
  • (February 3, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 14, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
  • (February 10, 2025)
• Jewish Institution 15, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland
  • (March 2025)
• Jewish Institution 16, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts
  • (June 3, 2025)

Further, the offenses against Jewish Institution 12, Jewish Institution 13, Jewish Institution 14, and Jewish Institution 15 included the threatened use of a dangerous weapon, fire, or explosives.

Seferlis waived venue as to those institutions and synagogues not in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and agreed to be charged in this District.

Seferlis is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16. He faces a maximum penalty of 169 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,650,000 fine.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia, with assistance from FBI Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland’s Greenbelt office. The Anti-Defamation League, Secure Community Network, and Delaware Valley Intelligence Center also provided assistance with this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Mark Dubnoff for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Clift Seferlis, 55, of Garrett Park, Maryland, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney on 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, arising from numerous threats sent to Jewish organizations and entities.

Seferlis was charged with those offenses by information last month, following his arrest in June on a criminal complaint and warrant in connection with such threats.

As presented in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from at least March 2024 through at least June 2025, Seferlis used the United States mail to transmit at least 40 letters and at least two postcards to more than 25 Jewish organizations and entities located in multiple jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, synagogues, Jewish museums, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, Jewish non-profit organizations, and a Jewish delicatessen. In many of these letters and postcards, Seferlis threatened to destroy physical buildings and/or to injure individuals.

Specifically, Seferlis caused the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) to deliver threatening communications to these institutions on or about the following dates:

• Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.

  (March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 2, an entity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  (April 4, 2024; July 29, 2024; January 18, 2025; March 5, 2025; May 7, 2025; May 9, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 3, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia

  (January 18, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 4, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland

  (February 3, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 5, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia

  (February 7, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 6, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland

  (March 2025)

• Jewish Institution 7, an entity in Rockville, Maryland

  (May 12, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 8, an entity in Washington, D.C.

  (May 29, 2025; June 3, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 9, an entity in Washington, D.C.

  (June 3, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 10, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts

  (June 3, 2025)

Each communication listed above contained a threat to injure the occupants of the receiving institution.

As court filings further detail, the defendant, by threat of force, intentionally obstructed and attempted to obstruct congregants and other attendees in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, by threatening to harm the occupants of:

• Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.

  (March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 11, a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland

  (January 25, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 12, a synagogue in Falls Church, Virginia

  (January 31, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 13, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland

  (February 3, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 14, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.

  (February 10, 2025)

• Jewish Institution 15, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland

  (March 2025)

• Jewish Institution 16, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts

  (June 3, 2025)

Further, the offenses against Jewish Institution 12, Jewish Institution 13, Jewish Institution 14, and Jewish Institution 15 included the threatened use of a dangerous weapon, fire, or explosives.

Seferlis waived venue as to those institutions and synagogues not in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and agreed to be charged in this District.

Seferlis is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 169 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,650,000 fine.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia, with assistance from FBI Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland’s Greenbelt office. The Anti-Defamation League, Secure Community Network, and Delaware Valley Intelligence Center also provided assistance with this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf and the Department of Justice announced today that medical device company Aesculap Implant Systems, LLC (“Aesculap”), based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $38.5 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that the company sold knee replacement devices that it knew would fail prematurely at a higher than acceptable rate, resulting in false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.

The settlement further resolves allegations that the company paid unlawful remuneration to a physician to induce him to use the knee implants. Additionally, Aesculap agreed to a non-prosecution agreement with the United States in connection with its distribution of two medical devices without the required clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The civil settlement announced today resolves allegations that, from July 30, 2010, to June 17, 2023, Aesculap sold the VEGA System® Knee System, a line of prosthetic implants used in knee replacement surgeries, while knowing that it would fail prematurely at a higher than acceptable rate and, therefore, was not reasonable and necessary for use during knee replacement surgeries. In such surgeries, physicians remove arthritic bone in the knee and implant a device, which is fixed in place with bone cement. The United States alleged that the Vega was prone to becoming loose from patient’s bone prematurely, often shortly after surgery. Patients experiencing loosening could have pain, instability, and difficulty walking, and such patients required a revision surgery to remove and replace the Vega implant. The United States alleged that Aesculap knew shortly after the Vega was released in the United States that bone cement did not properly adhere to the implant. Despite this knowledge, Aesculap sold the Vega to physicians and hospitals in the United States without disclosing this known problem with the device. The United States also alleged that Aesculap failed to take steps to record, track, or report adverse events for the Vega and did not take adequate steps to remediate the problem. As of April 2024, Aesculap stopped selling all of its knee replacement devices, including the Vega, in the United States.

The settlement also resolves allegations that Aesculap knowingly and willfully made unlawful payments to an orthopedic surgeon located in Georgia who experienced problems with the Vega with the intent to induce him to use and recommend the Vega Knee System, in violation of the Anti- Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b). This remuneration took the form of consulting payments, free international travel, and entertainment, among other things.

“Doctors who implant medical devices need complete and accurate information about those devices to ensure they choose the best and safest options for their patients,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “A company that knows its product has a propensity to prematurely fail must not mislead doctors or government regulators or conceal material information about those known issues. Medicare and other federal programs should not be required to pay charges for devices that are unduly risky, and that may require painful and expensive surgeries to fix.”

“Medical device failures — and their potential to harm patients — are of paramount concern to the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will hold accountable medical device companies that knowingly sell products prone to failure that present risks to patients and waste taxpayer dollars.”

“Transparency in medical device marketing is essential to safeguarding patient care,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Undermining this process to increase profits is a serious violation of federal law that flouts the health and safety of patients. HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to uncover and dismantle illegal arrangements that exploit the Medicare system for financial gain at the expense of patients.”

In addition to the civil settlement, Aesculap agreed to enter into a non-prosecution agreement related to the introduction of two medical devices into interstate commerce in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) from March 2017 until August 2017. The two devices at issue are the ELAN-4 Air Drill, a high-speed surgical drill used for bone cutting, sawing, and drilling, and the JS Series SterilContainer S2, a reusable sterilization container for medical instruments. According to the non-prosecution agreement, Aesculap tasked an employee with shepherding both medical devices through the FDA clearance process, but the employee never submitted any documentation to FDA. He then forged multiple documents to reflect both devices were cleared by FDA to be marketed in the United States when FDA had not done so resulting in the illegal introduction of both devices into interstate commerce. The employee previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to violating the FDCA and was sentenced to prison.

“Certain medical devices require FDA notification and clearance before distribution to the public,” stated FDA Metro Washington Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Dawkins. “Distributing such medical devices without FDA clearance and in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act can put patients at risk. The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) worked with the Justice Department and HHS-OIG to ensure a just resolution, and we commend the exceptional work done by the team.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by John Marien, Michael McGee, and Brad Stafford. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Marien & McGee v. Aesculap Inc., et al., no. 5:19-cv-1618 (E.D. Pa.) and United States ex rel. Stafford v. B. Braun Medical Inc., et al., no. 4:19-cv-4108 (E.D. Pa.).

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; and the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch, with assistance from HHS-OIG, FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, and FDA-OCI.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The civil matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Charlene Keller Fullmer and Erin Lindgren of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Senior Trial Counsel Nicholas C. Perros of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.

The criminal matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Max J. Goldman and Bryson N. Gillard of the Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch, former Assistant United States Attorney M. Beth Leahy of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FDA-OCI, and HHS-OIG.

Except for the facts that Aesculap admitted as part of the non-prosecution agreement, the claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Keith Dougherty, 70, of College Park, Maryland, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for making violent threats against federal judges.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July 2024. In May of this year, Dougherty was convicted at trial of one count of threatening to assault and murder United States judges with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with them while they were engaged in the performance of official duties, and with the intent to retaliate against them on account of their performance of official duties, and three counts of mailing threatening communications.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, the defendant mailed and/or filed motions containing threatening language directed at federal judges, on numerous occasions and in several federal districts. He had already been prosecuted and convicted by a federal jury in December of 2021 for such filings and served a 41-month prison term in that case, followed by a three-year period of supervised release.

Just months into that supervised release, he uttered more threatening communications, so his supervised release was revoked, and he was returned to prison. While back in prison serving the violation sentence, he again mailed and/or filed the same sort of threatening language, resulting in the July 2024 charges and May trial conviction.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph LaBar.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Aidan Getchius, 21, of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Gallagher to one count of conveying false information and hoaxes.

The defendant was charged with that offense by information in September of this year. With today’s plea, he has waived prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on September 2, 2024, at 12:12 p.m., the United States Tennis Association (“USTA”) was sent a threat via direct message on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating that “I’m inside Louis Armstrong with a bomb that will go off at 1 pm est.” The message was sent from the X profile “GetchiSoto,” an account created and operated by Getchius.

At the time, a Round of 16 (quarterfinals) match in the United States Open women’s division was in progress in the Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. The stadium was not evacuated, but the New York Police Department conducted a sweep for explosive devices.

While Getchius claimed in the direct message to have a bomb in Louis Armstrong Stadium, he knew he did not possess an explosive device in or near the stadium and was merely seeking to disrupt the women’s match in progress.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10 and faces a maximum possible term of five years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew McKinney, 27, of Reading, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. on one count each of distribution of child pornography and receipt of child pornography.

McKinney was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in August of this year and charged by information in October. With today’s plea, he has waived prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court documents, the defendant came to investigators’ attention based on his communications with the subject of an FBI New York investigation into the Telegram account “Steve Jobs” @perv_94, which was used to trade child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with other Telegram users.

In reviewing the “Steve Jobs” @perv_94 Telegram account, FBI New York observed communications between it and a Telegram user with the display name of “Unknown 69.” The communications contained both the distribution and receipt of CSAM.

Specifically, on May 26, 2025, the “Steve Jobs” @perv_94 Telegram account sent the “Unknown 69” account approximately 80 video files containing CSAM that primarily depicted female children, some of whom were pre-pubescent, engaging in sexual conduct.

On July 29, 2025, the “Unknown 69” account then sent “Steve Jobs” @perv_94 four files containing CSAM, including depictions of pre-pubescent children engaging in sexual conduct. The “Unknown 69” account additionally sent a MEGA link, which contained approximately 1,100 video files containing CSAM, including depictions of pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual conduct. Some of the video files shared between the accounts depicted the sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers.

After obtaining subscriber information and other records, FBI Allentown agents determined that McKinney was the user of “Unknown 69” account, which McKinney subsequently admitted in an interview.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25 and faces a maximum possible term of 40 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison; five years up to a lifetime of supervised release; a $500,000 fine; mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 per victim; and additional financial assessments.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and FBI New York and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca J. Kulik.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zaven Yeghiazaryan, 45, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 64 months in prison, three years of supervised release, $118,205.94 in restitution, and $151,300 in fines and assessments by United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert for fraud and money laundering schemes.

In August 2024, Yeghiazaryan was charged by indictment with conspiracy, health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. He pleaded guilty in May of this year.

As detailed in court filings, the charges arose from the defendant’s commission of fraud offenses targeting, among others, government programs, including through the use of shell companies and false identities, between January 2020 and April 2024.

Yeghiazaryan’s fraud targeted two government programs that offered relief during the Covid-19 pandemic: the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. In addition, the defendant admitted that he participated in a scheme to defraud Medicaid.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the State Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Shawn Eubanks, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 92 months in prison and two years of supervised release by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson for possession of a firearm by a felon.

The defendant was charged by indictment with that offense in September 2024 and pleaded guilty in May.

As detailed in court filings, at approximately 1 a.m. on July 2, 2024, two officers with the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) were outside the 39th District building at West Erie Avenue and West Hunting Park Avenue, when they heard a single gunshot from about a block away. Both officers drove towards the sound of the shot in their police vehicles and observed two males fighting on the 2100 block of West Hunting Park Avenue.

As the officers arrived, the two men separated and one of them, later identified as the defendant, started running toward a residence on that block. One of the officers noticed that Eubanks was carrying a firearm in his right hand and yelled out, “Gun!”

Eubanks ran up the steps of a nearby residence, opening the screen door and then the rowhome’s front door, with one of the police officers close behind. The officer saw the defendant swing his right arm to the right, as Eubanks stepped into the home’s enclosed porch area. Eubanks continued through another doorway and into the living room, where he sat down on a sofa.

The PPD officers followed Eubanks as he entered and observed Eubanks sitting on the couch with his hands on his knees. One of the officers handcuffed Eubanks while looking around him for a firearm, and asked Eubanks, “Where’s the gun? Where’s the gun?” Eubanks replied, “What gun?”

After escorting Eubanks out to a waiting police car, one of the officers began looking around the porch area and observed a firearm laying on top of a trash bag on the floor. The gun, collected as evidence, was determined to be a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol with serial numbers obliterated. Eubanks was not permitted to possess the firearm, due to his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Elinson Camacho, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $455,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Michael M. Baylson for wire fraud and related charges arising from a scheme to sell cars to victims and then steal the vehicles back.

Camacho was charged by indictment in May 2024 with 18 counts of wire fraud and pleaded guilty to all counts in February of this year.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from about December 9, 2021, to July 24, 2022, Camacho and others devised a scheme to defraud Victim 1 and Victim 2. As part of the scheme, Camacho would arrange for vehicles to be rented and then arrange for those vehicles to be offered for sale on the internet, with the false claim that they would be sold with clear titles.

After the victims paid for the vehicles, Camacho and others would then steal the cars back, using vehicle key fobs that they had retained.

In December 2021, Camacho and the co-schemers caused a rented 2021 Toyota 4Runner Sport to be posted for sale online. They communicated and later met with Victim 1, who paid Camacho and a co-schemer $24,000 in cash for the vehicle. The next day, Camacho and the co-schemers caused the 4Runner to be stolen from its parking space outside Victim 1’s residence.

In July 2022, Camacho and the others repeated the scheme, renting and posting for sale online a 2022 Honda CR-V. They communicated and later met with Victim 2, who paid Camacho and two others $15,000 in cash and $4,000 by check to purchase the CR-V. Two days later, Camacho and the co-schemers caused the CR-V to be stolen from Victim 2’s residence.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Northampton Township Police Department, and the Towamencin Township Police Department, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tyree Hatch, aka Jamal Morris and Omar Reed, 48, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 306 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for the armed robberies of three Northeast Philadelphia businesses in November 2024.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January of this year and pleaded guilty in July to three counts of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

As detailed in court documents and admitted to by the defendant, on November 23, 2024, at approximately 1:12 p.m., Hatch entered a convenience store located on the 6700 block of Castor Avenue, made conversation with an employee (Victim 1), then brandished his firearm. The defendant placed the gun into Victim 1’s back and walked him to the cash register. Hatch then grabbed money, Victim 1’s iPhone, and boxes of Newport cigarettes and fled the scene. Video recovered after the robbery showed the defendant entering a black Ford Explorer with Pennsylvania tags.

On November 24, 2024, at approximately 9 p.m., the defendant entered a smoke shop located on the 2000 block of Cottman Avenue, confronted an employee (Victim 2) and demanded money from the register. During the interaction, Hatch pulled out a firearm, and, believing the gun was fake, Victim 2 tried to disarm him. The gun went off during the struggle and Victim 2 suffered a gunshot wound to the shin. Hatch then fled the store with cash from the register. Video recovered after the robbery showed the defendant driving the same black Ford Explorer as the day prior.

On November 25, 2024, at approximately 3:45 p.m., officers with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) were dispatched to a smoke and vape shop located on the 7100 block of Castor Avenue, in response to a robbery in progress. Upon their arrival, an employee (Victim 3) informed them that the armed robber had taken cash, an iPhone, a carton of Newport cigarettes, and boxes of cigars.

Aware of the previous two robberies, PPD officers surveyed the area for the black Ford Explorer and found it parked outside the defendant’s residence. Hatch was then seen entering the home, and a barricade was declared. The defendant soon exited the residence and was placed under arrest.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina Coker and Linwood C. Wright Jr.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that David Bolwell, 59, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 235 months in prison, 15 years of supervised release, and $43,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert for the manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography, arising from Bolwell’s surreptitious photographing and video-recording of a 14-year-old child through her bedroom window for approximately three years, his production of hundreds of sexually explicit images of the child, and his collection of more than 1,200 sexually explicit images and videos of children that he downloaded from the internet.

The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in February of this year, charged by indictment in March, and pleaded guilty in May.

As detailed in court filings, on February 3, 2025, the 14-year-old victim reported that she was walking home from school when an unknown man approached her from behind, called her by name, and gave her a handwritten letter, whispering that she should “open it in private.” The child did not open the letter and instead turned it over to her mother, who contacted the Philadelphia Police Department after reading the sexually explicit contents.

Subsequent investigation by Philadelphia police located video footage confirming the identification of the defendant, and search warrants led to the seizure and search of his cell phone.

An FBI forensic review found more than 3,800 images of the child victim, over 400 of which were found to constitute child pornography; at least 300 additional images of minor girls, including two of the victim’s friends, which appear to have been taken from online social media accounts; and more than 1,200 additional images of child pornography taken from the internet, depicting mainly prepubescent children being sexually abused by adult men.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that five foreign nationals convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced this month.

Santos Belen-Paredes, aka Angel Medina Vargas, 44, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Belen-Paredes had previously been removed from the U.S. in February 2012, after completing a 60-month state prison sentence for distribution of heroin and conspiracy to distribute heroin.

In February of this year, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) task force encountered Belen-Paredes while executing a narcotics search warrant in Northeast Philadelphia. After confirming Belen-Paredes was illegally in the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers took him into custody.

The defendant was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in March and pleaded guilty in July.

Daniel Herrera Pavon, aka Fanny Leonardo Velasquez-Jerez, Mario Paulino, and Aldrin Pavon, 56, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston to 14 months in prison for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Herrera Pavon had been removed from the U.S. twice before, in April 2000 and May 2005.

In May of this year, investigators with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and HSI agents encountered Herrera Pavon, pursuant to a narcotics operation in Northeast Philadelphia. After confirming that the defendant was in the country illegally, they took him into custody.

Herrera Pavon was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in June and pleaded guilty in August.

Victor Aneudi Mota-Garcia, 41, aka Jesus Nieves-Rivera, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Anita B. Brody to time served, approximately seven months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Mota-Garcia had previously been removed from the U.S. in November 2019, after being convicted in the Superior Court of Kent County, Delaware, of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

ICE received information that Mota-Garcia had returned to the United States and was residing in Philadelphia.

After conducting surveillance of his reported residence, ICE officers took him into custody in February of this year. Mota-Garcia was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in March and pleaded guilty in July.

Nicolos Tum Gregorio, 41, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Anita B. Brody to time served, approximately five months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Gregorio had previously been removed from the U.S. in October 2020, following his arrest that March by the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas.

In January 2024, the defendant was arrested in Montgomery County, Pa., for driving under the influence and causing an accident involving injury, with his blood alcohol content found to be more than three times the legal limit. Gregorio was ultimately convicted of DUI in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

ICE took Gregorio into federal custody in June of this year. He was charged by information with illegal reentry in July and pleaded guilty in August, waiving prosecution by indictment.

Carlos Manuel Torres Jimenez, aka Rafael Antonio Vasquez Rosario, 43, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer to time served, approximately three months, for illegal reentry.

Torres Jimenez had previously been removed from the U.S. in December 2001 and April 2022, after encounters with immigration authorities.

In June of this year, ICE agents and deputies of the United States Marshals Service encountered Torres Jimenez in Philadelphia, while executing a criminal arrest warrant targeting another individual. After confirming Torres Jimenez was illegally in the U.S., ICE personnel took him into custody.

The defendant was charged by information with illegal reentry in September and pleaded guilty this month, waiving prosecution by indictment.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and HSI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Schopf, Patrick Murray, Shayna Gannone, Ashley Martin, and Sarah Wolfe.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mikal Portalatin, 35, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 216 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for committing three commercial armed robberies. Judge Gallagher also ordered Portalatin to pay $87,700 in restitution and $2,900 in fines and assessments.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January 2024 and pleaded guilty in July of this year to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of armed bank robbery, charges arising from three armed robberies he committed in Berks County in the second half of 2022:

• July 27, 2022; Citgo gas station convenience store, 200 block of Buttonwood Street
• August 3, 2022; Sunoco gas station convenience store, 1500 block of Lancaster Avenue
• November 21, 2022; Members First Credit Union, 500 block of E. Lancaster Avenue

During the July robbery, Portalatin discharged his firearm at an employee who chased him as he fled; no one was hit.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency, the Cumru Township Police Department, and the Reading Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Kelly Lewis Fallenstein.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kristian Jackson, 19, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez to one count of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Jackson and co-defendant Legend Hall were charged with these offenses by superseding indictment in April of this year, in connection with a September 2024 carjacking in West Philadelphia. In addition, Hall, 19, also of Philadelphia, was charged separately via an information with an October 2024 carjacking in Upper Darby, Pa.

In July of this year, Hall entered a plea of guilty before United States Magistrate Court Judge Jose R. Arteaga to two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As described in the superseding indictment and other publicly filed documents, on September 17, 2024, Victim #1 parked on the 300 block of 62nd Street in Philadelphia and reported being immediately approached by three males, later identified by investigators as Hall, Jackson, and a third individual, who was also charged in this case and is pending trial.

One of the defendants asked Victim #1 to drive them somewhere. When Victim #1 refused, two of the males took out handguns and told Victim #1 to get out of the car. The three males then got into Victim #1’s black Chevy Malibu and drove off with Victim #1’s iPhone 14 and approximately $500 that was in the car.

As further detailed in court filings, on October 1, 2024, Hall and others placed an order for a pizza delivery at Slices and Moore in Upper Darby. When the delivery driver (Victim #2) attempted to make the delivery, the defendant and others pointed guns at him and took Victim #2’s wallet, phone, car keys, the proceeds of the pizza shop, and the rest of the money that Victim #2 had on him at the time. Hall and the others then jumped into Victim #2’s vehicle and fled the area.

Hall and Jackson are both scheduled to be sentenced in February 2026. Each faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of seven years’ imprisonment.

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

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney Samantha A. Arena.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Imoleayo Samuel Aina, aka “Alice Dave,” 27, of Nigeria was sentenced today to 72 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and $3,250 in restitution by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for offenses related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Aina and co-defendant Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun were arrested on a complaint and warrant in Nigeria, taken into custody by the FBI on July 31, 2024, and extradited to the United States to face charges in this case. They and another Nigerian co-defendant, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 25, were then charged by indictment in August 2024.

In May of this year, Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud.

Abiodun, 26, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. He was sentenced on June 10 to five years in prison.

Adewale has also been charged with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. He remains in Nigeria, pending extradition to the United States.

“Aina was the driving force behind this sextortion scheme, which left a young man, and then his family, traumatized,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “The Department of Justice won’t just stand by when innocent victims in the U.S. are harmed by criminal scammers overseas. As this case shows, we can — and we will — find, prosecute, and hold accountable these insidious sextortionists who terrorize people for money.”

“This case is a powerful reminder of the profound harm sextortion inflicts on young people and their families, and of our unwavering commitment to pursuing those who perpetrate it,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office. “This sentence delivers a clear message: whether you are in the United States or operating from abroad, the FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue you. If you exploit our youth, we will bring you to justice.”

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.

Aina and Abiodun were extradited to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and the FBI. The support and assistance of Nigerian security authorities was essential to this effort, notably that of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zamer Williams, 20, of Camden, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 10 years’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Anita B. Brody for carrying out two carjackings in November of 2023.

In April 2024, Williams was charged by superseding indictment with two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence. He pleaded guilty to those offenses in December 2024.

As detailed in the superseding indictment and other public filings, on November 11, 2023, at approximately 9 p.m., the first victim, an Uber driver, was picking up a passenger at the Ikea on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. The driver had briefly stepped out of his vehicle, a 2016 Mazda CX-5, when the defendant and another person approached him, demanding his car keys at gunpoint. The victim handed over his keys and the defendant and his accomplice fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. The victim borrowed an Ikea worker’s phone and called 911.

Two days later, on November 13, 2023, the second victim entered the Wawa on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia, leaving her car running. When she observed the defendant getting into the driver seat of her vehicle, a 2016 Ford Fusion SE, she went outside to confront him. The defendant drove the victim’s car away from the Wawa, with the victim holding onto the driver’s side door. After hanging on for about 10 feet, the victim let go and the defendant fled in her car.

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

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina I. Coker and Robert E. Eckert.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – At a news conference this afternoon, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced a historic indictment against a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. The indictment charges 33 alleged members of the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and dozens of related offenses.

U.S. Attorney Metcalf discussed the case alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs, and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, and assisting federal and state law enforcement partners.

The indictment alleges that, from about January 2016 through October 2025, the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization (“Weymouth DTO”) distributed fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine on the 3100 block of Weymouth Street, one of the most prolific drug blocks in the city, functioning as an open-air drug market where illegal narcotics are sold every day and at all hours. While that block is the nucleus of the group’s alleged activity, their area of operations has extended to include the corner of F Street and Clementine Street, the corner of E Street and Wishart Street, and 3000 Potter Street.

The indictment further alleges that the Weymouth DTO uses violence to enforce its territory, including shootings, murder, and physical assaults. Members of the Weymouth DTO retaliate against witnesses that the DTO believes provide information to law enforcement and commit violent acts against members of rival drug trafficking organizations.

As alleged in the indictment, the Weymouth DTO is headed by Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, aka “Flaco,” 45, of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, who authorizes other members of the Weymouth DTO to sell drugs on his block in exchange for “rent.” Morales Nieves helps protect the members of the DTO through the threat of violent acts, performed either by himself or his associates, against others who have caused the Weymouth DTO harm or attempted to sell controlled substances in the DTO’s territory.

The indictment alleges that Ramon Roman-Montanez, aka “Viejo,” 40, of Philadelphia, is a leader of the Weymouth DTO and manages the street-level operations. He is responsible for organizing the drug shift schedule, which establishes roles and shifts for who in the Weymouth DTO will be responsible for selling drugs at what times and on what days, managing proceeds, and obtaining more controlled substances.

As alleged, Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, also of Philadelphia, is another leader of the Weymouth DTO responsible for organizing the drug shift schedule, as well as managing and maintaining drug proceeds.

A list of all defendants and the charges against them is below.

Twenty-four defendants were arrested in coordinated operations today. Eight defendants were already in state or federal custody, and one remains at large.

“Drug traffickers who poison our communities and enforce their territory through violence will face the full force of federal law,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Working alongside our state and local partners, the Department of Justice will continue to dismantle these criminal networks, hold violent offenders accountable, and restore safety to neighborhoods that have suffered for far too long. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Metcalf, the FBI, and every prosecutor and agent whose dedication made today’s action possible.”

“This indictment is, by defendant, the largest federal case of this century prosecuted by our office and it attacks the very heart of the opioid crisis in the neighborhoods of Kensington,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We are committed to returning these neighborhoods to their residents and reclaiming them from drug dealers who profit from the misery of others.”

“Today, even more criminals are off the streets because of the diligent work of the FBI and our partners,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Over 30 people have been charged for their alleged role in drug trafficking and dozens of other offenses. These individuals were charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine on one of the most prolific drug blocks in Philadelphia. They were members of a violent drug trafficking organization and used violence to enforce their territory and sell drugs that poison our city streets and community. The FBI will continue our work to put an end to drug trafficking and violence in our cities.”

“There is no question our streets are safer today because of the tireless dedication and diligence of numerous federal, state, and local partners, but our work is not done,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners at every level, will continue to serve our citizens by pursuing the dangerous offenders who shatter our communities’ sense of safety, security, and quality of life.”

“Today’s actions were the culmination of a deliberate, patient, and highly coordinated investigation into a violent criminal enterprise operating on and around Weymouth Street in Kensington,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “This group pumped fentanyl into a community already hurting, and they used violence to protect their business. Thank you to our state and federal partners who continue to show up in Philadelphia not as visitors but as teammates: FBI Director Patel, U.S. Attorney Metcalf, FBI Philly SAC Jacobs and his team, the DEA, the Attorney General’s Office, and to our own DC Jim Kelly and the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department's Narcotics Bureau who did the hard work to get us here. This is One Philly in action - exactly the model Mayor Parker has demanded from day one: not turf battles, not silos, but agencies standing shoulder-to-shoulder around a single mission: protecting the people of this city.”

This case is part of PSN Recon, a criminal intelligence program launched this year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in which the federal and state law enforcement community work together to identify the most violent and dangerous actors in the city of Philadelphia. PSN Recon builds on the original mission of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”) initiative, to collaboratively address violence in partnership with state and local enforcement officials. Learn more about PSN Recon here.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Solow and Jason Grenell.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Nasir Butler, 29, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted today at trial of two counts of robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery) and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, arising from his armed robberies of the same city business twice in three weeks.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January of this year. Prior to his trial, Butler pleaded guilty to Count Five of the indictment, possession of a firearm by a felon.

As proven at trial, on September 20, 2024, and again on October 11, 2024, Butler contacted a business located on the 1200 block of Bridge Street under the pretext of making an appointment. On both dates, after arriving at the establishment, he pointed a gun at employees, demanded money, and left with cash belonging to the business.

The defendant will be sentenced on a date to be determined and faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Izabella Babchinetskaya and Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Breyanna Cornish, 30, Jawayne Brown, 41, and Ahmad Nasir, aka Hussain Abdussamad, 44, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have been sentenced by United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert, in connection with a scheme to smuggle contraband — including drugs, phones, chargers, cigarettes, and knives — into the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (“PICC”) from April 2021 through July 2021.

Judge Pappert sentenced Cornish this morning to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. Brown was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison, a $2,500 fine, and three years of supervised release. Nasir was sentenced earlier this month to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

The defendants were charged by indictment in August 2024.

All three pleaded guilty earlier this year, Nasir to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, one count of federal program bribery, one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine.

Brown pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, one count of federal program bribery, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine.

Cornish pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and one count of federal program bribery.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendants, Nasir, who was then detained pre-trial at PICC, worked with Brown, who was not incarcerated, Cornish, who was then a PICC correctional officer (“C.O.”) employed by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (“PDP”), and several other associates to purchase and assemble contraband.

Cornish then smuggled the contraband into PICC, where Nasir sold the contraband to other inmates for a profit. Nasir then instructed associates to pay Cornish for her role smuggling the contraband into the prison and Brown for his work purchasing and assembling the packages.

On July 10, 2021, PDP conducted a search of the cell Nasir shared with another inmate. In a compartment in the ceiling behind a light fixture, officers recovered 19 cellphones, 20 cellphone chargers, one rapid charger, two super glues, two screwdrivers, one roll of tape, three hunting knives, one Ziploc bag containing the synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as K2, one Ziploc bag of tobacco, one alprazolam pill, and at least 110 packets of Suboxone.

Following the search of the cell, officers conducted a search of Nasir and his cellmate, and recovered a cellphone from each of them. Text messages and WhatsApp messages extracted from the phone recovered from Nasir’s person revealed that from June 19, 2021, to July 6, 2021, C.O. Cornish, Nasir, and Brown discussed via text specific contraband items to be acquired, the delivery of contraband packages, and payments for the items and to co-conspirators. Nasir simultaneously sent messages to multiple inmates about the purchase and delivery of contraband.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with significant assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Claiborne and Ruth Mandelbaum.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Brian Amerman, aka “BD” and “Fat,” 21, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 144 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and $2,500 in restitution by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro for his role in a violent armed carjacking in Northeast Philadelphia.

The defendant was charged by indictment in February 2024 and pleaded guilty in April of this year to one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.

As detailed in court filings, shortly before 1 a.m. on May 12, 2023, Victim 1 parked their Nissan Murano next to a standalone ATM in the parking lot of a shopping plaza located in the 6500 block of Roosevelt Boulevard. Victim 1 got out of the car and began using the ATM. As Victim 1 did so, Amerman and a second individual got out of a nearby car and approached Victim 1.

Amerman, armed with a black and tan semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine, shoved the gun in Victim 1’s face and then hit Victim 1 in the head with the gun. Amerman and the second individual demanded Victim 1’s car keys, and Victim 1 provided their keys and wallet to the carjackers. The second individual drove away in Victim 1’s Nissan Murano. Amerman returned to the vehicle that he had come from and he and the driver fled the scene.

Just over an hour later, Amerman and two other individuals in a grey Honda Accord arrived at a BP gas station in Oxford Circle, Pa., approximately 1.2 miles away from the ATM referenced above. Amerman and the driver entered the gas station, where charges attempted on Victim 1’s bank card were declined twice. Nine days later, on May 21, 2023, Philadelphia police recovered the license plate from Victim 1’s Nissan Murano inside the trunk of a crashed grey Honda Accord that appeared consistent with the Honda Accord observed at the BP station.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Amerman’s Instagram account, which contained photos and videos of himself, including a photo from the day before the carjacking of Amerman posing with a black and tan semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine, consistent with the one used during the carjacking, and a video of him the day after the carjacking pointing a black and tan semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine at the camera, also consistent with the one used during the carjacking. The account also contained photos and videos of himself close in time to the carjacking wearing clothing consistent with what he wore when he committed the crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Meghan A. Farley and Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Al-Ashraf Khalil, 32, and Isaam Jaghama, 32, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were sentenced today by United States District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe for the June 18, 2022, arson fire at a Fairhill pizza shop, which resulted in the death of Philadelphia Fire Department Lieutenant Sean Williamson and injuries to five other first responders inside the building when it collapsed.

Khalil was sentenced to 40 years in prison and Jaghama to 25 years in prison. The defendants were also ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution to the city of Philadelphia for medical expenses for the injured first responders and the funeral of Lt. Williamson.

Khalil and Jaghama were charged by superseding indictment in August 2023. In November of 2024, a federal jury convicted the defendants on one count each of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce, and one count each of malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce. Khalil was also found guilty of one count of wire fraud and one count of using fire in furtherance of the commission of that wire fraud.

Khalil was the owner of the property at 300 West Indiana Avenue, which housed both apartments and the pizza shop. As proven at trial, in the early hours of June 18, 2022, he and Jaghama set a fire inside the building so that Khalil could profit by filing an insurance claim related to the fire. The day of the fire, Khalil signed paperwork authorizing an insurance adjuster to file a more than $400,000 insurance claim on his behalf.

“Lt. Williamson lost his life as a result of Khalil and Jaghama’s greed,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “This is a tragedy that didn’t have to happen. Our thoughts today are with the Williamson family and everyone at the Philadelphia Fire Department — while we can never make them whole, we’re gratified that the men responsible for such an indelible loss have now been brought to justice.”

“This case is a warning to those who would use fire and endanger lives for personal gain,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Office. “ATF is dedicated to investigating and bringing arsonists like Khalil and Jaghama to justice. They now face decades in federal prison for their deadly crime. From our ATF Philadelphia Arson & Explosives Task Force and ATF National Response Team experts to our partners with the Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and more, the resources to prevent and prosecute crimes like this are profound.”

“It is difficult to believe that more than three years have passed since we lost Lt. Sean Williamson,” said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson. “His tragic and senseless death robbed his family of a beloved partner, father, brother and son, and robbed this City of a dedicated, respected and highly skilled firefighter. We are grateful to the law enforcement officers, attorneys, and partner agencies who worked tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.”

This case was investigated by ATF Philadelphia and the ATF’s National Response Team, the Philadelphia Fire Department, the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Philadelphia Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections. Special thanks are given to the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in the international apprehension of Al-Ashraf Khalil.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda R. Reinitz and Michael Miller.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that James J. Sirleaf, 65, of Darby, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $219,622, and an $1,800 special assessment by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond, for engaging in a multi-year scheme to assist clients with filing false income tax returns to fraudulently increase their refund amounts, and filing false personal income tax returns for himself.

In April 2023, Sirleaf was charged by indictment with 15 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns and three counts of filing false personal income tax returns. He pleaded guilty to all charges in May of this year.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, at the time of the charged conduct, Sirleaf was the sole owner and operator of Metro Financial Services Inc., a tax preparation business in Philadelphia. Sirleaf prepared false and fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Forms 1040, or U.S. Individual Tax Returns, for client taxpayers for at least tax years 2016 through 2019.

Sirleaf included falsities on the tax returns — including false deductions, fabricated business expenses, and/or false dependent information — resulting in tax calculations lower than what the clients actually owed.

In addition, Sirleaf filed false returns for himself for tax years 2017 through 2019, failing to fully report his income, which resulted in an additional tax loss to the IRS.

In total, Sirleaf caused a tax loss to the IRS of $219,622.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Duane Taylor, 50, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to life in prison by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for the abduction of a minor child from her home in Reading, Pennsylvania, and transportation of that child across state lines to Taylor’s residence. Taylor was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution and $3,500 in fees and assessments.

In January 2023, Taylor was charged by superseding indictment with kidnapping, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all counts in June of this year.

As detailed in court filings, on the morning of August 31, 2022, City of Reading police officers responded to the victim’s home when the child’s mother reported her missing from her bedroom, where she had last seen her daughter around 10:30 p.m. the evening prior before going to bed. After searching for the child, her mother observed that the back door of their residence was wide open, and law enforcement found the chain lock on that door was broken.

Investigators reviewed video surveillance footage from the home’s security system, which showed a person entering the living room area at approximately 2 a.m. and proceeding to the stairs leading to the second floor. A short time later, the victim is seen walking down those stairs and through the living room, followed by the person who was later identified as the defendant, whom the victim’s mother also stated was her former boyfriend.

Reading investigators contacted the New York City Police Department, who traced the defendant to his residence in Brooklyn, but did not locate the victim there. The victim was located later that day when a citizen called 911 to report a child alone and asking for help because she had been kidnapped from Pennsylvania.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Reading Police Department, and the New York City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Josh A. Davison.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rodney Ermel, 71, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $8,087,385 in restitution to the IRS by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney for tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The defendant was charged with those offenses by superseding indictment in March 2024 and pleaded guilty in April of this year.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ermel owned and managed a Colorado-based accounting firm. Along with co-defendant Kenneth Bacon, Ermel provided accounting and tax preparation services for co-defendant Joseph LaForte, LaForte’s wife and co-defendant Lisa McElhone, and their business entities. Ermel conspired with LaForte, Bacon, and others to hide approximately $20 million in income.

He did this through various fraudulent accounting practices, such as fabricating shareholder loans and “bad debt” deductions. Ermel also filed tax returns which he knew underreported taxable income by over $20 million between 2016 and 2018. Ermel’s fraud caused a loss to the United States of over $8 million.

This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Newcomer and John J. Boscia for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.