Western District of Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Texas man, who conspired with others to kidnap, transport, and hold multiple victims at gunpoint for ransom that culminated in a deadly 2023 shootout in a quiet, Charlottesville neighborhood, was sentenced yesterday in federal court as part of Operation Take Back America.

Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison. Perez pled guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death. 

Perez’s co-conspirator, Ricardo Ordaz, 26, of Cedar Creek Texas, was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison in January 2026 for his role in the conspiracy. 

“Human trafficking is an affront to human decency and dignity. This sentence should send a clear and unmistakable message that the scourge of human trafficking will be aggressively prosecuted in the Western District of Virginia,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci. “As a result of outstanding cooperation among the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, and the commitment of Assistant United States Attorney Sullivan, justice was served in this case.”

“This case highlights the relentless efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners to disrupt dangerous criminal networks that threaten public safety,” said Eric Weindorf, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Washington DC Field Office. “We will continue to pursue those who engage in kidnapping, human smuggling, and violence, ensuring they face justice for their actions.”

According to court documents, in early January 2023, Ordaz, Perez, and other co-conspirators who had ties to transnational criminal organizations, kidnapped multiple victims and held them for ransom, knowing these individuals had entered the United States illegally. 

As part of the scheme, Ordaz arranged to transport victims from an area near the United States-Mexico border and bring them to a stash house near Austin, Texas. Once there, Ordaz, and others, held the victims against their will and under armed guard, then called and messaged the victims’ families and friends demanding cash ransom in exchange for their release.

Ordaz exchanged one of the victims in Texas for $5,000 cash, and on January 8, 2023, at Ordaz’s direction, Perez and a co-conspirator transported another victim to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they arranged to exchange that victim for $10,000 in cash. 

During the exchange, when it was revealed that the full $10,000 ransom was not available, an argument and shootout ensued, during which Perez, and another co-conspirator, brandished firearms, and instigated a shooting that resulted in the death of one of the kidnappers and the serious wounding of Perez.

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

Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg investigated the case with assistance from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, and HSI Austin, Texas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan prosecuted the case for the United States. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – An illegal alien from Mexico, living locally in Keswick, Virginia, pled guilty this week to a federal firearms charge for illegally possessing a gun while being in the United States unlawfully. 

Javier Bernal-Lopez, 38, pled guilty this week to illegal possession of a firearm while being illegally or unlawfully in the United States. 

According to court documents, on November 18, 2025, Victim 1 and another person came to the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) to report a domestic dispute which had occurred the previous day near Keswick, Virginia. Victim 1 described a violent encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Javier Bernal-Lopez, involving a firearm being shot through their entrance door. 

Victim 1 advised detectives with ACPD that Bernal-Lopez always carries a firearm on his person. In addition, Victim 1 advised detectives that she had been dating Bernal-Lopez for several years and she knew him to be a Mexican National illegally present in the United States. 

Authorities confirmed that Bernal-Lopez had twice been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol at Nogales, Arizona, in June 2004. Following both arrests he was allowed to voluntarily return to Mexico. 

On November 25, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home. During the search, law enforcement located a SCCY CPX-2 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The firearm was located in a bag along with Bernal-Lopez’s Mexican passport. A box of ammunition, as well as an extended magazine, capable of holding more than twenty rounds were located within the home as well. 

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf for Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. made the announcement. 

The Department of Homeland Security and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – A convicted felon, prohibited from possessing firearms due to his previous criminal record, pled guilty yesterday to selling two stolen firearms.

Michael Brandon Smith, 40, of Dublin, Virginia, pled guilty yesterday to possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, sometime between January 27, 2025, and February 6, 2025, an acquaintance of Smith stole two firearms from an unoccupied building. The acquittance brought the firearms to Smith at a property owned by Smith’s father.

At the time, Smith understood these firearms were stolen and sought to get them away from his father’s property. Smith took possession of both firearms and sold them to another person.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives recovered both stolen firearms, a Savage Arms .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle and a Hawthorne-Sentry .22 caliber long rifle.

At sentencing, Smtih faces a maximum possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Samuel Ward made the announcement.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene R. Day is prosecuting the case.

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Winchester, Va., man, who made online threats to kill, kidnap, or injure former Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Barrack Obama, was sentenced recently to 30 months in federal prison.

Frank Lucio Carillo, 68, pled guilty in April 2025 to one count of sending threatening communications through interstate commerce.

According to court documents, Carillo used the social media platform GETTR to post thousands of messages using the name “joemadarats1.” GTTR is publicly accessible, and users can post articles, statements, and links to other websites, as well as comment on and reply to other users’ posts.

On July 27, 2024, FBI Phoenix received information concerning a threat made against an employee of the Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder’s Office posted on GETTR by a user with the name “joemadarats1.”

FBI searched the “joemadarats1” user account and discovered approximately 4,359 posts, comments, and replies made by the user targeting various public officials including, but not limited to Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barrack Obama

In a February 2024 post, “joemadarats1” said he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”

Authorities used GETTR subscriber information and other investigative methods to determine that the “joemadarats1” username was used by Carillo at his residence in Winchester, Virginia.

On August 2, 2024, authorities at the FBI Richmond executed a search warrant at Carillo’s home and seized a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The FBI in both Richmond, Virginia and Phoenix, Arizona, and the United States Secret Service are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg, Va. man, who used friends and family members to help him distribute more than a kilogram of fentanyl while he was incarcerated at the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center, was sentenced yesterday to more than 21 years in federal prison.

Tremon Jaquil Burford, 31, pled guilty on July 10, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

“We are committed to enhancing cooperative relationships with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to eradicate the clear and present fentanyl threat to our citizens and communities. I commend Chief Edwards, the Lynchburg Police Department, and ATF for their outstanding work ensuring clear accountability in this case,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci.

“The success of this case was built on collaboration, trust, and the collective determination of multiple law enforcement agencies working toward a common goal,” said Lynchburg Police Chief Edwards. “Our partnership with federal investigators strengthened this operation from start to finish and sends a clear message that criminal organizations targeting our community will face a coordinated and relentless response.”

“Fentanyl trafficking continues to devastate our communities, destroying families and ultimately fueling violence and addiction,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Samuel Ward.  Today’s sentence demonstrates our unwavering commitment to working alongside our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime and narcotics trafficking. ATF will continue identifying and dismantling the criminal networks responsible for distributing this deadly poison throughout our neighborhoods while holding those responsible fully accountable for their actions.” 

According to court documents, from approximately February 2023 to November 2023, Burford headed an organization that trafficked tens of thousands of pressed fentanyl pills in the Lynchburg area while he was incarcerated at the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center awaiting trial on gang and firearm charges.

Burford was able to accomplish this using a network of co-conspirators outside of the jail— predominantly women with little to no criminal history, including his own relatives. These co-conspirators held controlled substances and money for him, communicated with suppliers and customers, and delivered drugs and drug proceeds at Burford’s direction.

Even following his conviction in this matter, Burford continued his brazen criminal activity. On September 8, 2025, he slipped a correctional officer a note offering him $2,500 to smuggle Suboxone strips into the jail.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Lee Brett and Kelly McGann prosecuted the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – A pair of Maryland men who conspired with Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based doctor convicted of distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution (also known as “Tussionex”), and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine solution (“also known as lean”), had court appearances today in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.

Obioma Alozie Ndubuka, 32, a.k.a. “Bank Roll” of Derwood, Maryland, was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison. Ndubuka pled guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to acquire promethazine-codeine solution by fraud.

In addition, Kenechukwu Brian Okwara, 29,  a.k.a. “Kene” of Bowie, Maryland, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to acquire promethazine-codeine solution by fraud.

Also charged in the conspiracy are Cameron Isaiah Lewis, 23, of Bowie, Maryland; Elhadj Malick Diallo, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 24, of Bowie, Maryland; and Yared Michael Tesfaye, a.k.a. “Yar,” 28, of Montgomery Village, Maryland, and Raymono Alfonzo Russel II, 25, of Bowie, Maryland.  Zion Adeduwon was sentenced to 42 months in March.

According to court documents, in at least 2023 and 2024, Iluyomade and the co-conspirators entered into an agreement to distribute oxycodone pills and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution to pharmacies in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, West Virginia, and in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. At least 70 of the illegal controlled substance prescriptions were transmitted to and/or filled at pharmacies in the Western District of Virginia.

As part of the conspiracy, multiple individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. The individuals provided Iluyomade with lists of multiple “patients” with fake identifying information or different variations of names and false addresses, and requested prescriptions be sent to pharmacies throughout the United States for the “patients” on the lists.

Ndubuka traveled to various pharmacies to pick up fraudulent prescriptions written by Iluyomade, which he then distributed for profit, often posting pictures on his social media accounts to facilitate drug sales. Iluyomade transmitted at least 134 fraudulent prescriptions using variations of the “Ndubuka” surname. The prescriptions listed 56 different residential addresses but the same patient home phone number.  Ndubuka paid approximately $300 per fraudulent prescription.

Okwara visited Iluyomade at Crossover Medical Center in Annadale, Virginia to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for promethazine-codeine and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine. Okwara was one of the first co-conspirators to obtain fraudulent prescriptions from Iluyomade, and shortly thereafter began selling “slots” with Iluyomade to other co-conspirators that they used to obtain fraudulent prescriptions.

The investigation began on September 2, 2023, when Russell attempted to pick up a fraudulent promethazine-codeine solution prescription transmitted by Iluyomade at a pharmacy in Honaker, Virginia.  Russell was arrested and a search of his vehicle revealed multiple controlled substance prescription bottles in various ‘patient’ names, all from Iluyomade, filled at pharmacies in Roanoke, Radford, Tazewell, and Floyd, Virginia.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury, Maryland Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Police, HHS-OIG, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena Busscher and Randy Ramseyer are prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – An indictment charging a Danville, Va. man in connection with twelve felony charges related to child exploitation, including the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexual enticement of minors, cyberstalking, and making threats to injure reputation with intent to extort, was unsealed today following his recent arrest in New Mexico.

In a sealed indictment returned April 9, 2026, a federal grand jury in Roanoke charged Jesus Diaz, 25, of Danville, with two counts of making extortive threats to injure the reputation of a minor, one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of cyberstalking of a minor, four counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and four counts of enticement of a minor.

Diaz was arrested April 16, 2026 in New Mexico. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in the Western District of Virginia on May 15, 2026.

According to the indictment and other court documents, in March 2024, Minor Victim 1 (MV1), then a 17-year-old female living in Idaho, reported to local law enforcement that an individual was extorting her for sexually explicit images and videos. MV1 indicated that several years earlier, when she was 14 years old, she sent nude images via social media to an individual she knew as “Xavier” and that Xavier was now threatening to send those previous pictures and videos to MV1’s family, friends and church members if MV1 didn’t continue communicating with him and send more images.

The Idaho Office of the Attorney General Criminal Division reached out to agents with the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to assist in their investigation after they determined accounts used by “Xavier” to send threatening communications were associated with an IP address in Danville, Virginia.

Agents with HSI determined that the Danville IP address was associated with Diaz. In addition, they determined Diaz would be returning to the United States from an overseas trip via Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Upon his arrival, law enforcement seized several digital devices from Diaz and obtained search warrants for the devices. During the resulting search, investigators found that that Diaz’s phone allegedly contained references to social media accounts used to harass and threaten MV1.

HSI subsequently investigated further. In searches of the devices and digital accounts associated with Diaz, HSI found nude and sexually explicit pictures of MV1 and at least 24 other minor females. Diaz allegedly used social media platforms to meet his victims and to solicit nude pictures and images from them. In some instances, Diaz allegedly threatened to broadcast victims’ previous images if they stopped communicating with him or refused to send more images.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Valuable investigative assistance was provided by the Idaho Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Division, the City of Danville Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance in the apprehension of Diaz.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/ . 

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

ABINGDON, Va. – A Tennessee man, whose non-profit had no revenue and no employees when he fraudulently received a CARES Act loan intended to help small businesses, pled guilty yesterday in federal court.

Paul Eugene Welborn Jr., 67, of Mountain City, Tenn., pled guilty to wire fraud related to misrepresentations he made on his application for a CARES Act loan.

The CARES Act is a federal law, enacted in March of 2020, that was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration to provide loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses that were experiencing a loss of revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the CARES Act authorized the SBA to issue “advances” of up to $10,000 to small businesses within three days of the business having applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loan.

According to court documents, Welborn founded a non-profit called Wings of Hope in 2011. When Welborn applied for a CARES Act loan in 2020, Wings of Hope had no employees, and little or no revenue or expenses. On his SBA loan application paperwork, however, Welborn claimed Wings of Hope had $2 million in gross revenue, employed more than 12 people and had $2 million in annual expenses, including $330,000 in costs of goods sold, $410,000 in nonprofit costs of operations, and $260,000 in lost business rents.

As a result of these misrepresentations, on June 9, 2020, Wings of Hope was awarded a $159,900 EIDL loan, which included a $10,000 advance.

Welborn improperly used the funds for numerous personal expenses, including purchases at Omaha Steaks, QVC, HSN, Amazon, Macy’s, Best Buy, and various fast-food restaurants. In addition, Welborn transferred portions of the loan funds between various personal bank accounts.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Kareem A. Carter, Special Agent in Charge of IRS – Criminal investigation, Washington DC Field Office made the announcement.

The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.

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

ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Virginia man who conspired with others to distribute more than 600 fentanyl pills was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison. 

Briar Stephens, 25, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime.

“This office will continue to partner with law enforcement to target anyone who illegally distributes fentanyl in the Western District of Virginia,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today.

“Keeping our communities safe is our top priority. We are committed to pursuing justice against drug traffickers who illegally distribute dangerous substances like fentanyl. Through collaboration and unwavering determination, we strive to uphold justice and protect the citizens we serve. The DEA Bristol Post of Duty will continue to partner with law enforcement to target anyone who illegally distribute fentanyl in Western Virginia,” said Christopher Goumenis, DEA Washington Division Special Agent in Charge.

According to court documents, between September 2024 and October 2024, Stephens, Bobby Arnett, and others, conspired to distribute fentanyl. Specially, over the course of the conspiracy, Stephens purchased fentanyl pills that he and Arnett further distributed in Washington County, Virginia within the Western District of Virginia, and elsewhere.

On October 16, 2024, Stephens possessed approximately 600 fentanyl pills with the intent to further distribute them. Stephens also possessed a loaded Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol in his waistband in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

The Elizabethton Tennessee Police Department, Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Holston River Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – Tri-Area Community Health, (TACH) located in Laurel Pike, Virginia, has agreed to pay $513,729.90 to the United States to resolve allegations it improperly billed Medicare for Annual Wellness Visits. TACH previously repaid $321,075.56 toward the total settlement amount.

Tri-Area Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center that operates six independent clinic locations within the Western District of Virginia. TACH provides Annual Wellness Visits to Medicare beneficiaries that are ultimately billed to Medicare.

From August 2022 through December 2025, TACH provided Annual Wellness Visits to Medicare beneficiaries that were provided by pharmacists without physician oversight, without a physician being present physically or virtually, and/or otherwise without appropriate physician supervision, that were ultimately billed under the names of physicians who were not involved with the visits.  TACH cooperated with the government’s investigation, initiated its own internal review, and assisted with identifying the improperly reimbursed claims.

The resolution was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Counsel to the Inspector General. 

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Howells investigated the matter with assistance from HHS-OIG.

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – An illegal alien from Honduras was arrested yesterday and charged with threatening the victim in a sexual exploitation case charged earlier this year in the Western District of Virginia.

Dania Orellana-Gamez, 20, was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint and charged with one count of witness tampering. She made her initial court appearance today in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville.

Orellana-Gamez is the girlfriend of Bryan Sixto Arias-Chicas, who was charged in October 2025 with the May 2025 sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old Albemarle County, Virginia girl. Arias-Chicas is accused of getting the girl, Minor Victim 1 (MV1), so intoxicated that she could not walk and repeatedly having sex with her, as well as taking photos and videos of himself have sex with MV1. Gustavo Quintero was charged in January 2026 with the repeated sexual exploitation of MV1 in the months following the May 2025 sexual assault. In addition to sexual exploitation charges, Quintero has also been charged with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.

According to court documents, in February 2026, Orellana-Gamez contacted MV1 via Facebook Messenger and began harassing and threatening her.

Orellana-Gamez told MV1 it was in her best interest to “keep quiet” and threatened to “upload all those videos and put your name on them,” referring to the alleged videos that Arias-Chicas had recorded of the sexual assault of MV1.

Orellana-Gamez also threatened to post the videos “everywhere.”

MV1 reported the contact to law enforcement and felt Orellana was attempting to scare her into not testifying in court.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, Ian Kaufmann, warn residents of scam calls being made in the Western District of Virginia.

Callers have reported receiving multiple phone calls from numbers not associated with the United States Attorney’s Office, or other government agencies, but manipulated to appear legitimate. The fraudulent callers demand payment and threaten to “kick down their doors.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia will not contact citizens demanding money or personal information. If someone receives such a call or email, they should not provide any personal information, credit card numbers, prepaid cards or money.

Federal authorities do not call victims of crimes or suspects of crimes and ask for money or personal identifying information over the telephone. If you receive a similar call or email, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov immediately. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville, Virginia man, who posted hundreds of online advertisements for commercial sex, booked hotel rooms and transported women for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, was sentenced yesterday to 8 years in federal prison.

Brian Lamont Turner, 45, pled guilty in November 2025 to one count of promoting, managing, establishing and facilitating prostitution and one count of transporting for purpose of prostitution.

According to court documents, on multiple occasions throughout 2023 and 2024, Turner caused multiple adult victims to travel from the Commonwealth of Virginia to the States of North Carolina and South Carolina for the purpose of engaging in prostitution and other sexual activity.

To facilitate these activities, Turner posted commercial sex advertisements online, booked hotel rooms where the women stayed and engaged in commercial sex, and communicated with customers to set-up commercial sex “dates.”  Turner received some, if not all, of the commercial sex proceeds.

In addition, Turned posted hundreds of commercial sex advertisements for the eight identified adult victims in this case between October 2018 and January 2024, for which he financially profited.   

Additionally, all the identified victims in this case suffered from some form of drug addiction, an addiction that was fueled by drugs supplied by Turner.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Welsh and Keith Parrella prosecuted the case for the United States.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Ripplemead, Virginia man was arrested recently on charges of attempting to possess with intent to distribute dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and distributing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), powerful psychedelic drugs.

Police investigators arrested Charles Herman Aardema III, 28, for these charges as alleged in a federal criminal complaint. According to the complaint, in September 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Miami international mail facility examined a parcel due to suspicious anomalies revealed by X-ray. The parcel was addressed to Aardema’s Ripplemead home and shipped by a “Raul Wictor Silva Batista” of Brazil.

Inside the parcel, officers found several plastic bags containing over 11 kilograms of reddish powder, which chemical analysis confirmed to contain DMT, a psychedelic drug known for its fast working and intense effects.

Shipments records further revealed that between November 2020 and April 2021, CBP intercepted four other parcels of DMT powder en route to Aardema, totaling approximately 20 kilograms.

In October 2021, law enforcement executed a state search warrant on Aardema’s home. During the search, Aardema claimed he ordered DMT because he was “really into tie-dying,” even though he had no tie-dying equipment or tie-dye T-shirts.

Aardema admitted that he received packages of Mimosa hostilis powder from Brazil and reshipped it in smaller quantities across the United States, as directed by Batista. Aardema estimated he shipped 10 or 11 kilograms of the powder to as many as six people.

While Aardema was still on state bond conditions, officers with the Blacksburg Police Department independently arranged several controlled purchases of LSD and DMT from Aardema in March and April 2025. Aardema directed the undercover police informant to meet him on the campus of Virginia Tech during each drug sale.

The case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Giles County Sheriff’s Office; Pearisburg Police Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Blacksburg Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office thanks the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Offices for Giles County and Montgomery County for their assistance.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.

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

ROANOKE, Va. – A Hillsville, Virginia man was sentenced recently to 156 months in federal prison.

Michael Tibbs, 25, of Carroll County, Virginia, previously pled guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

According to court documents, in April 2023, a then-15-year-old minor victim submitted a tip to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, reporting that a man had been grooming her for approximately one year and continually requesting nude images.

FBI agents identified Tibbs as the victim’s groomer and obtained records of his Discord messages.  The Discord records revealed that beginning as early as November 2022, Tibbs engaged in sexual chats with several minor girls and paid them to record and send him sexually explicit images and videos. Agents were able to identify and interview some of the minor victims, who confirmed that Tibbs paid them to record sexually explicit content for him.

On July 18, 2024, agents executed a search warrant at Tibbs’ home and seized his phone, which contained many sexually explicit images and videos of women with indeterminate ages. Agents were able to identify one of the minor victims, 13 years old, depicted in two of those videos.  Tibbs’ phone also held hundreds of computer-generated and animated images of children, including toddlers, being graphically, sexually abused.

Agents interviewed Tibbs, who admitted to using Discord to purchase sexual content from minors.  He estimated that he purchased from 10 to 15 underage girls.  Tibbs explained that he developed an interest in purchasing sexual content from minors after viewing child pornography on TikTok.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

ROANOKE, Va. – An Alabama man, who coerced a 13-year-old Danville, Virginia, girl to send him sexually explicit images and video, pled guilty recently.

Kenneth Melvin Doss, 31, of Huntsville, Alabama, pled guilty recently to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

According to court records, in July 2025, Doss used Facebook Messenger to convince his 13-year-old relative in Danville to send him sexually explicit images and video of herself. When the minor victim hesitated, saying Doss was her cousin, Doss responded it could be their secret, and they could delete the chats. Doss also sent videos of himself masturbating to the minor victim, and he described the sex acts they could engage in if they met up in person.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Springfield, Va., man yesterday for assaulting his then-girlfriend with a hatchet while camping in the Shenandoah National Park.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on the night of August 24, 2025, Soufiane Bougria, 31, and his then-girlfriend (Victim 1) were camping at the Mathews Arm Campground in the Shenandoah National Park. Three different park visitors testified that they witnessed a heated and violent argument between Bougria and Victim 1 in the late-night hours of August 24.

These witnesses, from two different campsites, heard screaming, slamming, crying, choking, and what sounded to them like a gunshot. One of the witnesses saw the defendant physically grabbing Victim 1.

These witnesses described hearing a male voice say, “I don’t care, I’ll do the max sentence” and a female voice say, “I can’t believe you would threaten me with murder.”

All three witnesses independently called 911.

National Park Service Rangers responded to the area near Mathews Arm Campground. On their way to the campground, Park Rangers encountered two of the witnesses at a nearby overlook. While speaking with the witnesses, a car matching the description of the defendant’s vehicle drove past the overlook. Officers pursued the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.

When officers approached the vehicle, they observed Bougria driving and visibly intoxicated. He was shirtless, barefoot, and smelled of alcohol. In addition, Victim 1 was sitting in the passenger seat crying and screaming. She was holding a piece of clothing around her right arm in an effort to stop the bleeding from a gaping laceration on her right arm and wrist. As officers looked around the car, they saw blood and fatty tissue. They also observed that the windshield of the car was shattered, and both the hood and windshield had large, dirty footprints on them.

When questioned by officers, the defendant told them Victim 1’s arm was accidentally cut with an axe.

Emergency medical personnel arrived at the overlook and transported Victim 1 to the nearest hospital. Treating physicians determined she needed a higher level of care based on the seriousness of her injuries and transported her to Winchester Medical Center where she underwent emergency surgery.

In the early morning hours of August 25, 2025, National Park Service Rangers returned to the Mathews Arm campsite where Bougria and Victim 1 were camping. They found a hatchet with blood spatter on the handle, blood throughout the campsite, pepper spray, shoes, and other personal belongings strewn around the campsite.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci U.S. made the announcement.

The National Park Service is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan and Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Browne are prosecuting the case for the United States. 

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Six defendants, who stole upwards of $10 million from the Virginia Medicaid system over a six-year period by submitting false claims on behalf of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Services for services that were never provided, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg.

The three owners of 1st Adult N Pediatric, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Md., Kafomdi Josephine Okocha, 50, of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Samuel Okocha, 52, of Upper Marlboro, Md., were sentenced today.

Bryant Taylor was sentenced to 120 months, Josephine Okocha was sentenced to 96 months, and Samuel Okocha was sentenced to 72 months.

Three additional defendants in the healthcare fraud conspiracy were also sentenced.

Eno Utuk, 49, of Fredericksburg, Md., Elizabeth Ilome, 43, of Fredericksburg, Md., and Shekita Gore, 41, of Clinton, Md., were each sentenced to probation.

The district court also directed the defendants to pay restitution totaling $10 million to Virginia Medicaid.

“This United States Attorney’s Office will hold accountable those who commit healthcare fraud and steal from hardworking Americans,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I commend the FBI and the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their diligent work in bringing these individuals to justice and protecting hardworking Virginians.”

“These sentences make clear that fraud against federally funded programs is theft from the American people. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure those who steal taxpayer funds are held accountable,” said Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.

According to court documents, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, and Samuel Okocha were owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, a Medicaid-enrolled home health agency providing private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including in the Western District of Virginia. Gore was the director of nursing, while Utuk and Ilome were employed by 1st Adult to provide nursing and personal care.

The defendants conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.

As part of this scheme, between 2017 and 2023, Bryant-Taylor and her co-defendant, Josephine Okocha, planned arrangements to pay the parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank, signed nursing notes which would be filled out and used to support billing to Medicaid. In these arrangements, the amount billed to Medicaid either reflected nursing services that were not provided at all, or an amount of nursing services that was in excess of what was provided.

The conspirators have acknowledged the actual loss to the Medicaid program from 1st Adult’s improved billing was $10,000,000.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case, with assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Jones and Laura Taylor, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, are prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke woman who orchestrated a wide-ranging conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a scheme to steal from the Small Business Association’s Paycheck Protection Program, was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1.8 million in restitution.

Jaimeka Michelle Austin, 32, pled guilty in March 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of money laundering. In addition to prison time, Austin was ordered to pay full restitution to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and has agreed to a forfeiture money judgment in the sum of $190,390.

Austin was indicted in June 2024 along with 23 others as part of a 142-count indictment alleging wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements, and fraud in relation to an emergency benefits program.  

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the SBA that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses.

Between June 2020 and December 2020, Austin communicated with several individuals about helping them to defraud another pandemic relief program, the Economy Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Austin helped multiple individuals submit fraudulent applications to the EIDL program and also did so herself, getting $9,000 in EIDL money.

In January 2021, Austin asked her tax preparer, Artebia Hobbs, if she knew how to obtain PPP loans. Hobbs agreed to help Austin get fraudulent PPP loans for Austin herself and also to help Austin submit fraudulent PPP applications on behalf of others. They agreed to charge prospective loan applicants $5,000 (to be split evenly between them) to obtain a $20,000 PPP loan.

Austin recruited individuals to apply for PPP loans via social media and word of mouth, knowing that most who would be applying were not eligible to receive such loans because they did not own a business and were not self-employed at the time – two conditions required for PPP loans.

Austin and her co-conspirators submitted more than 100 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of dozens of applicants, including for those who did not have a pre-existing business. These applications included multiple false statements, including inflated business income and fraudulent IRS Schedule C forms.

Austin also submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications for her own business, Mechelle’s Boutique. As a part of these applications, Austin vastly inflated the amount of revenue that Mechelle’s Boutique received. Based on her fraudulent submissions, Austin ultimately received two PPP loans totaling over $52,000.

In total, Austin received, and helped others receive, nearly $2 million in fraudulent PPP loans.

Austin used the proceeds of her fraudulent loans and her commissions from helping others with their own fraudulent loans for various retail and vacation expenses. Austin spent significant sums of money at luxury retailers like Burberry and Gucci. And she spent large amounts of money on vacations, including travels to Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico. On her trip to Puerto Rico, Austin spent over $10,000 while staying at a high-end resort.

On October 4, 2021, Austin used some of the proceeds from her PPP fraud scheme to purchase a new-construction single-family home in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, because Austin was already concerned that the “feds” were watching her and did not want to draw additional attention from the federal government, she sought to conceal the source of the funds she was using to make her $70,000 down payment on the home.

As a result, Austin gave $70,000 of her fraudulent proceeds to a third party; the third party then wired the funds to the closing attorney. Austin and the third party falsely represented that this money was a gift from the third party and that it did not originate from Austin. Austin closed on the Charlotte property two days later and used her fraud proceeds to pay some of the mortgage payments on the property. In May 2022, Austin filed a quitclaim deed granting herself and her mother joint ownership rights over the Charlotte property.

In April 2023, Austin and her mother listed the Charlotte property for sale, and it went under contract for $398,000. Austin and her mother were set to receive just under $95,000 in proceeds from this sale. In May 2023, the United States seized these sale proceeds, and, pursuant to an August 2024 default judgment, this money was forfeited to the United States.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, and Kareem A. Carter, Special Agent in Charge of IRS – Criminal Investigation, Washington DC Field Office, made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason M. Scheff and Lee S. Brett are prosecuting the case for the United States.

ABINGDON, Va. – The first defendant sentenced for conspiring with Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based doctor convicted of distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution (also known as “Tussionex”), and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine solution (also known as “lean”), will serve 42 months in federal prison and forfeit $100,000 to the government.

Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 24, of Bowie, Md., was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. Adeduwon pled guilty in April 2025 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution, and to obtain possession of promethazine-codeine by fraud. He is the first of the co-conspirators charged with drug distribution to be sentenced.

Also charged in the conspiracy and awaiting trial or sentencing are: Obioma Alozie Ndubuka; Raymono Alfonzo Russel II; Cameron Isaiah Lewis; Elhadj Malick Diallo; Kenechukwu Brian Okwara; and Yared Michael Tesfaye.

According to court documents, in at least 2023 and 2024, Iluyomade and the co-conspirators entered into an agreement to distribute oxycodone pills and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution to pharmacies in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, West Virginia, and in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. At least 70 of the illegal controlled substance prescriptions were transmitted to and/or filled at pharmacies in the Western District of Virginia.

As part of the conspiracy, multiple individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. The individuals provided Iluyomade with lists of multiple “patients” with fake identifying information or different variations of names and false addresses, and requested prescriptions be sent to pharmacies throughout the United States for the “patients” on the lists.

Adeduwon frequented Iluyomade’s clinic in Annandale on a regular basis to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone, Tussionex, and lean. He paid approximately $300 per fraudulent prescription. Adeduwon requested the prescriptions be written in fake patient names and addresses and directed Iluyomade to send the prescriptions to pharmacies in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury, Maryland Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Police, HHS-OIG, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge DEA Washington Division, and Darren B. Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. 

ABINGDON, Va. – Three co-conspirators who stole more than $650,000 from Virginia taxpayers by using the personally identifying information (PII) of inmates at Duffield Regional Jail, and others who were ineligible to receive pandemic unemployment benefits, to file false unemployment benefits claims, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

Jonathan Ricketts, 45, of Duffield, Va., was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison. He previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of making false statements in connection with emergency benefits. He was also ordered to pay $669,124 in restitution jointly and severally with Farren Ricketts.

Christopher Woliver, 37, of Big Stone Gap, Va., was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison. He previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of making false statements in connection with emergency benefits. He was also ordered to pay $29,076 in restitution jointly and severally with Farren Ricketts and Jonathan Ricketts.

Megan Caudill, 39, of Swords Creek, Va., was sentenced today to 30 days in prison and three years of supervised release, with 12 months being on home confinement. She previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of making false statements in connection with emergency benefits. In addition, she was ordered to pay $166,204 in restitution jointly and severally with Farren Ricketts and Jonathan Ricketts.

“I applaud our partners at the IRS, Department of Labor, and the Russell County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding work on this case. Fraudsters who line their pockets at the expense of taxpayers will face accountability for their crimes,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) was enacted, expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits to individuals who were not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or had exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits. To receive PUA, claimants had to certify they were unemployed or had their hours reduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and file weekly claims. Unfortunately, Virginia paid $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 in relation to this program.

These conspirators charged in the Western District of Virginia played a central role in contributing to this massive fraud, stealing a total of $669,124 in pandemic unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled.

Specifically, Jonathan Ricketts and his wife Farren Ricketts owned Ricketts Advisory LLC, a company that employed, at times, seven individuals for the sole purpose of filing fraudulent unemployment benefits claims during the Covid pandemic.

While he was incarcerated at Duffield Regional Jail, Jonathan Ricketts collected and sent Duffield inmates’ PII, as well as their signatures, by mail, to Farren Ricketts. She then used that PII to file fraudulent unemployment claims. In total, Ricketts Advisory was responsible for the filing of at least 101 false claims.

Caudill was an employee of Ricketts Advisory. In addition to the $21,368 in direct, fraudulent unemployment benefits she received, Caudill also assisted in eleven other individuals filing for, and receiving, fraudulent unemployment benefits, resulting in $166,204 in unwarranted payments.

Woliver, also an employee of Ricketts Advisory, received approximately $3,270 in pandemic unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled. In addition, recruited others to file their claims through the business, and, as a result, an additional $25,806 fraudulent claims were received by others.

Agencies that assisted with this investigation included The Department of Labor - Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Norton Police Department in Wise County.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Kareem Carter, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office, and Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL OIG) made the announcement.

Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone prosecuted the case.

As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A North Carolina man who trafficked fentanyl from North Carolina into Virginia pled guilty this week to federal drug charges.

Semaj Montaque Sledge, 35, pled guilty to one count of distributing 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is a poison that continues to kill our citizens and destroy our communities,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia will continue to work with federal, state and local partners to aggressively prosecute fentanyl traffickers in this district.”

“Drug traffickers like this individual prioritize profit over the lives and families they destroy. They exploit the trust of vulnerable citizens by distributing poisons like fentanyl. DEA is actively working with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain and combat drug trafficking in Virginia and beyond. Together we are working for a Fentanyl Free America,” said DEA Washington Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Goumennis.

According to court documents, on August 26, 2025, Sledge traveled from North Carolina to Virginia to sell an individual approximately 252 grams of pressed fentanyl in exchange for $8,000. The transaction was observed by law enforcement.

Several days later, Sledge once again traveled from North Carolina to Virginia to sell the same individual fentanyl. This time selling 437 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $14,500.  This purchase was once again observed by law enforcement.

A few weeks later, officers with the Virginia State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested Sledge along I-64 near Zions Crossroads in Virginia.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Virginia State Police are investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Swartz is prosecuting the case for the United States. 

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke, Va. man, who used the Kik social media app to send three videos containing child sexual exploitation material to an undercover FBI officer, was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in federal prison.

Christopher Allan Johnson, 55, pled guilty in December 2025 to one count of possessing child sexual exploitation materials involving a prepubescent minor.

“The threat from online predators is real and remains a key enforcement priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and our law enforcement partners,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I am thankful to the FBI for their diligent work in this case to identify a real threat and bring justice to help protect our children.”

“Today’s sentencing takes one more criminal offline, but we know this epidemic of child exploitation is far from over. The FBI will continue fighting every day to protect our children from predators like Mr. Johnson,” said Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.

According to court documents, on October 10, 2024, after leaving the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, Johnson logged into Kik and joined a public group dedicated to incest. There, an undercover FBI task force officer messaged Johnson. During the conversation, Johnson talked about his sexual fantasies involving children.

The next day, without prompting, Johnson sent the undercover officer three videos depicting children being graphically sexually exploited. At least one of the videos involved a prepubescent minor.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The owner of Taste of India, a medium-sized grocery store in Lynchburg, pled guilty today to federal food stamp fraud and other charges.

Rajan Babbar, 59, pled guilty today to one count of fraud regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program and one count of transacting in criminally derived property. SNAP was established by the United States government to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among low and middle-income families by increasing their food purchasing power and ability.

According to court documents, in 2016 Babbar filed paperwork with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for Taste of India to become a SNAP retailer. In December 2016, FNS approved Babbar’s application.

Beginning around April 2021, it is alleged that SNAP sales at Taste of India exploded from their previous levels. For example, in 2018, Taste of India was conducting an approximate monthly average of $2,600 in SNAP transactions. By 2023, the approximate monthly average was $65,000 a month, a roughly 2,500 percent increase. Between January 2019 and January 2025, the average individual SNAP transaction at Taste of India was for $115.77. By comparison, the average individual SNAP transaction among similarly sized stores statewide was $40.61.

To perpetuate the scheme, Babbar admitted that he permitted individuals to exchange their SNAP benefits for cash. Babbar rang up false transactions for non-existent food items and other products. He then provided those individuals with cash for approximately one-half the value of the SNAP benefits.

Between approximately January 2019 and January 2025, Babbar conducted numerous such fraudulent SNAP transactions in an amount that was more than $550,000 but not greater than $3.5 million.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the USDA-OIG, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The USDA-OIG, FBI, and Lynchburg Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett is prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Rockbridge County, Virginia man convicted of unlawfully damaging trees and removing timber from a national forest was sentenced yesterday to 30 days in jail.

Matthew Keith Miller, 35, was previously tried in federal court on October 9, 2025, and convicted of both offenses.

According to evidence presented at previous court hearings, on January 18, 2025, an anonymous complainant advised the U.S. Forest Service that they observed several downed locust trees in a restricted area around Petites Gap Road, within Rockbridge County.  The complainant provided a picture of a truck that was being used to remove the wood, which the Forest Service traced back to Miller.

Miller admitted that he had removed trees from Petites Gap Road that day, but he claimed that he had a wood cutting permit and only took dead timber.  However, Miller’s wood cutting permit explicitly restricted timber harvesting in the Petites Gap Road area.

A Forest Service officer inspected the location where Miller removed timber and found many live trees had been cut down.  Miller also made multiple postings on Facebook Marketplace advertising the sale of large amounts of locust timber.

Acting U.S. Attorney Robert N. Tracci made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.

The U.S. Forest Service Investigations investigated the case.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Miramar, Florida man pled guilty yesterday to perpetuating a two-year scheme to defraud a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars.

Tommie Lee Nelson, 65, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. At sentencing, Nelson faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a “hard money” lender who could assist in purchasing the building.

Through Nelson’s fraudulent representations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson’s representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, Nelson spent the victim’s money at casinos and for his personal benefit.

By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim’s calls.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. 

ABINGDON, Va. – A Tennessee man, who trafficked fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder into Southwest Virginia, pled guilty recently in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

Jermaine Crayton Jr., 20, pled guilty recently to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to court documents, following a law enforcement operation in August 2025, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, City of Bristol Virginia Police Department, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration developed intelligence that Crayton was trafficking fentanyl-laced pills and powder fentanyl.  The intelligence indicated that Crayton had repeatedly brought large quantities of fentanyl pills into Smyth County for further distribution.

In August 2025, law enforcement arranged a controlled purchase of 1,000 fentanyl pills and two ounces of fentanyl powder from Crayton at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Bristol, Virginia.

Following a positive identification of Crayton, law enforcement converged on Crayton’s vehicle, at which time Crayton fled on foot. While fleeing, Crayton dropped several items, including a baggie containing pressed fentanyl pills and a baggie containing powder fentanyl.

Following his arrest, it was determined that Crayton possess 2,372 fentanyl pills and 58.72 grams of fentanyl powder.  The type of pills Crayton was distributing are increasingly common, and extremely dangerous.  They are known as “pressed” pills or “M30” pills, and they are designed to resemble a pharmaceutical preparation of oxycodone pills.  However, they often contain fentanyl, often in inconsistent doses that can lead to overdose and death.   

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, City of Bristol Virginia Police Department, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant United States Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case for the United States. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville-based man who was indicted in December 2025 on two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, was charged recently with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.

Gustavo Quintero, 25, made his initial appearance today in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

“Let this be clear: this office will seek swift, clear, and certain accountability against anyone who makes the mistake of committing assault and battery on a federal law enforcement officer in the Western District of Virginia,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today.

According to the complaint, on January 15, 2026, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), along with officers from the Albemarle County Police Department, traveled to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail to execute a federal arrest warrant on Quintero.

Agents identified themselves and informed Quintero of the reason for their visit, explaining they were going to take him to the federal magistrate for his initial court appearance.

After being placed in handcuffs, belly chain, and leg shackles, Quintero looked at one of the officers and threatened him, stating, “I’m going to spit on you.”

Following the threat, agents retrieved a spit hood, a piece of equipment routinely used by law enforcement to prevent prisoners from spitting on others. Quintero responded, “You ain’t gonna put that sh*t on me.” When agents reiterated that a spit hood was going to be placed on his head, Quintero stated, “I’m gonna act up.”

Quintero became increasingly combative and continued to advise officers he did not want the spit hood on his head.

As one of the officers reached toward Quintero to place the hood on his head, Quintero spit directly at a nearby agent’s face, hitting the right side of his face.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Albemarle County Police Department.

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

ABINGDON, Va. – A man who used Snapchat to sexually exploit a pair of middle school girls from Southwest Virginia, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

Justin Steven Boileau, 30, a former resident of Reston, Va., who also spent time in Merritt Island, Fla., pled guilty yesterday to two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

“Protecting children from online threats is a priority for the prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI, as well as state and local law enforcement, to hold accountable sexual predators who target our children online.”

“While social media is a powerful tool for keeping us connected, it can also be a dangerous weapon criminals use to take advantage of our kids. In bringing justice for these victims, we ask all parents and guardians to stay engaged and know who your children are talking to online,” said Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.

According to court documents, Boileau used the messaging app Snapchat to entice two minor females from Southwest Virginia – Minor Victim One and Minor Victim Two– to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.

Specifically, in the fall of 2023, Boileau began conversing with Minor Victim One via Snapchat. At the time, Boileau was in his late 20s and resided in Reston, Virginia. Minor Victim One was twelve years old at that time and lived in Russell County, Va. Boileau portrayed himself online as a hockey player named ‘Josh’ and began conversating with Minor Victim One in an explicitly sexual manner. These conversations continued over the course of several months through the early part of 2024. During these conversations, Boileau asked Minor Victim One for sexually explicit depictions of herself. At Boileau’s request, Minor Victim One sent, among other things, nude photos and videos of herself. Boileau also sent sexually explicit images to MV1.

Additionally, in early 2024, Boileau used Snapchat to converse with Minor Victim Two, a twelve-year-old minor who lived in Russell County, Va. As with Minor Victim One, Boileau’s conversations with Minor Victim Two were sexual in nature. At Boileau’s request, MV2 sent sexually explicit photos and videos of herself. 

Boileau knew both Minor Victim One and Minor Victim Two were minors when he requested they send him explicit images and videos.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Russell County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Carrie Macon is prosecuting the case for the United States.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

ABINGDON, Va. – A convicted felon from Galax, Va., who was prohibited from possessing firearms, was sentenced Friday to 36 months in federal prison following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael Shane Mathis, 30, pled guilty in November 2025 to one count of being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm while also being a user and addict of any controlled substance.

According to court documents, on February 18, 2025, deputies with the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for a welfare check involving the vehicle Mathis was occupying. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and located a Hi Point 995 9mm rifle, a Hi Point CF380 .380 caliber pistol, and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.

Deputies also found a plastic baggie containing over nine grams of methamphetamine, a glass smoking device with residue, scales, a loaded hypodermic needle, a large knife, and body armor. Mathis admitted to law enforcement he was a violent offender for a previous conviction of unlawful wounding and the substance found was methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement

Assistant United States Attorney Corey Hall prosecuted the case for the United States. 

ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Virginia man, who spent two years on the run as a fugitive in Mexico before being arrested in March, was sentenced recently to 18 months in prison for failing to register as a convicted sex offender.

Corey Richard Parton, 36, pled guilty in September 2025 to failing to register and update a registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) and failing to provide information required by SORNA relating to intended travel in foreign commerce.

According to court documents, in December 2018 Parton was convicted in Russell County, Virginia for proposing a sex act by a communications system and soliciting child pornography, both felonies. Based on these convictions, Parton was a sex offender who was required to register under SORNA. Records indicate that Parton completed his initial registration as a sex offender with the Commonwealth of Virginia on April 16, 2019. Parton was required to re-register every 90 days.

On August 8, 2023, the Virginia State Police (“VSP”) began an investigation into Parton’s SORNA registration information. The VSP investigation determined that Parton had failed to update his home address, vehicle registration information, place of employment, and use of social media - which he was prohibited from using - and place of employment. As a result, re-registration forms were sent to Parton with instructions for Parton to update this information.

However, these forms were never returned.

As a result, Parton was charged with three SORNA violations in Bristol, Virginia General District Cour, arrested on August 16, 2023, and given a bond. Further investigation revealed that following his release, Parton had traveled to Galveston, Texas where he boarded a cruise ship that stopped in Cancun, Mexico. Parton got off the cruise ship in Cancun and never boarded the ship when it left port.

Authorities located Parton living at the Ocean Dream Hotel in Coco Bongo Beach, Cancun, Mexico living under the name Dominque Garcia. He was arrested on May 25, 2025.

“This office will vigorously prosecute those who fail to register as sex offenders in the Western District of Virginia. I commend the U.S. Marshal’s Service and Virginia State Police for their outstanding work on this case,” said Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

The United States Marshals Service and the Virginia State Police are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting the case.

ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of Maryland men who conspired with Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based doctor convicted of distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution (also known as “tussionex”), and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine solution (“also known as lean”), pled guilty recently in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

Obioma Alozie Ndubuka, 32, a.k.a. “Bank Roll” of Derwood, Maryland, and Raymono Alfonzo Russell II, 25, of Bowie, Maryland, pled guilty recently to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to acquire promethazine-codeine solution by fraud. In addition, Russell was ordered to forfeit $40,000 to the United States.

Also charged in the conspiracy are Cameron Isaiah Lewis, 23, of Bowie, Maryland; Elhadj Malick Diallo, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 24, of Bowie, Maryland; Kenechukwu Brian Okwara, a.k.a. “Kene,” 29 of Bowie, Maryland; and Yared Michael Tesfaye, a.k.a. “Yar,” 28, of Montgomery Village, Maryland.

Adeduwon pled guilty in 2025 and has been ordered to forfeit $100,000 to the United States.

According to court documents, in at least 2023 and 2024, Iluyomade and the co-conspirators entered into an agreement to distribute more than 7,000 oxycodone pills and more than 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution to pharmacies in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, West Virginia, and in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. At least 70 of the illegal controlled substance prescriptions were transmitted to and/or filled at pharmacies in the Western District of Virginia.

As part of the conspiracy, multiple individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. The individuals provided Iluyomade with lists of multiple “patients” with fake identifying information or different variations of names and false addresses, and requested prescriptions be sent to pharmacies throughout the United States for the “patients” on the lists.

Ndubuka traveled to various pharmacies to pick up fraudulent prescriptions written by Iluyomade, which he then distributed for profit, often posting pictures on his social media accounts to facilitate drug sales. Iluyomade transmitted at least 134 fraudulent prescriptions using variations of patient names using the “Ndubuka” surname. The prescriptions listed 56 different residential addresses but the same patient home phone number.

Russell visited Iluyomade’s clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions, paying approximately $300 per fraudulent prescription and often using the personal information of homeless individuals to obtain the prescriptions. He paid these individuals cash, or provided them drugs, to go inside the pharmacy and pick up the fraudulent prescriptions. Russell then distributed the drugs he obtained for profit.

The investigation began on September 2, 2023, when Russell attempted to pick up a fraudulent promethazine-codeine solution prescription transmitted by Dr. Iluyomade at TigerX Pharmacy in Honaker, Virginia. Russell was arrested and a search of his vehicle revealed multiple controlled substance prescription bottles in various ‘patient’ names, all from Dr. Iluyomade, filled at pharmacies in Roanoke, Radford, Tazewell, and Floyd, Virginia.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury, Maryland Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Police, HHS-OIG, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena Busscher and Randy Ramseyer are prosecuting the case.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge DEA Washington Division, and Darren B. Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. 

ABINGDON, Va. – A 68-year-old doctor, who worked at Smyth County Community Hospital and allegedly had a sexual relationship with an underage female coworker that included exchanging explicit imagines with the victim, was arrested yesterday by the FBI.

Michael Kevin Patrick, of Sugar Grove, Va., was arrested yesterday and charged via federal criminal complaint with receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He made his initial court appearance today in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.

According to court documents, Juvenile Victim 1 (JV1) began working at Smyth County Community Hospital in December 2023, when she was 16 years old. Shortly after starting her job, JV1 met Patrick in an elevator. JV1 told Patrick she was 17 years old, in high school, and interested in the medical field. The two began talking regularly at work.

In late 2024, JV1 and Patrick started eating lunch together and communicating regularly via text messages and phone calls. Eventually, Patrick and JV1 engaged in sexual conversations with one another and exchanged nude pictures of themselves via text message.

In addition, Patrick started having a physical relationship with JV1 at his home and at work.  During that span of time, JV1 was 16 years old. Patrick told JV1 that he was “looking forward to” her birthday, that the relationship had to be “secret,” and that he “needed” her. After JV1 turned 17, and after Patrick believed JV1 had turned 18, Patrick had sexual intercourse with JV1.

Patrick and JV1 exchanged more than 19,000 text messages with one another. After Patrick’s activities were discovered, he deleted his text messages with JV1.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Marion Police Department.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.

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

ROANOKE, Va. – A South Boston, Va., man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for brandishing a machine gun and possessing distribution quantities of cocaine.  

Following a two-day jury trial in May 2025, Richard Elijah Jacobs, 27, was found guilty of possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, possessing a machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

“The Western District will seek firm and swift accountability against those who illegally possess machine guns and other firearms while trafficking narcotics in the Western District of Virginia,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I commend the work of our partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, South Boston Police Department, and Halifax Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for their outstanding assistance with this case.”

“Today’s sentence sends a clear and unequivocal message: those that repeatedly violate federal firearms laws and terrorize our communities will be held accountable. Mr. Jacobs is a previously convicted felon had no right to possess firearms of any kind, much less a machine gun conversion device,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts on bringing this case to justice. We will continue to relentlessly pursue violent offenders and remove illegal firearms from our streets to keep families safe.”

According to evidence presented at trial and sentencing, on February 3, 2024, South Boston Police officers responded to a 911 call reporting that two men in a Jaguar brandished firearms at people in downtown South Boston causing the people to flee. Officers quickly found Jacobs beside the reported Jaguar, parked in a nearby shopping plaza. His chambered and loaded firearms were in the car: a .45-caliber Glock pistol with a 40-round drum magazine beneath the driver’s floormat and a RF-15 pistol behind the driver’s seat, both equipped with machine gun conversion devices allowing fully automatic fire. Inside the Jaguar’s trunk, officers also found thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine powder, cocaine base, and marijuana, as well as paraphernalia for packaging and distributing the drugs.

Alexander James Hiett, Jacobs’s passenger on February 3, 2024, previously pled guilty to related gun charges and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

The South Boston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The United States also extends its thanks to the Halifax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance.

Assistant United States Attorneys Drew Inman and Kelly McGann prosecuted the case for the United States. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Today the Western District of Virginia observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.

“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”

“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”

“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.

“The Western District of Virginia will continue to work with our partners at the FBI, DHS, and other federal and state agencies to combat human trafficking, protect victims, and bring to justice those who line their pockets by exploiting and dehumanizing others,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “Human trafficking is modern day slavery. It has no place in a civilized society, and we are dedicated to its eradication in the Western District of Virginia.”

In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States.

In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:

•           Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.

•           Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.

•           Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.

•           Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.

•           Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.

On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:

•           1,041 Sinaloa members,

•           856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members,

•           641 MS-13 members,

•           456 Tren de Aragua members,

•           1,067 weapons

•           More than $3,250,000 in currency

•           Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics

ABINGDON, Va. – A former resident of Lebanon, Virginia was sentenced recently to 27 months on federal methamphetamine and firearm charges in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

Brett Lamar Howard, 35, of West Palm Beach, Fla., pled guilty in September 2025 to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm by a prohibited person.

According to court documents, on January 22, 2025, Virginia State Police encountered Howard in Dickenson County, Virginia, which later turned into a traffic stop. A K-9 officer performed a free air sniff of Howard’s vehicle, which led to a search of the vehicle and discovery of a loaded Taurus .357 revolver with an obliterated serial number, 30 rounds of ammunition, approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and 94 small individual plastic bags. Howard admitted the items in the vehicle belonged to him.

In addition to prison time, Howard was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and forfeit a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver and assorted ammunition in connection with his convictions.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Virginia State Police and Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office.

Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Section Chief with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A convicted felon who sold a pistol and several rifles, at least two of which were classified as machine guns, was sentenced this week to four years in federal prison.

Les Christopher Burns, 44, of Lynchburg, Va., pled guilty in October 2025 to one count of possessing a machine, one count of possessing two machine guns and a short barrel rifle which were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to court documents, on September 11, 2024, Burns engaged in a Facebook conversation with an individual regarding the sale of several firearms. At the time, Burns was a convicted felon and subject to an active protective order, both of which prohibited him from legally possessing firearms.

Burns drove to Vinton, Virginia to meet with that individual, at which time he sold him a pistol and three rifles, later identified as a Taurus TH9, 9mm pistol, a Del-Ton Incorporated, model DTI-15, 6.5 mm Grendel caliber rifle, an Anderson Manufacturing, model AM-15, 5.56 mm Nato caliber rifle, and an Anderson Manufacturing, model AM-15, 6.5 mm Grendel caliber rifle.

An ATF firearms expert determined that both 6.5 mm Grendel rifles were built or modified to function as machineguns and the 5.56 mm Nato caliber rifle was built or modified to have a barrel less than 16 inches in length.

None of these rifles, as modified, were registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by the National Firearms Act.

Following a thorough investigation, law enforcement executed arrest and search warrants at Burns’ home on December 10, 2024. Inside his residence, investigators located a Beretta, PX4 Storm 9 mm pistol under Burns’ pillow on his bed, multiple pistol magazines, 9mm ammunition, a Glock pistol slide, a Polymer 80 lower receiver, multiple cell phones, a hard drive, laptop, and a tablet.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Customs Enforcement- Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service. 

Special Assistant United States Attorney John Beamer, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Miller prosecuted the case.

CHARLOTTESVILE, Va. – Gustavo Quintero, who was indicted by a federal grand jury last month for the repeated sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old Albemarle County girl months after he, and another man, got her so intoxicated she couldn’t walk, made his initial appearance in federal court today.

The indictment charges Quintero, 25, with two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, and one count of possession of child pornography.

The second defendant, Bryan Sixto Arias-Chicas, 23, a citizen of El Salvador who previously had his green card revoked, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint in October.

According to the indictment and other court documents, on May 7, 2025, Quintero and Arias-Chicas encountered Minor Victim 1 (MV1), a 16-year-old female, near the intersection of Greenbrier Drive and Seminole Trail in Charlottesville. Quintero and Arias-Chicas did not know the victim before the encounter. However, they purchased alcohol for MV1. Specifically, they purchased Mike’s Harder Mango Lemonade (8% alcohol by volume) and Four Loko (13.9% alcohol by volume). MV1 consumed the alcohol and became intoxicated.

That same night, police received a call from a citizen reporting two males carrying a young female, who appeared to be intoxicated. The citizen stopped and asked if they needed help, but the two individuals said they were taking MV1 to the hospital.

After getting MV1 intoxicated, Quintero and Arias-Chicas sexually assaulted MV1 throughout the night and into the next morning. Late in the morning on May 8, 2025, Quintero and Arias-Chicas dropped MV1 off near an apartment complex in Albemarle County.

Law enforcement found MV1 wrapped in a brown blanket, staggering down the sidewalk on Commonwealth Avenue, visibly upset, and wearing clothes that she later said did not belong to her.  Investigators were later able to identify Quintero and Arias-Chicas as two of the men who initially made contact with MV1. Further investigation revealed that Arias-Chicas was on probation.

On June 16, 2025, Arias-Chicas was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations on an unrelated matter. During this arrest, ICE recovered a phone belonging to Arias-Chicas, which contained evidence linking him to the sexual assault of MV1 on May 7 and 8.

Two months after assaulting MV1, in the middle of July 2025, Quintero reconnected with MV1 via social media, and they began to engage in sexual conversation. In the course of this conversation, Quintero also tried to get MV1 to engage in additional sexual activity with him.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia made the announcement today.

Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg is investigating the case. The Albemarle County Police Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Buckingham County man, who was unlawfully found in possession of a firearm after being previously convicted of a felony, pled guilty this week in federal court.

Jerry Dean Robertson Jr., 36, pled guilty this week to distributing, and possessing with the intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Robertson faces a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence on the drug distribution offense.

According to court documents, on January 23, 2025, Robertson was the subject of a traffic stop by a Buckingham County police officer. During that traffic stop, officers observed a Taurus TH 9C under the driver’s seat of the car. The firearm belonged to Robertson, who had been previously convicted of a crime and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

In addition, at the time of the traffic stop, Robertson had four bags in the car which contained, among other things, 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine. During the traffic stop, Robertson called a friend of his on the phone and told the friend he had been pulled over and that he needed to offload the drugs so they would not be discovered. At Robertson’s request, the friend came to the scene to pick up the bags. Two of those bags were recovered and were found to contain methamphetamine and a rifle.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case. The Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man, who robbed his one-time roommate for drugs and drug proceeds and later shot and killed someone who attempted to rob him, was sentenced yesterday to 165 months in federal prison. 

Damon Tyler Mills, 29, pled guilty in April 2025 to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of brandishing and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“Those who use firearms to advance the drug trade and commit acts of violence in the Western District of Virginia will face swift and certain accountability in federal court,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci.

“ATF is not only committed to protecting the public from violent criminals like Damon Mills, but also holding others like him fully accountable for their violent criminal acts,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We are ready- and fully capable- of pursuing anyone who believes that illegally possessing firearms, committing robberies, and taking lives is acceptable behavior in our communities.”

According to court documents, on February 24, 2019, law enforcement responded to an apartment in Roanoke County, Virginia regarding a disturbance involving firearms. Officers arrived on the scene and located victim FC deceased with gunshot wounds to their head and chest. Officers investigated and determined Mills was the shooter.

However, these events began years earlier. Mills was a known drug dealer in Roanoke, distributing marijuana from various locations from at least 2016 through 2019. For several months in early 2018, A.W. and Mills were friends. The two lived together and distributed marijuana together.

In November 2018, A.W. was living in his father’s home after a falling out with Mills. It was nighttime and A.W. was playing video games and waiting for his pregnant girlfriend, D.T. to arrive home from work. Mills and an unidentified accomplice entered the home wearing ski masks and brandishing AR-style firearms and pistols. They beat and bound A.W. and demanded he tell them where his drugs and drug proceeds were. A.W. refused. Mills and his accomplice eventually found $1,300 and an AK-47.

When D.T. arrived home, they threw her on the bed and demanded to know where the drugs and money were located. When she couldn’t provide a sufficient answer, Mills and the second robber took her phone and $100.

Four months later, on February 24, 2019, Mills was hanging out with his friend at his girlfriend’s apartment. Mills had been living there for several months and sold marijuana out of the apartment. Taylor Miles, a marijuana customer of Mills, knocked on the door. Miles came to the door because her boyfriend, F.C. had planned to rob Mills.

F.C. had no personal relationship with the defendant but knew he was likely to have cash and drugs and arranged his girlfriend to set-up the meeting.

Miles knocked on the door, Mills approached the door, armed with a firearm, he opened the door and spoke to Miles. Suddenly, F.C. appeared, racked his pistol, and pointed it at Mills. Mills drew his pistol and fired one shot that struck F.C. in the chest.

F.C. fell to the ground.

Mills stood above him and while F.C. was still moving, Mills shot F.C. in the head, killing him.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roanoke County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Beamer, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case for the United States. 

ABINGDON, Va. – Joseph Rimero Rutherford, 34, of North Carolina, was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender in Virginia, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), after he began living in Bristol, Virginia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about 2020 through in or about July 2022, Rutherford habitually resided in an apartment in Bristol, Virginia. Rutherford failed to register in Virginia or update his registration in North Carolina as required by SORNA. Rutherford is required to register as a sex offender and comply with SORNA because of his 2015 federal convictions for the possession and distribution of child pornography out of the District Court for the District of Columbia.

SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

The United States Marshals Service and the Bristol, Virginia Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Macon prosecuted the case.

ROANOKE, Va. – John Gregory “Greg” Barnes—a former mortgage broker who, seeking a “recession proof” business model, purchased pain clinics throughout the Western District of Virginia (including in Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Christiansburg, and Woodlawn)—was sentenced today to 45 months in federal prison for healthcare fraud and illegal prescription drug conspiracies Additionally, Barnes and L5 Medical Holdings, the business entity he controlled, jointly agreed to pay 4,888,426.11 in restitution to Medicare and Virginia Medicaid and to forfeit $250,000 to the United States.

Barnes was the last defendant awaiting sentencing as part of Operation Mountain Highlands—an investigation that resulted in convictions and years of prison time for a half-dozen medical professionals and businesspeople associated with the L5 pain clinics.  As part of their plea agreements, two doctors and a nurse also permanently surrendered their medical licenses, and Barnes and L5’s Chief Operating Officer, Jennifer Adams, agreed never to do business in the Western District of Virginia again.

Barnes, 59, of South Carolina, pled guilty in July 2023 to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, distribute Suboxone (buprenorphine) without a legitimate medical purpose, and use DEA registration numbers of other people to distribute controlled substances. Barnes’s company, L5, also pled guilty to the same crimes, as well as conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine without a legitimate medical purpose.

“This office will seek clear accountability against those who masquerade as medical professionals to line their pockets at the expense of patients and taxpayers,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said. 

“Those posing as good citizens and healthcare providers must be held accountable. Everyone deserves care and protection from those entrusted with their well-being. Unfortunately, this group, including Barnes, took advantage of the healthcare system for their own gain. We are committed to ensuring justice for those harming our communities and will work tirelessly to hold these individuals responsible,” said Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division.

“By defrauding both insurance companies and patients, criminals make health care more expensive for working class Virginians,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “I am pleased that the courts have rendered an appropriate verdict against those who put profit over patient care.”

According to court documents, in 2014, with no medical training, Barnes bought a medical practice through his company, L5 Medical Holdings. L5 operated pain management clinics, which involved the prescribing of prescription opioids and opioid addiction treatment medications, including Suboxone. Barnes conducted a feasibility study that identified Lynchburg, Virginia, as a prime location for an initial pain management clinic.

After Barnes began operating his pain clinics, they became more focused on prescribing Suboxone and opioids, with less focus on interventional treatments. Barnes and L5 operated the clinics in a manner that prioritized revenue maximization over patient care. Providers were encouraged to limit patient visits to 15 minutes and to see as many as 30 patients per day.

At Barnes’s direction, medical providers with L5 followed the opinion of non-medical professionals in making medical decisions, including whether a patient should be treated for opioid addiction or for pain management, whether a patient should receive a prescription, and what type of drug should be prescribed.

Patient interactions with non-medical professionals were improperly billed to Virginia Medicaid and Medicare, including by billing under providers who had not seen the patient. On some occasions, L5 employees billed insurance for patient visits under the name of doctors who were not even in the same city or state as the patient.

With Barnes in charge, L5 implemented a urine drug testing policy principally based on insurance reimbursements rather than patient care—specifically, to order the maximum amount of drug tests that insurance policies would pay for, regardless of medical need.  To avoid losing millions of dollars in revenue that resulted from charging Medicare and Virginia Medicaid under that bill-to-the-max policy, Barnes and L5 refused to implement a random drug testing policy, even when advised by medical professionals to do so.

Employees stated one L5 doctor, Wendell Randall, was a “train wreck,” “quack,” and “shitshow.” Despite being aware of such concerns, and even acknowledging Randall failed to show up for work and had made “major mistakes” that were “enough for him to lose his [medical] license,” Barnes continued to employ Randall.

Other convictions and sentences as a result of Operation Mountain Highlands include:

• Duane Dixon, a former doctor at L5, who pled guilty to concealing healthcare fraud and conspiring to illegally prescribed highly addictive opioid painkillers to at-risk patients, was sentenced to 40 months in prison in June 2025, and ordered to pay over $1,000,000 in fines and restitution.
• Jennifer Adams, L5’s former chief operating officer, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for her role in concealing and assisting with L5’s schemes. Adams was also ordered to pay over $3,000,000 in restitution.
• Charles Wilson Adams (no relation to Jennifer Adams), who was falsely held out as a medical doctor and made treatment recommendations for L5 patients, received a 24-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $30,000 in fines and forfeiture.
• Wendell Randall, a former doctor who rented out his credentials to others at L5 so they could prescribe Suboxone but was himself rarely physically present at L5 clinics, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in March 2024.
• Debra Shaffer, a nurse practitioner with L5, was sentenced to jail time and a $5,000 fine in October 2023.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan, Jason Scheff, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Janine M. Myatt, Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Texas man, who conspired with others to kidnap, transport, and hold multiple victims at gunpoint for ransom that culminated in a deadly 2023 shootout in a quiet, Charlottesville neighborhood, was sentenced today in federal court as part of Operation Take Back America.

Ricardo Franco Ordaz, 26, of Cedar Creek, Texas, was sentenced today to 220 months in prison. Ordaz pled guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death.

“These criminals exploited lawless Biden-era open border polices to kidnap and ransom vulnerable women at gunpoint for cold cash,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “This district will continue to attach the highest priority to combatting human trafficking, transnational criminal organizations, violent crime, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other threats to the Western District of Virginia.”

“Today's sentencing reflects the seriousness of crimes that inflicted profound fear and trauma on multiple victims who were kidnapped, held at gunpoint, and extorted for financial gain,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations, Washington, D.C., Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck. “These criminals deliberately targeted individuals they believed to be especially vulnerable, subjecting them to extreme cruelty. HSI is committed to protecting victims and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of our communities. We are grateful for the outstanding partnership with our local and federal law enforcement agencies, whose collaboration was critical in bringing these dangerous offenders to justice.”

Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, pled guilty in July for his role in the conspiracy and will be sentenced later this year. 

According to court documents, in early January 2023, Ordaz, Perez, and other co-conspirators who had ties to transnational criminal organizations, kidnapped multiple victims and held them for ransom, knowing these individuals had entered the United States illegally.

As part of the scheme, Ordaz arranged to transport victims from an area near the United States-Mexico border and bring them to a stash house near Austin, Texas. Once there, Ordaz, and others, held the victims against their will and under armed guard, then called and messaged the victims’ families and friends demanding cash ransom in exchange for their release.

Ordaz exchanged one of the victims in Texas for $5,000 cash, and on January 8, 2023, at Ordaz’s direction, Perez and a co-conspirator transported another victim to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they arranged to exchange that victim for $10,000 in cash.

During the exchange, when it was revealed that the full $10,000 ransom was not available, an argument and shootout ensued, during which Perez, and another coconspirator, brandished firearms, and instigated a shooting that resulted in the death of one of the kidnappers and the serious wounding of Perez.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg investigated the case with assistance from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, and HSI Austin, Texas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.

Charlottesville, Va. – Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci announced today that the Western District of Virginia collected $10,621,656.97 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $9,151,869.51 was collected in criminal actions and $1,469,787.46 was collected in civil actions.

Additionally, the Western District of Virginia worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $60,245,937.67 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $10,076.28 was collected in criminal actions and $60,235,861.39 was collected in civil actions.

“The men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia work tirelessly to ensure taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from fraud and abuse,” Acting United States Attorney Tracci said today. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the work of those involvement in the collection of criminal and civil penalties as well as the forfeiture of property obtained through criminal activity. The people of the Western District of Virginia should be proud of the work these civil servants perform on their behalf each and every day.”

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.

Additionally, the Western District of Virginia utilized a Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act writ to seize over $1.1 million from a criminal defendant to pay criminal restitution. These collection numbers demonstrate the district’s strategic use of all debt collection tools available under the law to ensure that criminal defendants are held responsible for repaying the victims of their crime and that civil debtors are held accountable for their debts to the government.

These collection amounts include $5 million in criminal fines from the prosecution of Envigo RMS, LLC and Envigo Global Services, Inc., a dog breeding facility that conspired to violate the Animal Welfare Act and Clean Water Act.

Separately, the Western District of Virginia forfeited $72.2 million to the United States related to its criminal and civil prosecutions. This amount includes $24,878,594.89 from Indivior, and $46,773,249.50 from McKinsey & Co.

Additionally, $200,000 was collected from the conviction of Duane Dixon, a former doctor, who concealed health care fraud and prescribed highly addictive opioid painkillers to at-risk patients at pain clinics in Central and Southwest Virginia. Forfeited funds also include tens of thousands of dollars seized from individuals who acted as money mules for foreign criminals employing various fraud schemes against victims in the United States.

The Western District of Virginia strategically used both civil and criminal judicial forfeiture to help victims and hold criminals accountable. As a result, significant portions of the funds forfeited to the United States in FY25 were returned to victims of crime. 

ROANOKE, Va. – A citizen of Honduras, living illegally in the United States after having been previously removed from the country on at least two occasions, was sentenced yesterday to time served, or approximately six months in prison for once again illegally reentering the country without authorization and for illegally possessing a firearm as an alien illegally in the United States

Brayan Sanchez-Varela, pled guilty in December 2025 to one count of possessing a firearm as an alien illegally and unlawfully present in the United States and one count of reentering the United States after having been previously deported.

According to court documents, in July 2025, Sanchez-Varela was arrested by officials in Radford, Virginia after he was observed shooting a firearm into the New River. At the time, Sanchez-Varela, and others, were illegally spearfishing.

Radford officials contacted immigration authorities who determined Sanchez-Varela was first encountered by immigration authorities in May 2011. At that time, he was ordered removed from the United States. That removal took place in June 2011.

However, Sanchez-Varela returned to the U.S. at an unknown time and immigration officials again encountered him in September 2016. He was once against ordered removed to Honduras via airplane. The second removal took place in September 2016.

At an unknown point following his second removal, and prior to his December 2025 arrest, Sanchez-Varela returned to the United States, illegally and without authorization.

The case was investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources’ Law Enforcement Division, and the Radford Police Department.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Coleman Adams, and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Beamer, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case for the United States. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney offices around the country.

“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes."

“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”

“This office will seek clear and relentless justice against child sex offenders in the Western District of Virginia,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I applaud our law enforcement partners for their tireless commitment to enhancing the safety of our communities and security of our children.”     

The Western District of Virginia arrested two offenders pursuant to Operation Relentless Justice.  Kenneth Melvin Doss Jr., 33, of Huntsville, Alabama, was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. In early July this year, Doss used Facebook Messenger to convince his 13-year-old relative in Danville, Virginia, to send him sexually explicit images and video of herself. When the minor victim hesitated, saying Doss was her cousin, Doss responded it could be their secret, and they could delete the chats. Doss also sent video of himself masturbating to the minor victim.

Kevin Michael Robinson, 28, of Wirtz, Virginia, was charged with receipt of child pornography. Robinson was on federal supervision after serving a prison sentence for various child pornography-related convictions by court-martial. In late June 2025, less than a month into supervision, monitoring software on Robinson’s cellphone alerted for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). A U.S. probation officer seized Robinson’s phone, and following an analysis, investigators discovered that the phone contained thousands of images and video of CSAM, including depictions of prepubescent minors and sadomasochistic behavior.  Some of the CSAM appeared to have been generated by artificial intelligence.

The FBI is investigating the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the cases.

Those arrested by other districts are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of CSAM; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material, as well as Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan National who was previously deported in 2011, and has previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.

As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online to include the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM.  The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.

This effort follows two other successful operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, including X from the District of X, and Operation Enduring Justice in August which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders, including X from the District of X.

The FBI's Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD's mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.

These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 justice.gov/psc.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

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

ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Virginia man, who conspired with others to distribute more than 600 fentanyl pills, pled guilty last week to federal gun and drug charges.

Briar Stephens, 24, pled guilty last week to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, between September 2024 and October 2024, Stephens, Bobby Arnett, and others, conspired to distribute fentanyl. Specially, over the course of the conspiracy, Stephens purchased fentanyl pills that he and Arnett further distributed in Washington County, within the Western District of Virginia, and elsewhere.

On October 16, 2024, Stephens possessed approximately 600 fentanyl pills with the intent to further distribute them. Stephens also possessed a loaded Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol in his waistband in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

At sentencing, Stephens faces up to life in prison.  Arnett pled guilty in July and will be sentenced in January 2026.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Washington Division, made the announcement.

The Elizabethton Tennessee Police Department, Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Holston River Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting the case.

ABINGDON, Va. – A federal grand jury sitting in Abingdon returned an indictment last week charging the bookkeeper for a Bristol, Virginia-based business with several counts of mail fraud and wire fraud after she allegedly stole more than $200,000 from the business to pay her bills and buy more than 400 items from Amazon.

In an indictment returned last week and unsealed following her arrest, Angela Sue Conley, 60, of Bristol, Virginia, is charged with five counts of wire fraud and five counts of mail fraud.

According to the indictment, Conley worked as the bookkeeper for a Bristol, Virginia-based business (Company A) for more than 40 years. As Company A’s bookkeeper, Conley was responsible for, among other duties, Company A’s payroll. As such, Conley had access to bank accounts and was issued a company credit card.

The indictment alleges that beginning in January 2020 and continuing through February 2025, Conley devised a scheme to personally enrich herself through fraud by obtaining funds that belonged to Company A. Conley is accused of using her authority as bookkeeper to send wire transfers of funds from Company A’s bank account to Conley’s personal Capital One credit card account, her personal checking account, and to make hundreds of purchases from Amazon. These 474 items included high heel shoes, pool covers, and earrings. All of the items were delivered via the U.S. Postal Service or commercial interstate carrier.

Conley is accused of sending 38 payments totaling $139,246 from Company A’s bank account to her personal credit card account without authorization.

In addition, the indictment alleges that Conley transferred funds from Company A’s bank account to Verizon, BVU Authority, and the Virginia Department of Taxation as payment for Conley’s personal bills. These alleged payments were also made without authorization.

Conley is also alleged to have used her position as bookkeeper to transfer funds from Company A’s bank account to her own personal bank accounts and 401K accounts. Conley altered her paycheck, causing 29 fraudulent payments to be sent from Company A’s bank account to her personal bank account.

In all, between January 2020 and February 2025, Conley caused $205,889 in fraudulent transactions to be made.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting the case.

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

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A pair of individuals responsible for distributing the fatal dose of fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old high school student in 2023 were sentenced today in federal court.

Bessy Jimenez Mejia, 27, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison. Jimenez Mejia previously admitted to being the source of supply for the fentanyl that ultimately killed Cayden Foster in 2023.

Liam Conaway, 24, also of Harrisonburg, was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison. Conaway previously admitted to obtaining the deadly fentanyl from Jimenez Mejia and providing it to Foster.

“Fentanyl is a clear and present danger to our communities. One pill can kill,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “In this case, half a fentanyl-laced pill cost a uniquely precious and extraordinary young man his life. This office will seek clear accountability against those who profit from trafficking this poison in the Western District of Virginia.”

“We need a Fentanyl-Free America,” stated Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division. “Our families are enduring the tragedy of losing loved ones, all due to greedy criminals like Jimenez Mejia and Conaway. For them, Fentanyl is merely a business; they lack concern for human lives and the well-being of our children. To the Foster family, we want you to know that we stand by your side in the fight against this crisis, committed to making a safer future for all. Your strength and resilience inspire us every day.”

According to court documents, in January 2023, Foster – who was at the time a high school student in Centreville, Virginia – reached out to Conaway, who was a student at James Madison University (JMU) to purchase pills. Conaway and Foster had previously consumed pills together during Conaway’s academic break from JMU.

On January 27, 2023, Foster sent Conaway $105 through Venmo to pay for the drugs. Conaway purchased approximately ten pills from his supplier, Jimenez Mejia, in Harrisonburg. The pills Conaway purchased from Jimenez Mejia were designed to appear as though they were 30 mg Percocet pills but were in fact counterfeit and contained fentanyl.

Two days later, a friend of Foster’s delivered three pills, sourced from Jimenez Mejia through Conaway in Harrisonburg to Foster in Northern Virginia.

On January 30, 2023, Foster consumed a portion of one of the pills purchased from Conaway. That night, Foster died from fentanyl poisoning.

First responders arrived at Foster’s home the next morning and pronounced Foster deceased.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Sally J. Sullivan and Jason Scheff are prosecuting the case for the United States.

ROANOKE, Va. – A citizen of Honduras, living illegally in Roanoke, pled guilty yesterday to selling ten firearms, including a short-barrel shotgun, to an undercover source working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Alcides Castro-Martinez, 42, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, between February 2025 and August 2025, ATF utilized a confidential source to conduct seven separate controlled purchases involving a total of ten firearms from Castro-Martinez. On each occasion, Castro-Martinez personally delivered the firearms to the confidential source.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement made the announcement

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Parrella and Special Assistant United States Attorney Juan Vega, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office are prosecuting the case.