Eastern District of Virginia

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison for bank fraud.

According to court documents, on July 23, 2021, Deviyon Nichols, 33, submitted an application to obtain an auto loan from a credit union to purchase a 2014 BMW X-5. Nichols used a fraudulent South Carolina driver's license under the name “Davyion Martin” as well as a false social security number to obtain the loan, as his felony criminal history and poor credit score would have made a loan unlikely. Based on his use of the false name and social security number, the credit union approved the loan and provided Nichols $31,718.24 to complete the purchase.

Nichols lost the vehicle when it was impounded after a traffic stop and the credit union lost money on the transaction. When Nichols was stopped, he attempted to flee. Inside the vehicle, police found narcotics and a firearm.

In April 2021, Nichols used the false name, ID, and social security number to obtain an auto loan from another bank to purchase a 2014 Honda Accord. Based on this false information, the bank approved the loan and provided Nichols $15,684.60 to complete the purchase. Nichols lost the vehicle when it was wrecked in a traffic accident and the bank lost money on the transaction.

The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-88.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on May 21, 2025, the Hampton Police Division (HPD) and Virginia State Police (VSP) attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Mouctar Balde, 25, pursuant to a search warrant. Balde fled at high speed, running several red lights and driving into oncoming traffic. Balde ultimately struck a curb, which disabled his vehicle, and fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, Balde discarded a firearm immediately before he was apprehended.

HPD promptly recovered the firearm, which had been stolen from the purchaser and was loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber.

Balde previously was convicted of larceny, reckless handling of a firearm, obstruction, evading and eluding, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Balde was on probation for the marijuana conviction when he was arrested on May 21, 2025. As a previously convicted felon, Balde cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, HPD, and VSP investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson C. Yates prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-70.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

According to court documents, on May 15, 2024, Roger Pierre Laberge, 69, approached Gate 1 at Marine Corps Base Quantico driving a pickup truck with a tow-trailer. At the checkpoint, Laberge explained to two U.S. Marine Corps Police Officers (MPs) that he did not have a driver’s license or vehicle registration. The MPs determined that Laberge did not have authorization to enter the base and directed him to drive his truck into a nearby turnaround zone, which was enclosed by traffic barriers. One of the MPs moved a barrier, allowing Laberge to drive into the designated turnaround zone, then repositioned it to secure the enclosure.

The MP informed Laberge that he would need to run a check of the truck’s license plates before he would be permitted to leave the Quantico base. As the MP indicated that he was about to move the traffic barrier for Laberge and stepped in front of Laberge’s vehicle, Laberge accelerated the truck forward. Laberge slammed on the brake, narrowly avoiding hitting the MP with the vehicle.

The MP extended his arm and hand as a signal to stop and loudly called for Laberge to stop. In response, Laberge yelled, “I’m going!” and accelerated his vehicle forward, striking the MP with his truck, and continued through the traffic barrier. As Laberge continued accelerating, he made a sharp turn towards the nearest exit and slammed his vehicle into a curb, which momentarily flipped the trailer onto its side causing objects to fall out onto the street. Laberge then fled the scene of the incident, disregarding the MP’s commands to stop.

Among other previous convictions, Laberge was convicted in 1996 of aggravated fleeing to elude and resisting an officer with violence; in 2016 for fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer; and in 2024 for fleeing with disregard of safety to persons or property and driving while suspended for a third time or more.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Drucker and Richard Krupczak and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin S. Starr prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-205.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years and three months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to court documents, in 2025, Kenneth Matthews, 48, was receiving narcotics in Maryland and selling large quantities in the Tidewater area. On July 12, 2025, the Virginia State Police (VSP) located Matthews and conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted after a narcotics canine alerted to the presence of narcotics. Investigators located more than 300 grams of fentanyl divided into distributable quantities, as well as a handgun and approximately $1,000.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and VSP investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-54.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Sandston man pled guilty today to subscribing to a false tax return and wire fraud.

According to court documents, Kevin Alphonso Starlings, 40, was the sole owner and operator of several businesses, including Jeremiah Enterprises, Starlings Enterprises, The Service Sharks, ProSource Property Solutions, and Jeremiah Entertainment LLC. Starlings issued Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements from his five businesses to himself, purportedly reflecting the wages, tips, and other compensation he was paid, and the trust fund taxes and federal income tax that were purportedly withheld and paid over to the IRS on his behalf.

For calendar years 2016 through 2022, Starlings filed false Forms 1040 falsely reporting, among other things, that his companies had withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal tax from his income and that he had paid those funds to the IRS. In total, for years 2016 through 2022, Starlings falsely reported that he had withheld and paid to the IRS $827,290. None of Starlings’ companies made any withholding or payment of federal taxes to the IRS on Starlings’ behalf for those years.

From April 2020 through at least September 2021, Starlings fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds by submitting false and misleading applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), and North Carolina Division of Employment Security (DES).

For example, despite owning and operating his companies and reporting on his tax return that he earned $628,450 in wages in 2020, Starlings filed unemployment applications with the VEC and DES falsely claiming that he was laid off, terminated, or separated from his employment on March 20, 2020. Unaware of Starlings’ fraud, the VEC and DES approved the fraudulent applications and Starlings received approximately $61,726 in unemployment funds.

Starlings also submitted fraudulent applications SBA for loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the pandemic. Starlings submitted 11 EIDL applications for his businesses with misrepresentations including false gross revenue and costs and inflated or fabricated employee counts. Most of Starlings’ EIDL applications were rejected by the SBA, but one application was approved causing the agency to disburse $15,000 to Starlings.

Starlings is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. He faces up to 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:26-cr-21.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A woman residing on Fort Eustis pled guilty today to assault, driving under the influence of alcohol, and felony child neglect.

According to court documents, Rachel Lorane Pendergrast, 30, lived with her husband and children in military housing on Fort Eustis. On Dec. 3, 2025, she was responsible for the care of her three minor children while her husband was away from the home; the oldest child was at school/childcare and the younger two children were home with Pendergrast. Pendergrast began drinking vodka that morning. When she left her house to pick up her oldest child, she took her one-year-old with her and left her three-year-old alone at home.

Law enforcement received a call from Pendergrast’s neighbor reporting that the three-year-old was standing at the edge of the roadway near the home, crying, and attempting to cross the street. The outside temperature was 48℉ and the child was wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt. Approximately 10 minutes later Pendergrast arrived with the other two children in the vehicle. When law enforcement arrived, they noted that she seemed disoriented and had glossy eyes and a strong smell of alcohol. Two preliminary breath tests registered .304 and .298 for Pendergrast’s blood alcohol concentration. A test performed approximately five hours after driving showed Pendergrast’s blood alcohol level was still .18.

On the morning of June 17, 2025, Pendergrast repeatedly struck her husband in the immediate presence of their five-year-old. The incident was captured on video. When responding officers arrived at the home, Pendergrast was passed out on the couch, intoxicated.

Pendergrast is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 and faces up to seven years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Washington Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Black is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:26-cr-6.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Vienna man was sentenced today to 18 years and four months in prison following his conviction for sex trafficking a child and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Nov. 1, 2024, Michael Jamie Inofuentes, 45, a U.S. citizen with residences in Virginia and Colombia, flew into Miami International Airport on a return flight from Colombia, where he was flagged for secondary inspection based on suspicious payments he made to an individual suspected of involvement in child sex trafficking in Colombia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a border search of Inofuentes and his belongings. During an inspection of his cellphones, agents identified messages between Inofuentes and a 15-year-old Colombian girl showing he had solicited the victim for commercial sex. Inofuentes, who knew the victim was a minor and was frequently hungry and at risk of homelessness, solicited and paid the victim for sex on at least three occasions in 2024.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Inofuentes initially denied having sex with the victim but later admitted to having a sexual relationship with her. Inofuentes also admitted that he has children in Colombia and the mother was a minor when he impregnated her. Inofuentes was allowed to return home after the interview. On Nov. 4, 2024, while attempting to board a flight at Dulles International Airport bound for Colombia, Inofuentes was stopped on the jet bridge and taken to secondary inspection. He admitted that he offered the victim money for sex at a hotel.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., investigated this case with valuable assistance from the HSI Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-5.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man pled guilty today to transmitting threats in interstate commerce.

According to court documents, on Dec. 23, 2025, Scott Allen Bolger, 33, used Google Voice, which allows users to send text messages to others while obfuscating their phone numbers, to send a threatening message to a public official. In his message, Bolger threatened to put a bullet in the official’s head. Prior to sending the threat, Bogler researched the official’s personal phone number and made contact with him prior to sending the text message.

When federal investigators arrived at Bolger’s residence to investigate the threat, they identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers, and Bolger falsely identified himself as Brian Black. Bolger told them he did not know anyone by the name of Scott Bolger.

During his plea, Bolger also admitted to sending threatening and harassing messages to a second victim (Victim-2) who is not a public official. From at least October 2022, Bolger created multiple fictious accounts on X and Proton Mail to harass Victim-2, and researched Victim-2 on the internet through at least November 2025. Bolger sent Victim-2 private indecent images of Victim-2, and on at least one occasion, made a public facing profile with indecent images of Victim-2.

Bolger will remain detained pending sentencing, scheduled for May 20. He faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Washington Field Office investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-8.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man yesterday on charges of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 8, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing approximately 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.1 kilograms of cocaine. The parcel was addressed to an individual who had agreed to receive it on behalf of Alexander Michael Martinez, aka Rambo, 34. On Feb. 10, 2023, law enforcement intercepted another package containing approximately the same quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine as the earlier package. The intended recipient of that package identified Martinez as their marijuana dealer.

In July 2023, law enforcement in Fresno, California, interdicted a package containing approximately 85 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine intended for delivery to Richmond. Agents replaced the seized controlled substances with “sham” narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery to Martinez at an arranged location at a truck stop in Ashland. When Martinez arrived, two boxes of sham narcotics were placed into the rear seat of Martinez’s vehicle. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Martinez fled. After crashing his vehicle, Martinez attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody.

Martinez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Richmond District Office, DEA’s Fresno District Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-144.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, in February and March of 2025, law enforcement conducted four controlled purchases during which Saah Kinte Mills, 43, sold approximately 11 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, and 2.41 grams of a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine.

On April 11, 2025, narcotics detectives arrested Mills in Portsmouth, at which time Mills possessed nearly 11 grams of cocaine. Investigators then searched Mills residence in Portsmouth and recovered a box of ammunition, 31.21 grams of powder containing fentanyl, and 29 grams of powder containing para-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and fentanyl, as well as various indicia of drug trafficking.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-117.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Navy Chief Petty Officer was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, in December 2023, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Shane Matthew Harlacher, 39, used Facebook Messenger to send CSAM to another Facebook user. An investigation revealed that Harlacher, who was stationed in Gaeta, Italy, and previously lived in Virginia Beach, had used Facebook to share videos of bestiality and other sexually explicit images.

In April 2024, NCIS searched Harlacher, his residence in Italy, and his workspace and berthing aboard the USS Mount Whitney. In his immediate possession was a cellphone containing approximately 112 video files and 32 image files of CSAM, including a video of a toddler being sexually assaulted. It also contained numerous video and image files depicting surreptitious recordings of a 13-year-old victim, Jane Doe.  Harlacher created these recordings of Jane Doe at the bathroom of his home in Virginia Beach.  

NCIS seized three MicroSD cards from Harlacher's residence in Italy in April 2024 that contained surreptitious videos of Jane Doe recorded in the bathroom. Investigators seized another cellphone that contained the same videos of Jane Doe found on the other devices. NCIS also seized a one terabyte flash drive that contained CSAM, which Harlacher had transported from Virginia Beach to Italy.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-63.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman was sentenced today to three years in prison for wire fraud in connection with her operation of a homeless shelter focused on women and children.

According to court documents, Kia A. Player, 41, won a grant to operate an inclement weather shelter for homeless women and children in the Richmond metropolitan area, named RVA Sister’s Keeper. RVA Sister’s Keeper obtained over $995,000 in governmental funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Richmond to implement and operate the shelter. From August 2022 through April 2023, Player, RVA Sister’s Keeper’s director, fabricated and falsified at least 35 separate invoices for costs purportedly paid for the benefit of RVA Sister’s Keeper and its homeless residents, even though Player never made corresponding expenditures on RVA Sister’s Keeper’s behalf. Player submitted these fraudulent and inflated invoices for reimbursement to the City of Richmond, causing the city to improperly disburse funds to her.

For example, Player submitted at least 21 separate inflated invoices claiming RVA Sister’s Keeper made payments to an entity called “VCM Catering Services” to provide breakfast and dinner at the homeless shelter. VCM Catering Services was a fictitious business, however, and Player had hired a family member to provide breakfast and dinner for the homeless residents. This family member was a cafeteria manager at a Richmond City public school and occasionally provided RVA Sister’s Keeper residents with food taken from the school’s cafeteria – food that had already been procured with other public funds and was in some cases expired.

Player fabricated an invoice purporting to show that RVA Sister’s Keeper paid for repairs to the shelter’s roof, submitting the invoice to the City of Richmond. Player then stole the corresponding money the City of Richmond provided for the roof repairs, though the roof had multiple leaks. Player fabricated documentation purporting to show that RVA Sister’s Keeper paid a laundry company for wash and fold services on ten different occasions, though the company only provided services on three occasions and homeless residents sometimes received used blankets. Player also fabricated invoices for other services, such as bed bug treatment, that were never provided.

Player’s inflated invoice scheme caused $199,163 in actual losses to HUD and the City of Richmond. Player spent the fraud proceeds on personal expenses, including on a tattoo, airline tickets, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, furniture, and items at an antiques store.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case. The City of Richmond provided substantial assistance in the prosecution of this case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-146.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Canadian man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to court documents, on May 9, 2025, Tommy Varesh, 54, of Toronto, used a publicly-viewable online discussion platform to contact a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in the Washington area, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer (UC). Varesh indicated he was from New York and willing to travel to meet the UC for sex. Varesh asked the UC if she used birth control and told her he would buy emergency contraception. Varesh sent graphic sexual images of himself and persistently requested sexual images from the UC even though the UC expressed reluctance.

Varesh often reiterated the need for his relationship with the UC to remain a secret, especially from the UC’s mother and other adults and to ensure their communication was private. He also attempted to hide his intentions by moving their conversations to a platform from which messages were automatically deleted while also sending false messages to the original platform deceptively stating that he and the UC would not engage in sex.

On June 16, 2025, Varesh traveled to Virginia to meet the UC for sex. When he was arrested, he was carrying black lingerie and emergency contraception.

The FBI Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-306.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison for robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, on Oct. 13, 2022, Jarviontae Tykee McLaurine, 26, and two accomplices robbed a Dollar General store and people inside the store. Each of the robbers entered the store armed with a firearm and wearing a mask. One of the robbers ordered the clerk to open the register and get on the floor. Another robber ordered a customer to lie on the floor, and another customer was ordered to the front of the store at gunpoint.

The robbers held the store manager at gunpoint and ordered the manager to open the register. Two of the robbers then forced the manager and the clerk to accompany them to the back office where they attempted to gain access to more money. McLaurine and his accomplices then fled the store.

In June 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Richmond Circuit Court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In August 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Hanover Circuit Court of making a false statement on a criminal history consent form and attempting to possess a firearm as a convicted felon. Two months later, Mclaurine was arrested again and on Feb. 1, 2024, was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mclaurine was on supervised probation for two convictions when he robbed the Dollar General store.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Janet Jin Ah Lee prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:23-cr-164 and 3:25-cr-97.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A soldier at Fort Eustis was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a child.

According to court documents, Brady Beck Fant, 32, used social media platforms to engage in sexually graphic conversations with minor girls. In addition to those conversations, Fant received sexually graphic images and videos of the victims and sent sexually graphic images and videos of himself to at least one victim.

After the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce identified Fant, law enforcement seized his electronic devices on which investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

An Other Than Honorable Discharge from the United States Army is currently pending.

This case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E.A. Heath prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-58.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement with CarMax, Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, to resolve allegations that CarMax violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing motor vehicles owned by members of the military.  As part of the settlement, CarMax will pay at least $420,000 in damages to servicemembers and a civil penalty of $79,380 to the United States.

The Department alleges that CarMax repossessed servicemember vehicles without obtaining court orders as required by federal law, as well as repossessed some vehicles even after owners told CarMax that they were in military service. CarMax also allegedly failed to extend SCRA protections to reservists who had received orders to report for active duty. In addition to paying a civil penalty and compensation to harmed individuals, CarMax will revise its policies and procedures to ensure that the rights of U.S. servicemembers are protected in the future.

The SCRA is a federal law that provides legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service. For members of a reserve component, the protections begin on the date the member receives orders to military service.

This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $484 million in monetary relief for over 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement with CarMax Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, to resolve allegations that CarMax violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing motor vehicles owned by members of the military. As part of the settlement, CarMax will pay at least $420,000 in damages to servicemembers and a civil penalty of $79,380 to the United States.

“Federal law prohibits businesses from repossessing service members’ vehicles without a court order,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is proud to defend the rights of those who serve in our military and will continue to vigorously enforce the laws that protect them.”

The Department alleges that CarMax repossessed servicemember vehicles without obtaining court orders as required by federal law, as well as repossessed some vehicles even after owners told CarMax that they were in military service. CarMax also allegedly failed to extend SCRA protections to reservists who had received orders to report for active duty. In addition to paying a civil penalty and compensation to harmed individuals, CarMax will revise its policies and procedures to ensure that the rights of U.S. servicemembers are protected in the future.

The SCRA is a federal law that provides legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service. For members of a reserve component, the protections begin on the date the member receives orders to military service.

This case was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $484 million in monetary relief for over 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 23, 2025, Henrico County Police observed Tajon Rasheed Baskerville, 35, rummaging through a purse, which had been taken from a nearby vehicle earlier. As an officer performed a pat-down of Baskerville, the officer felt a firearm in a holster on Baskerville’s hip. Baskerville pulled away from and struck the officer. The officer fell, at which time Baskerville drew his firearm and, in response, the officer drew his service weapon. Baskerville tossed his firearm and attempted to flee on foot. The officer recovered the firearm and Baskerville was apprehended.

Investigators found items that had been taken from the purse in Baskerville’s pockets. They also found a wallet, which had been in the purse, in Baskerville’s shirt.

At the time of the offense, Baskerville had previously been convicted for possession of a controlled substance (2010 and 2012), felony probation violation (2012, 2014, and twice in 2017), grand larceny (2015 and 2018), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2022). As a previously convicted felon, Baskerville cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Henrico County Police Division investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. McGorman and Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-79.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Belle Haven man was sentenced today to three years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering relating to a scam involving an inheritance claim.

According to court documents, former Eastville Police officer Jerry Keith Brady Jr., 38, concocted a scheme to convince at least 13 people to loan him money needed to pay fees related to a purported inheritance he claimed was due. Brady solicited loans from friends, acquaintances, and colleagues to pay for attorney fees, taxes, or other related costs that Brady claimed were necessary to receive an inheritance or life insurance proceeds he was due from a deceased relative.

Some victims had Brady sign a written contract or promissory note agreeing that he would repay the money. When the due date passed without repayment, Brady told victims that without more money he would lose the inheritance entirely, and in many instances the victims provided Brady additional funds. Brady defrauded his victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars in 33 transactions. Brady wasted most of the money gambling in casinos, through online sports betting apps, and at slots-style gambling machines in convenience stores.

The IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-101.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing 2,618 grams of methamphetamine addressed to a residence on Rystrom Run in Chesapeake. After intercepting the package, investigators replaced the meth with sham narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery. The package was brought into the residence by a child. Geno Cassell Smith, 64, later entered the residence and opened the package.

Soon afterward, investigators entered the residence and executed a search warrant. The investigators found the sham narcotics as well as a handgun with two magazines. Smith previously was convicted of marijuana possession and distribution and assault and battery on a family member. As a previously convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of K9 “Pablo” investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Cheney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Anne Cournoyer prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-104.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A California man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for coercion and enticement to travel in interstate for prostitution, which involved two adult women.

According to court documents, in August 2023, Demarco Raushi Coney-Jones II, 31, of Merced, coerced a victim to travel from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Alexandria, Virginia, to engage in prostitution. Between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2023, Coney-Jones coerced another victim to travel to Alexandria, this time from California, to engage in prostitution.

Coney-Jones committed part of this offense while detained on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the theft of jewelry valued at more than $3 million from a sex buyer of one of his trafficking victims. Despite a prior conviction for possessing an unregistered firearm, Coney-Jones possessed a stolen handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle with an obliterated serial number at the time of his arrest.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith J. Edwards prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-176.

This release was revised on February 27, 2026, to recognize the assistance of the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation and sale of stolen goods involving an airbag theft ring in the metro Washington area.

According to court documents, in August 2022, Chinese national Yuchen Zhang, 28, and Adisorn Damrongchai, 47, of Alexandria, began stealing airbags from vehicles in Virginia and transporting them to Maryland to sell them to Keith William Smith, 45, of Severn, Maryland, who sold used car parts, including stolen airbags.

On November 13, 2022, Zhang and Damrongchai were arrested in Arlington County just after they had stolen several airbags. Zhang and Damrongchai were in possession of window punches, screwdrivers, pliers, and a hand-held flashlight as well as six stolen airbags.

After their arrest, Zhang and Damrongchai resumed stealing airbags and selling them to Smith. On Sept. 20, 2024, Zhang drove to Silver Spring, Maryland, stole an airbag, and returned to Virginia with it. On Oct. 4, 2024, Zhang picked up Damrongchai from his residence and traveled to neighborhoods in Fairfax and Herndon where they stole airbags from multiple vehicles. Later that day, law enforcement searched Zhang’s residence and vehicles and Damrongchai’s residence and recovered 14 airbags, some of which had been stolen earlier that morning.

Smith paid Damrongchai a total of $47,170 and Zhang a total of $37,220 for stolen airbags.  Together, the three men were responsible for hundreds of stolen airbags across northern Virginia.

Zhang pled guilty in Arlington to grand larceny and destruction of property valued in excess of $1,000. On Dec. 18, 2024, he pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation of stolen property and was sentenced on March 7, 2025, to three years and two months in prison. In 2020, Zhang was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a $1.1 million fraud scheme involving gift cards. For that conviction, Zhang was sentenced to seven months in prison.

Smith pled guilty on March 10, 2025, and was sentenced on May 28, 2025, to six months in prison.

On February 21, 2025, Damrongchai was convicted in Arlington of tampering with a vehicle, destruction of property, two counts of destruction of property greater than $1000, sale of stolen property greater than $1,000, and possession of burglarious tools. Damrongchai pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia on Dec. 3, 2025, to conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation and sale of stolen goods.  Damrongchai was sentenced to a total of two years and nine months in prison.

The FBI Washington Field Office, Alexandria Police Department, and Fairfax County Police Department investigated this case with valuable assistance from the Arlington County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and Manassas City Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndi McVey prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:24-CR-261 (Zhang), 1:25-CR-58 (Smith), and 1:25-cr-199 (Damrongchai).

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man pled guilty yesterday to theft of government property.

According to court documents, beginning on July 5, 2018, Alonzo Darren McClary, 62, held power of attorney to make decisions for his elderly neighbor in the event the neighbor was incapacitated or passed away. McClary occasionally withdrew funds from the neighbor’s bank account to assist the neighbor as needed.

After the neighbor passed away on Feb. 20, 2020, the Social Security Administration (SSA) continued to pay benefits into the neighbor’s bank account. Rather than inform SSA that the neighbor had passed, McClary continued to withdraw money from the neighbor’s bank account. McClary caused a benefit overpayment of $62,957.92 from which he stole for his personal use.

McClary is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 and faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The SSA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-81.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to three years in prison for obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file personal tax returns.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Omini Tete Riman, 60, earned income as an information technology specialist and landlord. Riman filed false individual tax returns with the IRS for the years 2013 and 2014, which resulted in him receiving refunds for both years that he was not entitled to receive.

After the IRS paid out the refunds, Riman obstructed the IRS’s subsequent efforts to recoup the money. Riman transferred his property to a trust to hide it from the IRS, opened bank accounts in the name of the trust and directed his income to be deposited there, and submitted false documents claiming that the IRS collections officer handling his case had personally received over $600,000 from Riman, which, if accepted by the IRS, would have jeopardized the IRS officer’s job and increased the officer’s personal tax liability.

Riman also stopped filing tax returns for the years 2018 through 2023, even though he received a total of more than $854,000 during that period and was required to file each year. In total, Riman caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $500,000. Riman was convicted by a jury in November 2025.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-99.

A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to three years in prison for violating criminal tax laws.

In November 2025, a federal jury convicted Omini Tete Riman of obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file tax returns. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Riman was an information technology specialist and landlord, who filed false tax returns with the IRS for 2013 and 2014 and received refunds for both years that he was not entitled to receive. When the IRS attempted to recoup the refunds, Riman obstructed that effort – he transferred his property to a trust, opened a bank account in the name of the trust and directed his income to be deposited into the trust account to hide it from the IRS. Riman also submitted false documents claiming that the IRS collections officer handling his case had personally received over $600,000 from Riman, which, if accepted by the IRS, would have increased the officer’s own tax liability. In addition, Riman stopped filing tax returns for the years 2018 through 2023, even though he received a total of more than $854,000 during that period and was required to file each year. In total, Riman caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $500,000.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. 

A Mexican national was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.

According to court documents, the defendant, Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez, was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States for years. The DTO also engaged in bulk cash smuggling, bribery of Mexican officials and attempted kidnappings related to rival traffickers.

The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.   

In addition to cocaine trafficking, the DTO transported substantial illicit proceeds earned from its operations back to Mexico and elsewhere. DTO members engaged in bulk money transfers with cocaine suppliers and utilized a Chinese money laundering network to repatriate bulk narcotics proceeds out of the United States. The DTO also engaged in bribery of Mexican officials, including to gain access to information useful to its cocaine trafficking operations, and planned and attempted to execute multiple kidnappings related to rival drug traffickers and in efforts to secure outstanding debts.

Mendoza-Gomez assisted in coordinating and transporting cocaine for distribution in the United States, handled hundreds of thousands worth of narcotics proceeds, provided advice to the DTO’s leader and participated in the DTO’s efforts to plan kidnappings and obtain information from corrupt Mexican officials.

On Aug. 12, 2025, Mendoza-Gomez, along with 25 other fugitives, were transferred from Mexico to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the transfers.

Two of the defendant’s co-conspirators, Marisela Flores-Torruco and Qiyun Chen, have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved in the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pleaded guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Chen pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation.

Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Carter and Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eleview International Inc., Oleg Nayandin, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, of Vienna, Virginia, were sentenced today for conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act.

According to court records, between approximately February 2022 and June 2023, Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company that operated a freight consolidation and forwarding business; Nayandin, the owner, president, and CEO of Eleview; and Borisenko, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of Eleview’s freight forwarding business, conspired to illegally export goods and technology from the United States to Russia by transshipping them through three countries bordering or near Russia.

Eleview, Nayandin, and Borisenko operated an e-commerce website that allowed Russian customers to order U.S. goods and technology directly from U.S. retailers, who shipped the items to Eleview’s warehouse in Chantilly. They then consolidated the packages before shipping them to the Russian customers, often using other freight forwarders as intermediaries. After the Department of Commerce imposed stricter export controls in response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nayandin and Borisenko, on behalf of Eleview, coordinated shipments of items to purported end users in Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan that were ultimately destined for end users in Russia. To facilitate these illegal exports, they made numerous false statements to other freight forwarders about the end users and ultimate consignees of the items in these shipments.

In the Turkey scheme, Eleview exported 23 shipments of telecommunications equipment to a false end user in Turkey that was intended for a Russian telecommunications company that supplied the Russian government, including the Federal Security Service. The telecommunications equipment that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Turkey scheme had military applications, including use by the Russian military to create and expand communication networks.

In the Finland scheme, Eleview exported 83 shipments of goods to Russia through Eleview’s e-commerce website to a false end user in Finland that neither purchased nor sold goods. Before consolidating the packages into larger pallets for shipment to Finland, Eleview affixed to each package a label with a Russian postal service tracking number so that the Russian postal service could easily ship the package to the customer in Russia. The goods Eleview exported illegally as part of the Finland scheme included items that the Department of Commerce has identified as particularly significant to Russian weaponry, including the same type of electronic component found on Russian “suicide” drones used to destroy Ukrainian tanks and jets.

In the Kazakhstan scheme, Eleview exported approximately 52 shipments of goods to Russia through an entity in Kazakhstan that advertises its ability to deliver goods to Russia. The goods that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Kazakhstan scheme included controlled, dual-use items.

Eleview was ordered to pay a fine of $125,000 and sentenced to three years of probation that included requirements to submit biannual compliance reports and mandate export-control training for its employees. Nayandin was sentenced to three years in prison. Borisenko was sentenced to a year in prison.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gavin R. Tisdale and Sehar F. Sabir and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda St. Cyr and Dave Peters for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-46.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chester man was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

According to court documents, on May 9, 2025, law enforcement searched the vehicle and residence of Christopher Michael Collius, 53, in connection with an investigation relating to firearms trafficking. During the search, law enforcement recovered dozens of firearms and hundreds of pieces of other evidence. Among other items, investigators found numerous privately made firearms, together with parts and kits; two short-barreled rifles, including one without a serial number and another equipped with a silencer; six additional silencers, including one attached to a shotgun; two converted lower receivers modified to install machinegun conversion devices, qualifying them as machineguns; a destructive device; and numerous rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Chesterfield County Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Podlesni prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-139.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Chief Executive Officer of a multi-level marketing and bitcoin trading firm was sentenced today to 20 years in prison following his conviction on wire fraud and money laundering charges for operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded over 90,000 investors worldwide.

According to court documents, Ramil Ventura Palafox, 61, a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines, owned and operated Praetorian Group International (PGI) and served as PGI’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and chief promoter. Palafox falsely claimed that PGI was engaged in bitcoin trading, and he promised daily returns of 0.5 to 3%. PGI was not trading bitcoin at a scale capable of making the promised returns, however, and Palafox was paying the investors back with their own money or with funds received from other investors.

From December 2019 to October 2021, at least 90,000 investors worldwide invested more than $201,000,000 in PGI, including at least $30,295,289 in fiat currency and at least 8,198 bitcoin worth $171,498,528. As a result of Palafox’s actions, investors suffered losses totaling at least $62,692,007.

Palafox created a PGI website for investors to review their purported investment performance. From 2020 through 2021, Palafox caused the online portal to consistently and fraudulently misrepresent that victims’ investments were gaining value, misleading them to believe that their investments were profitable and secure.

Palafox spent money on expenses that served both personal purposes and to promote the fraudulent scheme. He spent approximately $3 million on 20 luxury vehicles, including automobiles by Porsche, Lamborghini, McClaren, Ferrari, BMW, Bentley, and others. Palafox spent approximately $329,000 on penthouse suites at a luxury hotel chain and purchased four homes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles worth more than $6 million. Palafox spent another $3 million of investors’ money to buy clothing, watches, jewelry, and home furnishings at luxury retailers, including Louboutin, Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Versace, Ferragamo, Valentino, Cartier, Rolex, and Hermes, among others. He transferred at least $800,000 in fiat currency, plus an additional 100 bitcoin, then valued at approximately $3.3 million, to one of his family members.

The FBI Washington Field Office and the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Morgan and Annie Zanobini and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell prosecuted the case.

Victims of PGI may be entitled to restitution payments. Information about how to submit a restitution claim can be found here.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-5.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to five years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on May 25, 2024, Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) officers observed Khyri Jamar Whitehead, 33, remove a handgun from the trunk of a vehicle, place it in the front of his waistband, and then conceal it with his shirt. Officers continued watching Whitehead until he entered another vehicle as a passenger. VBPD then conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, removed Whitehead from the vehicle, and recovered the handgun.

Whitehead, a member of the Bounty Hunter Watts gang, has 18 previous felony convictions. As a convicted felon, Whitehead cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Virginia Beach Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Bresnahan and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc W. West prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-120.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to eight years and 10 months in prison in addition to the two and a half years he has already served for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and unlawfully reentering the United States following a previous removal.

According to court documents, Joel Guerra Eraso, 41, was removed from the United States in 2013, after which he unlawfully reentered the United States.

On August 30, 2023, Guerra Eraso wanted to engage in sex with his wife, but she was unable due to pain in her back. Guerra Eraso became angry, held his wife down so she could not escape, and battered her. Guerra Eraso placed a firearm to his wife’s head and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not discharge. Guerra Eraso then pointed the gun at a pillow and pulled the trigger, firing the weapon and striking his wife’s phone.

Guerra Eraso later violated a protective order by contacting her through other inmates while he was incarcerated. Guerra Eraso pled guilty on July 22, 2024, in Northampton County to attempted first degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, maliciously shooting in a dwelling, assault and battery of a family or household member, brandishing a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm, and misdemeanor destruction of property.

Guerra Eraso was previously convicted of possession of cocaine, as well as reckless handling of a firearm for an incident in which he was intoxicated and fired a gun multiple times inside a residence while his wife hid in a closet.

Guerra Eraso remains subject to removal from the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C. investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge prosecuted the case.

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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-40.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to three years and 10 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Jan. 11, 2025, a Richmond Police officer encountered Raheem Bennie Smith, aka Too-Too, 44, asleep at the wheel of a vehicle at an intersection in Richmond. The vehicle was running and still in gear. The officer awakened Smith by tapping on his window and asked Smith to put the vehicle in park.

While speaking with Smith, the officer observed a firearm in the front passenger seat and instructed Smith not to reach for it. Another officer opened the passenger door and recovered the loaded handgun and Smith was arrested. The officers also found cocaine in Smith’s pants.

At the time of his arrest, Smith previously had been convicted of, among other crimes, possession of cocaine, eluding the police, continuously driving with a suspended or revoked license, and second degree murder. As a convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-112.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield woman pled guilty today to making false statements to steal from multiple COVID-19 relief programs.

According to court documents, from approximately May 12, 2020, through at least March 18, 2021, Sheila C. Bynum-Coleman, 54, filed for and received at least nine fraudulent COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling over $225,000 on behalf of eight different businesses she and her husband, Rashad H. Coleman, 48, purportedly operated. To obtain these PPP loans, Bynum-Coleman made numerous false certifications, including that each business had significant annual sales and revenue. Bynum-Coleman inflated and manufactured annual sales and revenue figures to inflate the amount of PPP funds for which the business could qualify. Additionally, with each PPP application, Bynum-Coleman fabricated Internal Revenue Service (IRS) income tax return documents to falsely support the inflated business sales and revenue figures.

For instance, though Bynum-Coleman submitted excerpts of a 2020 income tax return as part of multiple PPP loan applications, neither Bynum-Coleman nor her husband filed any income tax returns in 2020. Bynum-Coleman and Coleman also pled guilty to failing to file 2020 income tax returns.

Though Bynum-Coleman represented to financial institutions in PPP applications that she and her husband were operating numerous businesses in 2020, Bynum-Coleman represented to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) that she was unemployed from March 15, 2020, through February 13, 2021, to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits. Bynum-Coleman falsely certified to the VEC that she had not applied for or received PPP funds for the same time period she was seeking pandemic unemployment benefits. Bynum-Coleman made false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration to defraud a separate COVID-19 program, the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.

Bynum-Coleman routinely spent fraudulently obtained PPP funds on paying down her home loan, luxury clothing, paying down credit card bills, and other personal spending. Moreover, on May 29, 2020, about a week after receiving $62,500 in PPP loans, Bynum-Coleman transferred $10,000 of fraudulently obtained PPP funds into a bank account in the name of “Friends of Sheila for Delegate,” an account for Bynum-Coleman’s political campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Thomas A. Garnett prosecuted the case.

The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-44.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Yorktown man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on Feb. 3, 2025, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of an ounce of methamphetamine, which was supplied by Jonathan Michael Jenkins, aka JHood, 42. On March 3, 2025, the investigative team searched two residences associated with Jenkins. From the first residence, investigators recovered methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine as well as a loaded handgun. From the second residence, investigators recovered additional indicia of drug trafficking and use.

Jenkins previously was convicted of 15 crimes and 17 probation violations as an adult.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated the case with significant assistance from the Virginia State Police Tri-Rivers Task Force, Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office, Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, and York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-16.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted the owner and operator of an Alexandria-based precious metals investment firm yesterday on charges of wire fraud and violating the Travel Act relating to a precious metals Ponzi scheme.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, beginning in November 2021, Warith Deen Muhammad, 39, of McLean, falsely told more than a dozen investors that if they invested with him and his business, Niagara Gold and Silver LLC, he would use their money to buy, trade, and sell precious metals. Muhammad guaranteed profits of five to ten percent and told investors that they would receive their principal plus interest back, typically within 30 days.

To mask the fraud, Muhammad used new investors funds to pay prior investors, leading investors to believe that their investment had been “successful,” inducing them to invest more money and to recruit others to invest. In total, from November 2021 through June 2023, Muhammad used fraudulent representations to induce more than 12 investors to send him over $1.5 million.

In addition to spending investor money to pay prior investors, Muhammad also used investor funds to finance his lavish lifestyle. He leased high-end sports cars, including a Ferrari FF, Bentley, and Dodge Challenger Demon. He paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent luxury properties, and he spent tens of thousands of dollars at retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Tiffany’s, and Chanel, among others.

Muhammad faces up to 20 years in prison for count of wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison for Travel Act violation when sentenced on May 6. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Morgan and Zoe Bedell are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-284.

NORFOLK, Va. – A U.S. District Court Judge convicted James Dion Palmer, 56, yesterday on two counts of failing to register as a sex offender.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on May 2, 2001, Palmer was convicted in the Circuit Court for Henrico County of a rape he committed on Oct. 13, 2000, which required him to register for life under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). SORNA requires offenders to provide information related to intended travel.

Without disclosing his travel plans or receiving permission to travel, Palmer flew from Norfolk to San Francisco on Feb. 28, 2021. On March 3, 2021, Palmer traveled from California to Washington, and on March 4, 2021, his ankle-worn GPS tracking device ran out of charge. After his departure and before his GPS monitor ran out of charge, Palmer communicated by telephone with his probation officer, who encouraged Palmer to register as a sex offender in San Francisco and informed him that he was in violation of his obligations as a sex offender.

On Oct. 31, 2021, Palmer submitted documents to the Virginia State Police indicating a change of location of residence and probationary oversight. Palmer had written his probation officer’s name on the document, but the probation officer had neither submitted nor approved the document.

On Nov. 16, 2021, Canadian Border Patrol notified the Virginia State Police that Palmer was found in Vancouver, Canada, and Canadian authorities determined that Palmer did not enter Canada through an official border control point. Palmer had neither notified his probation officer of his plans to travel to Canada nor received approval for such travel.

Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Anne Cournoyer are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-113.

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while on supervised release for almost identical behavior.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial in April 2024, a Kik (mobile messaging platform) user whose username identified himself as someone who loved little girls was reported to be distributing CSAM. Further investigation revealed that the user was Antonio Rudy Gonzalez, 41, of Alexandria, Virginia. Gonzalez requested and distributed images of children, including toddlers, engaged in sexually explicit conduct to multiple other Kik users. In his messages, Gonzalez indicated that he was “only into kids.” In 2013, Mr. Gonzalez had previously been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of distribution of child pornography. His then Kik username was nearly identical to the one used in 2024, and he advertised himself as being interested in “little girls, rape, incest, teens.”

Following a bench trial in September 2025, Gonzalez was convicted on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography for his 2024 conduct. As a result of his prior conviction, the defendant was subject to a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Chinese national was extradited from Guatemala to face an indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia charging him with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, launder money derived from drug trafficking, and provide material support to the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

According to court documents, beginning in at least November 2023 and continuing until he was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on July 17, 2025, Wenshen Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly used a variety of clandestine methods, including mirror-transfers, encrypted communications applications, a serial-number verification system, and trade-based money laundering to launder narcotics proceeds on behalf of transnational criminal organizations as well as funds represented to be narcotics proceeds. Xu also allegedly conspired with individuals in the United States and elsewhere, including Colombia, to smuggle multi-kilogram loads of cocaine into the United States. On July 17, 2025, Xu and others allegedly agreed to arrange and facilitate the transportation of a multi-kilogram load of cocaine out of Cali, Colombia, on behalf of an individual who claimed to represent the CJNG.

Xu was arrested by Guatemalan authorities on July 17, 2025, at the request of the United States, and was extradited to the United States on Jan. 30. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit, DEA’s offices in Guatemala and Colombia, the Colombian National Police, and the Guatemalan National Police.

The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Guatemala and its prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for assisting with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Guatemala.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-231.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Wenshen Xu, a Chinese national, was extradited from Guatemala to the United States yesterday to face an indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia charging him with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, launder money derived from drug trafficking and provide material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

According to court documents, beginning in at least November 2023 and continuing until Xu was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on July 17, 2025, Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly used a variety of clandestine methods, including mirror transfers, encrypted communications applications, a serial-number verification system and trade-based money laundering to launder narcotics proceeds on behalf of transnational criminal organizations as well as funds represented to be narcotics proceeds. Xu also allegedly conspired with individuals in the United States and elsewhere, including Colombia, to smuggle multi-kilogram loads of cocaine into the United States. On or about July 17, 2025, Xu and others allegedly agreed to arrange and facilitate the transportation of a multi-kilogram load of cocaine out of Cali, Colombia, on behalf of an individual who claimed to represent the CJNG.

On Feb. 20, 2025, the CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.

Xu was arrested by Guatemalan authorities on July 17, 2025 at the request of the United States, and was extradited to the United States on Jan. 30. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division made the announcement.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit, DEA’s offices in Guatemala and Colombia, the Colombian National Police, and the Guatemalan National Police.

The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Guatemala and its prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for assisting with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Guatemala.

Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

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

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while on supervised release for a similar offense.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in April 2024, a Kik messaging platform user was reported to be distributing CSAM. Further investigation revealed that the user was Antonio Rudy Gonzalez, 41. Gonzalez requested and distributed images of children, including toddlers, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, to multiple other Kik users. In his messages, Gonzalez indicated that he was “only into kids.” In 2013, Gonzalez had previously been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of distribution of child pornography. His Kik username at that time was nearly identical to the one used in 2024, and he advertised himself as being interested in “little girls, rape, incest, teens.”

In September 2025, Gonzalez was convicted at trial on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography for his 2024 conduct.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-213.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted an Indian national yesterday on charges of abusive sexual contact and assault onboard a flight.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Aug. 29, 2024, during final approach on a flight from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a passenger awoke to find Varun Arora, 38, sexually groping her. Arora, who was wearing a sleep mask, feigned sleep as he continued to place his hand on the victim despite her repeatedly removing his hand.

Arora is present in the United States without lawful status. He faces up to two years in prison when sentenced on May 7. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Mumma and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-288.

NORFOLK, Va. – Two Franklin men were sentenced to eight years and four months in prison today for robbery and firearms crimes relating to a 2024 robbery.

According to court documents, Leondre Douglas, aka Worm, 27, set up a drug transaction on Oct. 28, 2024, with a marijuana dealer and Janathian Porter, aka Frankboy Nate, Nate, or Nate Dog, 28. When they met for the transaction, Porter robbed the dealer at gunpoint, taking the dealer’s firearm. Porter and Douglas then fled in separate vehicles.

On Nov. 1, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that reportedly had been involved in the Oct. 28, 2024, robbery. Douglas was driving, and three children were inside the vehicle. Officers recovered a stolen handgun from underneath the driver seat. As a previously convicted felon, Douglas cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

On Nov. 12, 2024, a man observed Porter rummaging through the man’s vehicle at his home. The victim entered his vehicle, noticed that a speaker had been stolen, and followed Porter, who was attempting to flee in another vehicle. The victim pursued Porter to the end of a cul-de-sac, where Porter shot at the victim. Shell casings at the scene matched a firearm that a witness reported stolen the same evening from his vehicle near where Porter was observed breaking into cars.

Porter is an eight-time convicted felon, including for breaking and entering, grand larceny, buying/receiving stolen goods, eluding/endangering police, and twice each for probation violations and hit and run.

Douglas pled guilty on Aug. 25, 2025, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. A federal jury convicted Porter on Aug. 26, 2025, of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case. The Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation of the Oct. 28, 2024, and Nov. 1, 2024, offenses. The Franklin Police Department assisted in the investigation of the Nov. 12, 2024, offense.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda L. Cheney and Matthew Heck and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas Nelson prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:25-cr-62, 2:25-cr-77, and 2:25-cr-78.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two former financial services specialists were sentenced for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud affecting financial institutions relating to their unlawful use of client information to obtain loans.

According to court documents, Roberta Leigh Dawson, aka Bird, 63, formerly of Alexandria and current resident of Norlina, North Carolina, was a licensed loan officer with a local mortgage brokerage, and Edward Fitzgerald, 59, of Fairfax, purported to be a financial advisor with an expertise in real estate transactions and investments. Fitzgerald’s clients provided him with access to their money, financial information, and means of identification.

Fitzgerald passed his clients’ information to Dawson to obtain fraudulent real estate loans. In some instances, Fitzgerald and Dawson sold their victims’ homes without their knowledge, including to straw buyers. They would then strip out the equity and use it to pay their own expenses, among other things. They also used their victims’ personal information without their knowledge to obtain loans in their names and submitted to financial institutions loan applications that were replete with misstatements.

Dawson withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars of victim cash from accounts she controlled after fraudulently diverting the funds into those accounts. Dawson routinely paid Fitzgerald’s credit card, which he used for extravagant travel, luxury items, and daily expenses, with more than $1 million in funds obtained from the fraud scheme.

Dawson pled guilty on Sept. 24, 2025, and was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison. Fitzgerald pled guilty on Sept. 16, 2025, and was sentenced on Jan. 20 to five years in prison.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell L. Carlberg and Annie Zanobini and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Hood for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Pedersen, from Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-145.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to four years and four months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Sept. 18, 2024, Henrico County Police officers found Rashon Lamar Lofton, 40, passed out in the driver seat of a vehicle with the engine running at a fuel pump of a convenient store in Richmond. A passenger was also passed out in the vehicle. After observing indicia of drug use in the vehicle, the officer was removing Lofton from the car when he observed a firearm in Lofton’s pants pocket. The officer placed Lofton in handcuffs and recovered the firearm, which was loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, including a round in the chamber.

At the time of his arrest, Lofton previously had been convicted of, among other crimes, possession with intent to distribute marijuana (twice) and assault. As a previously convicted felon, Lofton cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-12.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two enlisted Army personnel formerly stationed at Fort Eustis were sentenced to prison for convictions relating child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, from February 2023 through April 2023, Hayden Scott Carpenter, 23, and Isaiah Luke Hood, 21, used social media platforms to engage in sexually graphic conversations with minors. An investigation revealed that Carpenter and Hood requested and received sexually graphic images and videos of the minors and sent sexually graphic images and videos to the minors. Carpenter and Hood victimized dozens of minors.

On May 28, 2025, Hood pled guilty to production of CSAM. On Oct. 1, 2025, Hood was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

On Aug. 6, 2025, Carpenter pled guilty to coercion and enticement of a child. Carpenter was sentenced today to 15 years in prison.

The Washington Field Office of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath prosecuted the cases.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 4:25-cr-22 (Hood) and 4:25-cr-23 (Carpenter).

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A mother and son were sentenced to prison on Jan. 20 for their roles in a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license.

According to court documents, Devonte Jermaine Kelley, 24, and Lalita Jane Owens, 45, both of Newport News, used Armslist, an online marketplace for arranging private firearms sales, and other avenues to facilitate and negotiate illegal firearms transactions. During the conspiracy, Kelley was involved in the dealing of 23 firearms with a value of at least $12,117.24. Owens purchased 16 of the 23 firearms before Kelley’s 21st birthday when he could not legally purchase handguns.

Kelley and Owens made false statements on federal forms attesting to being the actual transferees and buyers of the firearms during purchases from licensed firearms dealers. Law enforcement agencies connected several firearms purchased by Kelley and Owens that were seized or used in crimes involving associates of Kelley, some of whom are affiliated with the Walk Down Gang, formerly known as Warwick Lawnz.

Kelley pled guilty on Aug. 21, 2025, and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Owens pled guilty on Aug. 26, 2025, and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Podlesni and Peter Osyf prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-34.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on March 8, 2025, Newport News Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Jermain Antonio Bernard, 41, for driving at night without using headlights. An officer smelled alcohol as he approached the vehicle and observed that Bernard’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and the officer called for backup to administer a field-sobriety test.

During the traffic stop, the officer observed a firearm near Bernard. When the officer told Bernard he could see the firearm, Bernard fled in his vehicle. Bernard eventually stopped his vehicle and fled on foot. After a brief chase, police found Bernard knocking on a door to an apartment and arrested him. Officers then recovered the loaded handgun from Bernard’s vehicle.

At the time of his arrest, Bernard had approximately 24 previous convictions, including for firearms charges. As a convicted felon, Bernard cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Newport News Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-47.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Dec. 2, 2024, Henrico Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Charles Bryan Alexander, 50, was a passenger. Alexander was the subject of outstanding arrest warrants. During the stop, Alexander was in possession of a loaded handgun with a 17-round magazine and a round in the chamber.

On July 29, 2011, Alexander was convicted in the Circuit Court of Henrico of first-degree murder, attempted robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery, for which he was sentenced to 60 years with 45 years suspended. As a previously convicted felon, Alexander cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition. Alexander was released from prison only six months before he was found in possession of a firearm.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Henrico County Police Division investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Janet Jin Ah Lee prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-39.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for defrauding and exploiting numerous victims including romantic partners, credit unions, auto dealers, and even strangers.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Dion Lamont Camp, 41, conned numerous women into romantic relationships and leveraged those relationships to obtain fraudulent loans and credit cards. He typically sought out women with good jobs and high credit scores, particularly enlisted U.S. Navy servicemembers.  Camp caused six fraudulent loans to be issued from a national credit union in 2020 through 2022 for luxury cars that were never purchased or for which financing was obtained both from a credit union and the car dealership for the same car.

Evidence presented at trial and sentencing showed that his scheme to defraud involved coercing women through repeated sexual, physical, and mental abuse.  He used the proceeds of the scheme to buy luxury goods, even though he was over $100,000 in default for child support judgments for his 22 children. His proceeds from the scheme exceeded $1.7 million.

On March 21, 2025, a federal jury convicted Camp on 19 charges of bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false representation of a social security number.

“Dion Camp’s fraudulent scheme inflicted lasting harm on victims who entrusted him with their financial futures,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Victims of identity theft often spend years rebuilding their credit and restoring their financial stability. This sentence demonstrates the seriousness of these crimes and sends a clear message  that financial exploitation carries substantial and lasting consequences.”

"Dion Camp preyed on women who were seeking connection and companionship, exploiting their trust to steal their identities and cause lasting financial and emotional harm,” said Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Norfolk Field Office. “The victims in this case were manipulated through false relationships and left to rebuild their lives after being deceived. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes and affirms that those who abuse trust for personal gain will be held accountable. The FBI remains committed to standing with victims and aggressively pursuing those who commit romance scams and identity fraud.”

Camp obtained an American Express card using a victim’s personal identifying information without her knowledge. He also obtained supplemental American Express cards from the accounts of other victims using the Social Security number of an individual who had never met or had any relationship with Camp.

Camp applied for a property rental in Virginia Beach using a false Social Security number, a fake credit report with a highly inflated credit score, and a false IRS business tax filing that showed that his alleged house flipping business, Camp Investments LLC, made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-63.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five defendants made their initial appearance in court today on charges relating to criminal activity alleged to have taken place in and around the Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries.

“Drug trafficking and sex trafficking devastate communities by exploiting vulnerable individuals and fueling violence and addiction,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our office is committed to dismantling criminal enterprises that profit from human suffering. Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold offenders accountable and disrupt the cycles of exploitation that threaten our communities.”

“These arrests stem from a joint investigation between the FBI, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Virginia State Police,” said Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division. “I want to thank our partners for the investigative work they have done to further this investigation and to support one of our top priorities — combating violent crime. The FBI will continue to collaborate with federal and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle drug and sex trafficking rings and bring traffickers to justice.”

According to court documents, since May 2023, Kosha Sharma, aka Ma or Mama K, 52, and Tarun Sharma, aka Pop or Pa, 55, and Kosha LLC, doing business as “Red Carpet Inn,” have leased and operated the motel. As alleged in a criminal complaint, Kosha and Tarun Sharma, who are married, take a cut of the profits made from illegal activity conducted on the third floor of the hotel.

From May 28, 2025, through Dec. 17, 2025, law enforcement conducted nine prostitution encounters and 15 controlled purchases of fentanyl at the Red Carpet Inn. Eleven of the controlled purchases were for fentanyl, the other four for cocaine. The complaint alleges that Margo Waldon Pierce, aka Marko, 51, distributed the illegal narcotics in all 15 controlled purchases.

Joshua Roderick, aka Josh, 40, and Rashard Perrish Smith, aka Sean/Shawn, B, B-more, or Baltimore, 33, were also arrested for their alleged roles in the criminal activity at the Red Carpet Inn.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Rosenberg and Megan Braun are prosecuting the case. The FBI, Prince William County Police Department, and Virginia State Police are investigating the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-MJ-1.

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

This release was revised on January 16, 2026, to correct the spelling of defendant Joshua Roderick.