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7 July 2026
Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to Theft on ReservationRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Pearl River man pleaded guilty on July 7, 2026, to the charge of theft of a motor vehicle from the Choctaw Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, and Sheriff Eric Clark, Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department.
According to court documents, Joshua Hickman, 30, of the Pearl River Community, unlawfully took a motor vehicle from the Silver Star Hotel & Casino of the Pearl River Resort. Court documents also stated that Hickman was driving the vehicle when he was stopped by a Neshoba County Deputy on October 25, 2025, during a routine traffic stop.
In January of 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Hickman on the charge. Hickman pleaded guilty to the charge and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2026. Hickman faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger commended the work of the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department and the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, who jointly investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne, Brian K. Burns, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.
Parker Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Andre Anthony Miller, 33, of Parker, Ariz., was sentenced on June 23, by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 336 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Miller previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.
On February 18, 2024, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes (“CRIT”) Reservation, Miller shot the victim, who was a former intimate partner, in front of the victim’s minor children. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries from the shooting, including quadriplegia. Approximately eleven months later, the victim died from her injuries. Both Miller and the victim are enrolled CRIT members.
The FBI’s Phoenix Division and the CRIT Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-00743-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-119_Miller# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Panama City Felon Indicted for Federal Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Stephen Miles Bishop, 30, of Panama City, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Bishop appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for August 24, 2026, at 8:30 am, before District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee, Florida.
The defendant faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment on each possession of a firearm count. He faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of a short-barreled rifle.
The case was jointly investigated by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Over $2 Million in Stolen Funds Recovered by U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBIRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that it had successfully obtained a judgment in forfeiture for $2,270,202.39 in funds stolen from the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) in a cyber-enabled fraud scheme. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III signed the order of forfeiture and judgment on July 2, 2026, releasing the funds to the government. According to the settlement agreement in the case, the funds will now be returned to CSWD by the United States Marshals Service.
As explained in documents from the case, in late January 2026, CSWD received an email that appeared to redirect payments owed to a construction company with whom they were engaged in an ongoing project. Pursuant to the email’s directions, CSWD sent two payments, totaling over $3 million, to an account at Citibank. In fact, the account at Citibank did not belong to the construction company but was instead receiving the funds as part of an ongoing fraud scheme. With the assistance of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized the funds from the bank pursuant to a civil seizure warrant and obtained forfeiture of the funds to the government to allow the return to CSWD.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the prompt investigatory efforts of the FBI in identifying and recovering the stolen funds and thanked the United States Marshals Service for their assistance executing the forfeiture. He added: “Recoveries of stolen funds from sophisticated cyber actors are only possible when impacted entities quickly alert law enforcement about their losses. In this case, CSWD swiftly notified law enforcement and coordinated with the FBI. Because of CSWD’s actions in the wake of the phishing scam, we were able to seize and return over $2 million dollars to CSWD, a benefit to all residents of Chittenden County.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli of the Albany Field Office also praised CSWD’s actions and urged rapid reporting saying, "this type of fraud is one of the most pervasive threats facing our communities today, but the FBI is here to help. Thanks to the quick reporting from Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD), our team was able to immediately get to work to recover the transactions and return a substantial portion of the stolen funds. I thank CSWD and the District of Vermont for their swift and strong coordination, and I implore the public to immediately report this type of fraud to law enforcement so we can work together to achieve a similar outcome."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A. P. Cowles handled this civil forfeiture matter for the government.
Oswego County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Oswego County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography
UTICA, NEW YORK – Robert J. Stachura, age 56, of, Oswego, New York, pled guilty on June 10, 2026, to receipt of child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
In June 2015, after pleading guilty in the Northern District of New York to using the internet to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual contact with him and possessing child pornography, Stachura was sentenced to serve concurrent terms of 135 months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Stachura’s term of supervised release began in December 2023. In March 2025, Stachura admitted to the United States Probation Office to possessing an unreported internet-capable cellular phone, in violation of his conditions of release. The phone was found to contain videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“This repeat offender has once again been brought to justice thanks to the relentless efforts of the FBI’s Special Agents,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone. “After his release, the defendant chose to continue engaging in this abhorrent conduct, showing a complete disregard for the law and a disturbing willingness to reoffend. He now faces up to 40 years in federal prison. My office, working alongside our partners at the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, will aggressively pursue anyone involved in this behavior. We will not hesitate to bring charges, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that individuals who threaten our communities are removed from our streets.”
“Mr. Stachura was barely out of federal prison before falling back into his sickening cycle of behavior. As he heads back to federal prison for up to 40 years, the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to prioritize aggressively investigating these depraved individuals who are harming our children,” said Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
As part of his June 2026 guilty plea, Stachura admitted that in March 2025, he received 8 videos and 2 images of CSAM. The receipt charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in federal prison and maximum sentence of 40 years. Stachura also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Stachura is already a registered sex offender based on his 2015 convictions and will have to continue his registration requirements upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.Sentencing is currently scheduled for October 14, 2026, in Utica, New York before Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the United States Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Vickey is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm After Shooting Outside Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – ANDREA DELAWRENCE JACKSON, 58, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 71 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on May 3, 2025, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to a convenience store on the east side of Oklahoma City after receiving reports of a shooting. Witnesses told police that a man, later identified as Jackson, shot at another man outside the store.
Responding officers located Jackson nearby pushing a woman in a wheelchair. Officers recovered a firearm from the seat of the wheelchair.
Public records further reflect that Jackson has prior felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court, including convictions for possession of cocaine and marijuana in Case No. CF-2003-6301, possession of cocaine and a stolen vehicle in Case No. CF-2006-465, and possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction in Case No. CF-2007-2435.
On December 16, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jackson with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jackson pleaded guilty on February 6, 2026, and admitted that he knowingly possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions.
At a sentencing hearing on July 2, 2026, Chief U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Jackson to serve 71 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Palk noted Jackson’s extensive criminal history and the dangerous nature of the offense.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gridley prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ERSEL HUNT (“HUNT”), age 34, pleaded guilty on July 2, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to a four-count indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, the aforementioned narcotics and firearms charges relate to two separate incidents, as follows. On May 6, 2025, Louisiana State Police (LSP) troopers attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by HUNT. HUNT refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. After crashing the vehicle, HUNT was arrested and found in possession of a pistol, marijuana, methamphetamine, a digital scale, clear plastic bags, gloves, and a ski mask. After further investigation, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at HUNT’s residence located on Allen Street in New Orleans, where they recovered a handgun and an AK47 rifle.
HUNT will be sentenced on September 10, 2026, and faces the following penalties:
Count 1—charging possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances —carries a penalty of up to twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Count 2—charging the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime—carries a penalty of at least five years up to life that must run consecutively to all other terms of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Counts 3 and 4—charging being a felon in possession of a firearm—carries a penalty of up to fifteen years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, as to each count.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Liz Privitera of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to 15 years in Federal Prison to be followed by five years of Supervised Release for Possession of Fentanyl with the Intent to Distribute and Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable District Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court records, in April of 2025 a Trooper with the Arkansas State Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by Robert Liles, age 31, of Manchester, New Hampshire. During the course of the traffic stop, the Trooper located and seized over 7,300 fentanyl pills, three (3) firearms, body armor, and a large amount of United States Currency. It was also determined that Liles had previously been convicted of a felony.
On November 18, 2025, Liles pleaded guilty to Possession of Fentanyl with the Intent to Distribute and Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. On July 7, 2026, United States District Judge Susan O. Hickey sentenced Liles to a term of imprisonment of 120 months for the fentanyl possession, to a term of imprisonment of 60 months for the weapons possession, to run consecutive to each other, for a total term of imprisonment of 180 months, or 15 years, to be followed by 5 years of Supervised Release.
United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan A. Achorn prosecuted the case for the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Arkansas State Police investigated the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Newly Naturalized Citizen Sentenced for Assaulting Federal Agent with VehicleRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ruben Dario Loja Castro, age 33, of Irvington, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release, following a guilty plea earlier this year to resisting, impeding, and assaulting a federal officer engaged in official duties and inflicting bodily injury with his vehicle during a lawful traffic immigration enforcement stop along Interstate 90 on October 1, 2025. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Anthony Patrone, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
According to the plea and documents previously filed in the case, on October 1, 2025, law enforcement officers with HSI and other federal agencies conducted an immigration enforcement operation targeting an illegal alien residing in Albany who had recently been charged with rape of a minor. The agents observed the suspected individual exit a building in Albany and enter a car being driven by Loja Castro, a native of Ecuador who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in January 2025. Agents followed the car and pulled it over as it traveled westbound on Interstate 90. Loja Castro refused to comply with the agents’ repeated requests that he turn off the ignition and provide identification for his passengers. As agents attempted to gain access to the vehicle, Loja Castro suddenly put the car into gear, slammed it back and forth into law enforcement vehicles, and then swerved in the direction of an HSI special agent who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the car. Loja Castro then fled the scene at a high rate of speed on Interstate 90. The agent suffered a sprained right wrist and other injuries. Loja Castro was located and arrested later that day, and has been detained ever since.
Following his release from prison, Loja Castro will be required to serve 1 year of supervised release.
“Mr. Loja Castro had the opportunity to live the American dream. After receiving his citizenship in 2025, he was on the right path to enjoy the freedom and opportunity that all Americans hold dear. Things took a turn when he began associating with a criminal illegal alien and alleged child rapist,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone. “When law enforcement attempted to apprehend his associate, Mr. Lojas Castro put innocent lives at risk and defied lawful commands from federal agents. He has now come to understand the responsibility that comes with being an American citizen. In America, actions have consequences, and anyone who chooses to resist, impede, or assault a federal agent will be pursued without hesitation and brought to justice.”
HSI Buffalo Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone said “By his own admission, Ruben Dario Loja Castro used his vehicle as a weapon against HSI special agents who were placing their lives on the line for the sake of protecting the public. Attacks and attempted assaults on law enforcement will never be tolerated. I commend HSI Albany, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and our invaluable law enforcement partners for placing the safety of our neighborhoods, our roadways, and the people above all else.”
HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case.Missoula man sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Missoula man who was a local supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Brandon Gregory Genet, 30, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Genet was distributing methamphetamine in Missoula, supplying at least one dealer.
The case began on Dec. 10, 2025, when law enforcement used an informant to set up a buy from a suspected meth dealer at Franklin Park in Missoula. The suspect arrived in a vehicle driven by Genet, who sped away from the park when he spotted law enforcement. A tip to law enforcement the next day revealed that Genet was the suspect’s supplier and that he kept his stash in a safe at his home. Officers obtained a warrant and searched Genet’s safe, where they found approximately 96 grams of suspected fentanyl pills and 165 grams of methamphetamine. The DEA lab confirmed the substances were a fentanyl analog and methamphetamine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI's Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and DEA conducted the investigation.
Mission Man and Woman Sentenced for LarcenyRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man and woman, both from Mission, South Dakota, following their convictions for Larceny.
Amelia Bordeaux age 20, pleaded guilty on April 1, 2026. On June 29, 2026, she was sentenced to time served, equal to approximately four months in custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Andrew Whiting, age 20, pleaded guilty on January 12, 2026. On April 21, 2026, he was sentenced to time served, equal to approximately eight months in custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bordeaux and Whiting were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.
The convictions stem from an incident that occurred on February 18, 2025, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On that date, Whiting and Bordeaux stole a pickup truck that was parked at a residence in Mission. They subsequently got the vehicle stuck in a rural area south of Mission and abandoned it. The vehicle was recovered by law enforcement the following day.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Bordeaux and Whiting were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of their individual sentencing hearings.
Mission Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Mission, South Dakota, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2026.
Jaret Wooden Knife, age 28, was sentenced to one year and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Wooden Knife was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 9, 2026.
Wooden Knife was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in U.S. District Court in 2022. Consequently, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment or student status. In July 2025, Wooden Knife began a period of supervised release residing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and he appropriately updated his sex offender registration. Wooden Knife thereafter relocated from his registered address and updated his sex offender registration to reflect a different residence in Sioux Falls, but he never resided at the new address. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued, and on September 12, 2025, Wooden Knife was arrested in Sioux Falls.
This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Wooden Knife was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Michigan man sentenced to federal prison in the Eastern District of Texas for firearms trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Michigan man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Caleb Timothy Fox, 34, pleaded guilty to attempt or conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking and was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on July 6, 2026.
According to information presented in court, on March 10, 2025, Fox enlisted another individual, commonly referred to as a “straw purchaser,” to unlawfully purchase six firearms on his behalf at a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) gun shop in Tyler. After the firearms purchase was delayed, Fox admitted to federal agents that he knew, as a non-resident of Texas, that he was unable to legally purchase the firearms in Texas. Fox also admitted that he intended to illegally transport the firearms out of the United States to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he had arranged to sell them to others. Further investigation led to cell phone texts that corroborated the plan, including an offer to exchange the firearms for drugs. A search of Fox’s vehicle led to the discovery of another firearm as well as various illegal drugs, including cocaine base and fentanyl.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.
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Mexican National to Spend 27 years in Federal Prison for Trafficking over One Thousand Kilograms of Methamphetamine in Homeland Security Task Force CaseRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican National was sentenced by a federal court in San Antonio to 27 years in prison for leading an international methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Arturo Leija-Alvarado, 43, led an organization that trafficked well over one thousand kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, for distribution in and around the San Antonio area. The conspiracy involved large quantities of methamphetamine that were smuggled into the United States while hidden in various ways, most commonly in large loads of lettuce.
At the time that Leija led the drug trafficking organization, Leija had already been convicted twice of illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and had been removed from the United States on at least three separate occasions. Following his most recent removal, Leija illegally reentered the United States during the Spring of 2024, and by May 2024 was already coordinating a load of methamphetamine hidden in 16 pallets of lettuce:
Leija coordinated and oversaw the smuggling of multiple additional large loads of methamphetamine during July, August, and September 2024. These loads were also hidden in shipments of lettuce, and often included hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine at a time:
One load from September 2024 included at least approximately 500 kilograms of methamphetamine by itself:
Evidence in the case also depicted a large number of firearms that were possessed during this conspiracy, including more than twenty that were depicted in these photographs from July 2024:
As the conspiracy continued, law enforcement learned that Leija and his co-conspirators were receiving the shipments of methamphetamine at a secluded property in Atascosa, Texas. After unloading the methamphetamine at the Atascosa property, Leija’s drug organization distributed the methamphetamine into the San Antonio community and surrounding areas.
On October 17, 2024, after obtaining a federal search warrant for the property, law enforcement observed a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer arrive at the ranch. Immediately prior to executing the warrant, law enforcement observed a group of individuals, overseen by Leija, spend several hours using welding tools to cut open hidden compartments on the trailer.
Shortly after midnight on October 18, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant and found dozens of packages of methamphetamine that had been wrapped in tape, covered in grease, and secreted inside of hidden compartments on the flatbed trailer that had been welded shut. Subsequent DEA laboratory testing confirmed that the packages seized on this day alone contained 63 kilograms of 100% methamphetamine hydrochloride, i.e., crystal meth.
Agents arrested Leija inside an RV on the property. Agents found a firearm and $21,646.00 in U.S. currency in that RV, and another firearm elsewhere on the property.
Leija was arrested along with co-conspirators Francis Edward “Eddie” Hilliard and Richard William Aaron Patton. The trio were charged with various offenses, including Conspiring to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. All three Defendants subsequently pled guilty to that charge.
In addition to Leija’s sentence of 27 years, Hilliard, who is 77 years old, was sentenced last month to 145 months in prison, and Patton is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
“Mr. Leija ignored our immigration laws, ignored our drug laws, and ignored our gun laws,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “However, he cannot ignore the fact that he will now spend the next couple of decades behind walls of steel and concrete. I want to thank our law enforcement partners who helped put this case together and to AUSA John Fedock, who carried this case through to the finish line.”
“Drug traffickers smuggle more than just illegal drugs—they bring violence, fuel crime, and put American lives at risk with every shipment," said DEA San Antonio Field Division Special Agent in Charge Miguel Madrigal. Through the dedicated efforts of DEA San Antonio and its law enforcement partners, thousands of lethal doses of illegal drugs were prevented from reaching San Antonio and communities across the nation. This prosecution is another victory that reflects the DEA’s unwavering commitment to protecting the public, disrupting drug trafficking organizations, and saving American lives.”
“It is our priority to make the community safer, and by removing the leader of a prolific drug trafficking organization, we have gotten one step closer to our goal,” said Daniel Faith, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office. "Along with our law enforcement partners, we have been able to disrupt the distribution of drugs throughout our community. Let this be a message that we will not back down from our fight against violent organized crime.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and Hondo Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
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Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Decade in PrisonRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – An Ohio man who transported methamphetamine to Wetzel County, West Virginia will spend 10 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Kyle Thomas Bryan, 33, of Warren, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months today for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. On January 6, 2025, the Marshall County Drug Task Force acted on information from a confidential informant regarding an alleged drug delivery involving Bryan, who was reportedly traveling from Warren, Ohio, to deliver a substantial quantity of methamphetamine. Later that day, Bryan notified the informant that he had arrived in a black Ford F-150 at the residence in Wetzel County. Task Force officers responded and approached the vehicle. Bryan exited the front passenger seat and was found with a glass pipe containing suspected methamphetamine. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered nearly half a pound of methamphetamine inside a green bag on the floorboard, as well as a clear plastic bag hidden beneath the front passenger seat.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; and the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Member of Eleven-Person Meth Trafficking Ring Sentenced to over 24 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT – On June 26, 2026, Perry Willis, 37, of Natchitoches, was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison after his guilty plea to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine in connection with an eleven-person drug trafficking conspiracy operating in central Louisiana.
“This significant sentence reflects the serious threat this organization posed to our community and the importance of dismantling high-volume illicit drug suppliers lurking in our midst,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “This Office remains committed to protecting our communities and bringing these dangerous criminals to justice.”
In 2023, the DEA launched an investigation into this drug trafficking ring operating across Louisiana and Texas. Wire taps and surveillance identified Willis and his co-conspirator, Daniel Efferson, 33, of Natchitoches, as members of the network. The investigation escalated on August 16, 2024, when Louisiana authorities conducted a traffic stop of Efferson near the state line. Efferson, Willis, and Jaquez Flakes, 19, of Natchitoches, fled the stop, initiating a vehicle chase that ended in a crash. Agents recovered approximately nine kilograms of methamphetamine and twenty-four pounds of synthetic marijuana from the vehicle. The crash led to further investigation in Houston, where agents seized 221.5 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, disguised as bottled water, and discovered a meth conversion lab with burners, pots, and 11 kilograms of processed methamphetamine. These seizures linked Willis, Efferson, Flakes, and 8 other co-conspirators to the same supply network.
Others previously charged and sentenced in the case are:
Daniel Efferson, 33, of Natchitoches — 360 months (30 years)
Christopher Caffey, 37, of Shreveport — 262 months (over 21 years)
Joshua Hardy, 32, of Shreveport — 151 months (over 12 years)
Delannie Lee, 51, of Shreveport — 168 months (14 years)
Crystal Williams, 36, of Mansfield — 60 months (5 years)
Kellie Yates, 50, of Shreveport — 3 years’ probation
Amadeo Penaloza-Meza, 22, of Mexico — 135 months (over 11 years)
Brayan Sandoval, 22, of Mexico — 135 months (over 11 years)
Jeffrey Flack, 51, of Shreveport — 120 months (10 years)The last remaining defendant, Flakes, will be sentenced in August of 2026.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Louisiana State Police, and multiple local law-enforcement partners investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moody with assistance from Legal Assistant Amanda Morgan.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 5:24-CR-00256-10.
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Public Affairs
United States Attorney’s Office
Western District of Louisiana
USALAW-News@usdoj.gov www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Twitter @USAO_WDLAMaryland Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Minor to Produce CSAMRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man pled guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes.
Luis Esteban Borunda, 67, of Essex, is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor, and distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); Special Agent in Charge Jacob Cameron, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) – Washington Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Hanna Porterfield, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) – Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, Borunda engaged in sex acts, which he recorded, with a 15-year-old minor. Beginning in at least July 2023 through August 2023, Borunda used Snapchat and text messages to communicate with Minor Victim 1, who he ultimately met during a trip to California. While on the trip, Borunda engaged in sex acts with the victim. Borunda used his cell phone to cause the production of a sexually explicit video of Minor Victim 1.
Additionally, in August 2023, Borunda messaged a law enforcement officer posing as a minor female. Borunda continued communicating with law enforcement until August 30, 2023, when authorities arrested him after he followed through with plans to meet with who he thought was an underage female for sex. Law enforcement also discovered that Borunda owned devices on which he stored CSAM.
Borunda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at www.dhs.gov/know2protect.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, MSP, Army CID, and NCIS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Man Sentenced to Six and a Half Years in Prison for Extorting Money from Chicago RestaurateurRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — After being convicted by a federal jury, a man has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for threatening and assaulting a Chicago restaurateur to collect a debt.
JAWAD FAKROUNE loaned approximately $405,000 to the restaurateur to develop and open a new restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and to pay certain taxes. In November 2024, Fakroune began to threaten the restaurateur about repayment of the loan. On the evening of Nov. 25, 2024, Fakroune confronted the restaurateur and threatened him over the manner and nature of the repayments. Fakroune choked, kicked, and punched the restaurateur, while continuing to demand money and repeatedly threatening the lives of the restaurateur and his family.
A jury in federal court in Chicago earlier this year convicted Fakroune, also known as “Angelino Escobar” or “Anjelino Escobar,” 46, on both extortion counts against him. On June 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah sentenced Fakroune to 78 months in federal prison. Fakroune is a foreign national who recently resided in the Chicago area.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Lucas Rothaar, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Marta Grijalva, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.
“The offenses of conviction reflect defendant’s violent nature, danger to the community, and lawlessness,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Hennessy and Richard M. Rothblatt argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Business disputes are resolved in courts of law—not through violent confrontations in public restaurants.”
Man Sentenced in $39M Bank Fraud Scheme That Defrauded Seven Financial InstitutionsRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release for perpetrating an elaborate bank fraud scheme that took in approximately $39 million from multiple financial institutions over the course of nearly 10 years. He was also ordered to pay over $19.4 million in restitution and $21.8 million in forfeiture.
According to court documents, Gary Topolewski, 64, of Northridge, engaged in the nearly decade-long scheme to defraud multiple financial institutions through the submission of false and fraudulent commercial loan applications on behalf of his purported companies, Topolewski America Inc., Morrison Knudsen Services Inc., and Metal Jeans Inc. As a result, these entities received more than $39 million in fraudulently obtained loan proceeds, with Topolewski unsuccessfully seeking millions more.
Topolewski falsely represented in the loan applications that the loans were for the purchase of large, industrial earth-moving construction equipment, and for business working capital purposes. In reality, Topolewski and his companies did not use the proceeds as represented and instead diverted, laundered, and misappropriated the proceeds for other purposes, including for the purchase of properties and to make Ponzi-like payments to financial lenders to perpetuate the scheme by using loan proceeds from newer loans to pay down the balance of other loans. Topolewski used several aliases, including the stolen identity of a victim, and company names that were similar to those of established companies in the construction and equipment industries.
In December 2025, Topolewski pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Delzotto of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Sara Hallmark of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Lopez for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
Lower Brule Man Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting a Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Officer with His VehicleRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons, announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2026.
Cody Crazy Bull, age 35, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Crazy Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 9, 2026.
This conviction stems from an incident that occurred on May 12, 2025, in Lower Brule, South Dakota. Federal officers with the Bureau of Indian Affairs observed Crazy Bull in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in a parking lot. Aware that Crazy Bull had an active tribal arrest warrant, the officers attempted to place him under arrest. As an officer was standing in an open door of the vehicle, Crazy Bull put the vehicle in reverse and backed up quickly, striking the officer with the vehicle door. The officer then jumped into the moving vehicle to avoid being run over and gave repeated commands for Crazy Bull to stop the vehicle. Crazy Bull eventually stopped the vehicle and fled on foot until he was apprehended a short time later hiding in a mechanical closet of a nearby building.
“The reckless and intentional actions of this fugitive from the law might well have killed this heroic federal officer acting in the line of duty,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Thank goodness the police lieutenant is safe. Our office backs the blue, and we will do everything we can to put anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer behind bars where they belong.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services-Lower Brule Agency and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Crazy Bull was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 42 Years in Prison for His Role in Two 2016 Murders in Nassau CountyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, also known as “Creeper,” “Malcriado,” “Sombra,” “Vinky” and “Dabura,” a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 42 years’ imprisonment for his role in the May 21, 2016 murder of Kerin Pineda and the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo, both of whom were killed in Freeport, New York, as well as a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Del Cid had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes in July 2025.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.
“Today, the defendant faces justice for his role in the brutal murder of two innocent victims, young men who were targeted and tortured by the MS-13 street gang,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This defendant used social media to lure Kerin Pineda to his death, and this callous disregard for human life has now been met with a just punishment thanks to the work of our Office.”
“Today's sentencing marks an important step in holding violent MS-13 gang members accountable for the harm they inflict on innocent civilians. Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, an alleged MS-13 gang member, is facing punishment for the abhorrent crimes he committed. Rest assured that the FBI with its partners will continue to dismantle the MS-13 gang presence in New York and across the United States,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“Gang activity will never be tolerated here in Nassau County. The County Executive and I will dedicate any resources necessary to combat criminal behavior. Our department worked aggressively to investigate these cases with our partners in the FBI and US attorneys’ office. Today’s sentencing demonstrates our commitment to holding the defendant accountable for these murders," stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.
According to court filings and statements by the defendant at the guilty plea proceeding, the defendant participated in the murder of 20-year-old Kerin Pineda, who was killed because of his suspected membership in the 18th Street gang. Specifically, in May 2016, Del Cid and other MS-13 members devised a plan where Del Cid created a fake Facebook profile of a young female to communicate with Pineda and lure him out to be killed. On May 21, 2016, Pineda went to a secluded wooded area near the Merrick-Freeport border believing that he was meeting the young female he had been communicating with on Facebook, who was, in fact, Del Cid. When Pineda arrived, he was surrounded and violently attacked by Del Cid and the other MS-13 members, each of whom took turns hacking and slashing him with the machetes. Pineda’s body was then buried in a hole that had been dug in the ground the day before, in anticipation of the murder. Del Cid is the first of six participants in the Pineda murder, all of whom have pleaded guilty, to be sentenced for that crime.
Del Cid also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Javier Castillo, who, like Pineda, was killed because the MS-13 suspected him of being a member of the 18th Street gang. On October 10, 2016, members of the Sailors clique in Brentwood convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana. Del Cid and the other MS-13 members took Castillo to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete. Thereafter, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in October 2017. More than a half dozen MS-13 members have been charged and pleaded guilty in connection with the Castillo murder.
Del Cid, who was 16 years-old at the time of the Pineda and Castillo murders, initially was charged by a juvenile information filed under seal on May 20, 2020. The government subsequently filed a motion to transfer Del Cid to adult status for prosecution, and an evidentiary hearing was held on June 3, 2022. On July 6, 2022, United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco, sitting by designation, issued a Memorandum and Order granting the government’s motion, and ordering Del Cid be prosecuted as an adult.
Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, NCPD, Suffolk County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.
This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.
The Defendant:
KEVIN CUEVAS DEL CID (also known as “Creeper,” “Malcriado,” “Sombra,” “Vinky” and “Dabura”)
Age: 26
Freeport, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-251 (S-1) (JMA)
Lafayette Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE – On June 30, 2026, Javon Robertson, 40, of Lafayette, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison after his April 2026 guilty plea to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of his plea, Robinson forfeited $79,805.00 in U.S. currency and a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, which were proceeds derived from his sale of illegal narcotics.
“Methamphetamine continues to inflict tremendous harm on families and communities across Louisiana,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “This sentence reflects our office’s commitment to holding traffickers accountable and to supporting the law enforcement partners who work every day to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
In July of 2025, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit opened an investigation into Robertson based on information that he was selling narcotics out of his home in Lafayette, Louisiana. While surveilling Robertson’s residence, law enforcement observed Robertson leave his residence, meet an individual at a local store, and conduct a “hand-to-hand” transaction of suspected illegal drugs. The recipient in this transaction admitted to law enforcement that she had just purchased drugs from Robertson. Law Enforcement then obtained a search warrant for Robertson’s residence, which was executed on July 29, 2025. During the execution of this search warrant, agents seized large quantities of controlled substances and drug distribution paraphernalia, including two hydraulic presses, a currency counter, and $79,805.00 in U.S. currency. Robertson admitted to law enforcement that the seized narcotics belonged to him. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s South-Central Laboratory confirmed that the narcotics seized from Robertson’s residence included 38.22 grams of cocaine base, 134.9 grams of cocaine, and 90.46 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit (LPSONU) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren L. Nickel with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 6:25-CR-00322-01.
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Public Affairs
United States Attorney’s Office
Western District of Louisiana
USALAW-News@usdoj.gov www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Twitter @USAO_WDLA
Kyle Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon on the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 29, 2026.
Marcel Boyd, 40, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Boyd was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 31, 2026.
On July 10, 2024, law enforcement responded to a report of gunshots fired in Kyle, South Dakota. Boyd pointed a pistol at others and shot it off in the air. Boyd then ran into the home of someone he knew. Law enforcement officers observed a small child’s hand wave for help from inside. They entered the home and safely secured Boyd. Underneath the mattress where Boyd was found, officers located the pistol. Boyd had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and, accordingly, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Boyd was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Knoxville Man Sentenced to 60 Months’ Imprisonment for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Tobias Billingsley of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on June 30, 2026, by United States District Judge William H. Steele to 60 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2025, agents with the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a rollback wrecker traveling north on Interstate 65 near mile marker 85 in Conecuh County after observing that the vehicle's license plate was not plainly visible. The wrecker was transporting a GMC Yukon. During the stop, investigators developed probable cause to search the Yukon and discovered approximately seven kilograms of fentanyl concealed inside the vehicle's battery compartment.
The investigation revealed that Billingsley had traveled to Houston, Texas, to retrieve the fentanyl at the direction of others. After obtaining the drugs, he arranged for the Yukon to be transported by rollback wrecker to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was instructed to deliver the fentanyl to another individual.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the 17th Judicial Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Dog Fighting Charges from Interstate “Mayhem Madness” EventRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY – Kansas City, Mo., resident Vinol Wilson, 52, pleaded guilty today in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm after a felony conviction and to multiple federal dog fighting offenses. Those offenses include conspiring to violate the federal Animal Welfare Act’s animal fighting law, keeping a dog for use in dog fighting, and buying and receiving a dog to use in a dog fighting venture.
“Wilson subjected animals to pain and suffering all for sport and profit,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam R.F. Gustafson of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department continues to aggressively prosecute this criminal activity, and we work with our partners to rescue dogs whenever we can.”
“Inflicting cruelty on innocent dogs for entertainment and profit is both deplorable and in violation of federal law,” said U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price of the Western District of Missouri. “The Western District of Missouri is proud to have worked alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to enforce the Animal Welfare Act and hold those responsible accountable. Through these efforts, we help protect those that cannot defend themselves.”
According to court documents filed in the case, the defendant ran a dog fighting operation. He invited several others to participate in a multi-card dog fighting event known as “Mayhem Madness 2025” to be held at his residence in Kansas City on May 17, 2025. Parties traveled with fighting dogs from multiple states and used rental cars and short-term, internet-based vacation rental housing in connection with their trip to attend the “Mayhem Madness 2025” dog fighting event.
At the event, four dog fights were set to take place and three occurred. During the overnight period of May 17–18, 2025, after all dog fights were completed, the defendant polled attendees for their views on which dog performed the best and which was the “gamest,” or most willing to continue fighting despite injury, of the evening. The defendant awarded large trophies for “Best in Show” and “Gamest in Show” to two of the dog fight participants. Wilson further purchased and received a puppy from one of the out-of-state participants and intended to possess this dog for fighting purposes.
During a search warrant executed at Wilson’s residence on May 20, 2025, agents recovered sixteen fighting dogs, four of whom were pregnant and soon thereafter gave birth to 31 puppies. Agents also recovered items used in connection with the possession and maintenance of fighting dogs, such as medications, syringes, a “slatmill” dog treadmill, and fighting dog “pedigrees.” The defendant was further found in unlawful possession of a 5.56mm pistol loaded and chambered with 29 rounds of ammunition.
The dogs were rescued and cared for by a program administered by the U.S. Marshals Service. Following a separate, successful civil forfeiture action brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, these dogs did not have to be returned to the defendant, but instead, could be rehabilitated and evaluated for possible adoption.
Under federal law, it is illegal not only to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce, but also to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
Each of the three dog fighting counts carries a maximum of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000. The firearm charge carries a maximum of fifteen years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Jackson County Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Becker, David Barnes, and James Kirkpatrick and Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Farmakidis handled the civil forfeiture case for the dogs.
Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Dog Fighting Charges from Interstate “Mayhem Madness” EventRead the Press Release
Kansas City, Missouri, resident Vinol Wilson, 52, pleaded guilty today in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm after a felony conviction and to multiple federal dogfighting offenses. Those offenses include conspiring to violate the federal Animal Welfare Act’s animal fighting law, keeping a dog for use in dog fighting, and buying and receiving a dog to use in a dogfighting venture.
“Wilson subjected animals to pain and suffering all for sport and profit,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department continues to aggressively prosecute this criminal activity, and we work with our partners to rescue dogs whenever we can.”
“Inflicting cruelty on innocent dogs for entertainment and profit is both deplorable and in violation of federal law,” said U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price for the Western District of Missouri. “The Western District of Missouri is proud to have worked alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to enforce the Animal Welfare Act and hold those responsible accountable. Through these efforts, we help protect those that cannot defend themselves.”
According to court documents filed in the case, the defendant ran a dog fighting operation. He invited several others to participate in a multi-card dog fighting event known as “Mayhem Madness 2025” to be held at his residence in Kansas City on May 17, 2025. Parties traveled with fighting dogs from multiple states and used rental cars and short-term, internet-based vacation rental housing in connection with their trip to attend the “Mayhem Madness 2025” dog fighting event.
At the event, four dog fights were set to take place and three occurred. During the overnight period of May 17–18, 2025, after all dog fights were completed, the defendant polled attendees for their views on which dog performed the best and which was the “gamest,” or most willing to continue fighting despite injury, of the evening. The defendant awarded large trophies for “Best in Show” and “Gamest in Show” to two of the dog fight participants. Wilson further purchased and received a puppy from one of the out-of-state participants and intended to possess this dog for fighting purposes.
During a search warrant executed at Wilson’s residence on May 20, 2025, agents recovered sixteen fighting dogs, four of whom were pregnant and soon thereafter gave birth to 31 puppies. Agents also recovered items used in connection with the possession and maintenance of fighting dogs, such as medications, syringes, a “slatmill” dog treadmill, and fighting dog “pedigrees.” The defendant was further found in unlawful possession of a 5.56mm pistol loaded and chambered with 29 rounds of ammunition.
The dogs were rescued and cared for by a program administered by the U.S. Marshals Service. Following a separate, successful civil forfeiture action brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, these dogs did not have to be returned to the defendant, but instead, could be rehabilitated and evaluated for possible adoption.
Under federal law, it is illegal not only to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce, but also to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
Each of the three dog fighting counts carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000. The firearm charge carries a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Jackson County Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Becker, David Barnes, and James Kirkpatrick for the Western District of Missouri and Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Farmakidis for the Western District of Missouri handled the civil forfeiture case for the dogs.
Justice Department Dismisses Alaska Lawsuit, Conceding Biden Era Oil and Gas Leasing Program Violated the LawRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Energy and Natural Resources Division filed a stipulation today dismissing lawsuits by the State of Alaska and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, concerning those plaintiffs’ challenges to the 2024 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
The lawsuits arose because the 2024 Program had imposed various restrictions on development, with the effect of frustrating Congress’s directive that the Department of the Interior establish and administer a competitive oil and gas leasing program in the Coastal Plain region of the Arctic Refuge.
“The Biden era Alaska oil and gas leasing program violated the law and improperly limited Alaska’s energy potential with unreasonable regulation,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This settlement supports the Trump Administration’s commitment to secure American energy independence and our national security for generations to come.”
“This settlement sets the record straight that the Biden administration’s 2024 restrictions on oil and gas production in Alaska were overly restrictive and contrary to Congress’s clear command to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program in Alaska’s Coastal Plain,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “Today’s correction of the prior administration’s congressional obstruction helps enhance America’s energy dominance and prevents any future repetition of overreaching policies that thwart our Nation’s best interests.”
“This settlement furthers President Trump’s commitment to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential,” said Adam Gustafson, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “The Bureau of Land Management will now administer its oil and gas leasing program according to the plain meaning of the controlling statute. That means more oil leasing, more domestic energy, and more independence from foreign sources of energy.”
The settlement concedes that the 2024 Program violated the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in various ways, including by:
- effectively abdicating Interior’s duty to conduct a second lease sale;
- closing 75% of the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain to exploration and leasing;
- imposing unreasonable surface use restrictions on the remaining 25%; and
- unreasonably restricting surface disturbance to 995 acres Program-wide, instead of the “up to 2,000 acres” explicitly provided for in the Tax Act.
The settlement advances national and energy security interests by clarifying the Tax Act’s requirements, identifying violations of those requirements, and prohibiting the Department of the Interior from repeating those violations in any future decision governing the Program.
Justice Department Announces Completion of Compliance Review After Minnesota Repeals Grant Program Based on Unlawful DEI CriteriaRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) voluntarily resolved the Department’s compliance review under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI). The Department opened a review of MDH’s Capacity Strengthening Initiative grant program because it used race, color, and national origin to determine which applicants received funding. Because MDH has now ended the grant program, the Department is closing its review.
“Recipients of federal dollars cannot decide who benefits from those funds on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department appreciates that the State of Minnesota has recognized this foundational principle and has repealed the statute governing the program.”
The Capacity Strengthening Initiative grant program was purportedly established to help organizations serving “people of color.” The grant program limited eligible grantees to organizations that worked with “people of color,” provided “strategic consideration and g[a]ve priority” to proposals from organizations “led by populations of color,” and ensured that grant funds were prioritized and awarded to organizations that were within counties that had a higher proportion of “Black or African American” and “nonwhite Latino(a)” communities. After the Department notified MDH of the compliance review, Minnesota repealed the Capacity Strengthening Initiative grant program’s enabling statute and MDH confirmed the program had ended.
Title VI prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination by recipients of Federal financial assistance, including the Minnesota Department of Health. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Jury Convicts Chicago Resident of Drug Trafficking and Firearm Crimes While in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A federal jury in St. George returned a guilty verdict against a Chicago man after law enforcement found him in possession of cocaine and a firearm during a traffic stop.
Marcus Kentral Brown, 44, of Chicago, IL, was found guilty of possession of 500 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 13, 2021, Brown was pulled over by a Utah Highway Patrol Trooper. Brown, the driver and sole occupant of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, stated he was traveling back to Chicago from California. Brown claimed the Jeep was his and that he purchased the vehicle from a “friend” in February or March. During a consensual search of the vehicle, the UHP Trooper found air fresheners throughout the car and a hidden compartment in the rear cargo area. He also located and seized approximately $14,000 in cash. Inside the hidden compartment, the trooper located 10 packages of a controlled substance that later tested positive for cocaine, and a loaded Glock pistol. The total weight of the cocaine was 25 pounds
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen in courtroom 2B at the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470.
The case is being investigated by the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Assistant United States Attorneys Brady Wilson and Christopher Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Jamaican National Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Sweepstakes Fraud Scheme Targeting the ElderlyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Adrian Lawrence, also known as “Mastermind,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 66 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud elderly United States citizens. In addition to the prison term, Lawrence was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5.4 million. Lawrence was arrested in Jamaica, and was extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty in December 2023.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS), and Joel D. Weaver, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Southeast Field Division (TIGTA), announced the sentence.
“Today’s sentence punishes Lawrence for targeting dozens of vulnerable senior citizens, who were manipulated into believing they had won an official sweepstakes prize, in order to line his pockets with their hard-earned savings,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “It will always be a priority of our Office to aggressively investigate elder fraud and hold responsible those who shamefully exploit our seniors for personal gain.”
"Adrian Lawrence defrauded at least 50 elderly victims of more than $5.4 million through manipulation and deceit. May today's sentencing highlight the FBI's commitment to holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable Americans out of greed," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“Individuals who financially and emotionally exploit the elderly need to be held accountable. The United States Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting the public and collaborating with other law enforcement agencies in combating schemes that target vulnerable victims. We encourage all USPS customers to be cautious, speak to loved ones about financial scams, and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward.
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration takes all investigations into Internal Revenue Service impersonation scams targeting elderly United States citizens seriously," stated TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Weaver. “We would like to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecuting such egregious acts in this case."
As set forth in court filings and on the record at sentencing, for more than six and a half years—between October 2013 and April 2020—Lawrence and his co-conspirators located in Jamaica and elsewhere outside the United States, carried out a scheme to defraud elderly U.S. citizens (the Victims). They used the telephone and email to falsely inform the Victims that they had won sweepstakes contests that were sponsored by Publishers Clearing House. Lawrence and his co-conspirators instructed the Victims that to facilitate the release of their purported prize money, the Victims first needed to wire money, mail checks, or send cash to bank accounts controlled by Lawrence to cover the purported taxes and fees. The Victims were led to believe that once these funds were wired or otherwise received by the defendant and others, their prizes would be released to them. In reality, Lawrence knew that the Victims had won no sweepstakes prizes and owed no fees. At least 50 victims, whose average age was approximately 82 years old, sent more than $5.6 million to Lawrence and his co-conspirators.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin McTague is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ADRIAN LAWRENCE (also known as “Mastermind”)
Age: 34
Kingston, JamaicaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-159 (JMA)
International Crackdown on India-Based Organized Crime Gangs Results in 24 Arrests in U.S., Canada, and EuropeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and Europe have arrested 24 defendants – 11 of them in California – connected to three India-based transnational organized crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including the assassination in Canada in 2023 of a prominent Indian political and religious figure, the Justice Department announced today.
Today’s law enforcement action – “Operation Hard Ball” – is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora.
In total, 37 defendants – including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India – are charged across three indictments unsealed today. Those arrested in the United States – 11 in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia – are expected to make their initial appearances today in federal court.
Three defendants have been arrested in Canada, one defendant was arrested in Spain, and seven defendants already were in custody prior to today’s law enforcement operation.
Law enforcement is looking for 10 fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
As part of this investigation, law enforcement has seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin along with $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms. A total of 23 search warrants have been executed in the Sacramento area and 11 warrants have been executed in the Los Angeles area.
“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs.”
“Today’s coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organizations that have terrorized families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the U.S. and abroad,” said Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “We, alongside our partners, remain steadfast in our commitment to identifying these violent organizations, disrupting their activities, and ensuring they face the justice they deserve.”
“The true measure of this operation isn’t found in the arrests or the seizures alone,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. “It’s found in what they represent: a united commitment between the LAPD and our federal and international partners to relentlessly pursue those who threaten our communities. Together, we are dismantling organized crime, removing dangerous offenders from our streets, and making Los Angeles a safer city.”
“The most effective way to combat transnational crime is for multiple law enforcement partners to team up and target criminals where they operate,” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme. “Together, we disrupted the operations of organized criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States. We won’t pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done – we’ll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world.”
United States v. Bishnoi, et al.
Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, of Punjab, India, a gangster long imprisoned in India, was a self-styled university student leader before tiring of politics and turning himself and his followers to crime, according to a nine-count indictment that a federal grand jury returned on July 1.
In public, Bishnoi projected an image of himself as a “patriot,” “nationalist,” and deeply religious individual through social media posts and interviews with news organizations and used this public image to recruit members and associates to his crime syndicate in India, the United States, and elsewhere.
In private, Bishnoi presided over a sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents. Using contraband cellphones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell, Bishnoi personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes committed by members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide.
The Canadian government in September 2025 designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity.
To help manage the enterprise’s day-to-day operations, Bishnoi delegated control to trusted lieutenants and regional leaders of the enterprise. These lieutenants and regional leaders included Satinderjeet Singh, 32, a.k.a. “Goldy Brar”, of Punjab, India, the North American leader of the Bishnoi enterprise, Rohit Godara, 37, of Rajasthan, India, the European leader of the Bishnoi enterprise, and Sukhraj Singh Kang, 58, of Punjab, India. According to the indictment, both Brar and Godara effectively spoke for Bishnoi and helped direct the actions of members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide, including acts of violence committed by the gang’s members and associates in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.
This criminal gang engaged in violent activity in each country in which it operated, including the United States, and used violence to cultivate a climate of fear, in particular in India and among Indian diaspora communities worldwide. The gang exploited this fear to extort its victims, hyping their violence and criminality through online videos and internet posts.
Among the crimes alleged in the indictment is the assassination of a prominent political and religious leader – identified in court documents as “H.S.N.” – from India’s Punjab state and who was living in Canada at the time of his death. Bishnoi and Brar are charged with ordering this assassination, which occurred when two gunmen shot and killed H.S.N. as he left a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.
According to the indictment, the enterprise routinely targeted prominent religious, social, and political leaders with violence, and used these high-profile acts to terrorize and extort members of the community. For instance, in November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a separate shooting that occurred at the Vancouver, Canada residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer, and warned in the Punjabi language in a Facebook post, “no one can save you from us.”
Bishnoi, Brar, Godara, and others extorted victims via WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging applications by threatening violence against the victims or the victims’ families. For example, Bishnoi, Brar, Godara, and other defendants attempted to extort victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, demanding in December 2025 and January 2026 that the latter victim make a $5 million payment.
In addition to these extortion schemes, the Bishnoi enterprise helped fund its activities through international drug trafficking and stealing drug shipments from rival gangs. For example, in November 2024, Bishnoi and Brar oversaw the transportation of 49 kilograms (108 pounds) of cocaine that was intercepted in Redlands and was intended for shipment via long-haul semi-trucks from the U.S. to Canada.
From March 2024 to July 2025, the Bishnoi enterprise stole a total of approximately 520 kilograms (1,146.4 pounds) of cocaine in the greater Los Angeles area from rival drug trafficking gangs.
The indictment charges Bishnoi, Brar, Godara, and six other defendants with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion (Hobbs Act), six counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely cocaine and methamphetamine.
United States v. Bhagwanpuria, et al.
A seven-count federal grand jury indictment returned June 25 charges 17 defendants with operating a criminal enterprise that engaged in murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortions, weapons trafficking, and other crimes around the world, including in the United States and Canada.
Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, of Punjab, India, a gangster imprisoned in India, is an associate-turned-rival of Bishnoi, and founded his own criminal enterprise in India’s Punjab state.
The Bhagwanpuria gang operates as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This group includes more than 1,000 members and associates worldwide, and more than 100 members and associates in the United States.
To expand its power, this group corrupted law enforcement officers in India and partnered with corrupt government officials, including to assist in extortion schemes. It also provided false information to law enforcement officers in India regarding alleged crimes. The Bhagwanpuria group used this false information to target perceived rivals and individuals that members or associates believed were cooperating with law enforcement, often triggering baseless criminal proceedings and extortion plots by corrupt Indian law enforcement officers against perceived rivals.
According to the indictment, in April 2026, Gurlal Singh, 22, of Stockton, California, a member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate who is an illegal alien from India, threatened a victim and then provided the victim’s name to a corrupt law enforcement officer in India’s Punjab state. This ultimately led to the victim, the victim’s father, and the victim’s sister being falsely accused of the January 2026 murder of a victim in India identified in court documents as “B.S.” It also led to the corrupt law enforcement officer in India extorting the victim and the victim’s father in connection with that pending murder case. A separate member of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate, Gurdev Singh, 26, is alleged to have attempted to extort a family living in the Midwest while he was being held in ICE custody, including by threatening to “put [] bullets in your kids.”
The group funded its activities through drug trafficking, including through drug transportation sub-networks in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, as well as through illegal firearms dealing.
Garinder Deo, 40, a.k.a. “Doctor, “Rocket,” and “Ritz Carlton,” of Vancouver, Canada, though not charged as a member or associate of this criminal group, allegedly helped enrich the group by purchasing bulk quantities of cocaine and heroin that were to be shipped from Southern California to the eastern United States with the assistance of members and associates of the Bhagwanpuria enterprise. This included the attempted shipment in June 2025 of 99.2 kilograms (218.7 pounds) of cocaine and one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin that law enforcement ultimately intercepted.
The indictment charges one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of distribution of cocaine, one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, and one count of possession of a machine gun.
United States v. Dhanda, et al.
Ravinder Singh Dhanda, 57, a.k.a. “Randy,” “Rolex,” and “John Wick,” of Vancouver, Canada, Jaskarn Baghri, 50, a.k.a. “Baba,” of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Gurtej Singh Smagh, 43, a.k.a. “Simba,” of Creston, British Columbia, Canada, and eight other defendants are charged in an eight-count indictment returned June 23 alleging they transported, smuggled, and distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine each week from the U.S. into Canda.
According to the indictment, Dhanda operated a drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. He negotiated transportation rates and logistics with these DTOs and subcontracted the storage and transportation of these drugs.
The cocaine and methamphetamine were concealed and transported on long-haul semi-trucks from the greater Los Angeles area – including Los Angeles, West Covina, Ontario, Fontana, and Perris – to the U.S.-Canada border. Sometimes, farm trucks from working farms were used to hide the narcotics en route to Canada.
The indictment specifically alleges the shipment of 430.1 kilograms (948.2 pounds) of cocaine from July 2023 to November 2024.
The indictment charges one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances, one count of operating a continuing criminal enterprise, and five counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, many of the defendants would face a mandatory minimum prison sentence between 10 years in federal prison and life imprisonment, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The FBI; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); and United States Customs and Border Protection’s Buffalo Field Office are investigating these matters. RCMP is conducting a parallel investigation into South Asian organized crime.
Assistance was provided by Unidad Central Operativa de la Guardia Civil (Spain); Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles; the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Division; the Regional Narcotics Suppression Program, a specialized multi-agency task force that targets high-level drug trafficking and money laundering organizations operating in Southern California and managed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Brownsburg (Indiana) Police Department; the Pennsylvania State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division; the FBI’s field offices in Buffalo, Sacramento, and San Francisco; and the FBI’s Legal Attaché offices in New Delhi, Mexico City, Madrid, and Ottawa.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.
Assistant United States Attorney Declan T. Conroy of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting these cases.
Individuals Sentenced to 35 and 25 Years in Prison for Firearms Violations and Double MurderRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States District Court Judge Pedro A. Delgado-Hernández sentenced two defendants, Sean Díaz-De León and Juan Carlos Pagán-Bonilla, charged with the murder of two transgender women in April 2020 in Humacao, PR. The defendants were arrested on May 4, 2020, indicted on May 13, 2020, and pleaded guilty in October and December 2025.
According to court documents, on June 30, 2026, defendant Sean Díaz-De León was sentenced to 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release for carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence which resulted in the murder of L.P.S. and S.A.V.R., two transgender women. On December 4, 2025, Díaz-De León pleaded guilty to shooting and killing both victims and disposing of their bodies with co-defendant Pagán-Bonilla. On May 22, 2026, Juan Carlos Pagán-Bonilla was sentence to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which resulted in the double murder of the transgender women. Pagán-Bonilla pleaded guilty on October 20, 2025.
On April 21, 2020, Sean Díaz-De León and Juan Carlos Pagán-Bonilla agreed and planned to meet on a double date with L.P.S. and S.A.V.R. at L.P.S.’s residence in the municipality of Las Piedras. The defendants and the victims socialized, smoked marihuana, made small talk, and got to know each other. L.P.S. recorded a short video showing all their faces that she published online on the Snapchat social media application. At some point, Díaz-DeLeón and L.P.S. moved to a different bedroom and had sexual relations. Afterwards L.P.S. admitted to Díaz-De León that she was transgender and Díaz-De León got angry.
Pagán-Bonilla and S.A.V.R. also had sexual relations. Subsequently, Díaz-De León told Pagán-Bonilla that S.A.V.R. was also transgender and that he wanted to kill both women because he felt like they tricked them into having sex without telling them that they were transgender. The victims tried to calm down the defendants and proposed that they get more marihuana to smoke and talk. The defendants however, decided to shoot the victims once they reached the highway. Díaz-De León shot and killed both victims. Both defendants, to conceal their crimes, filled the car with trash to make it more flammable and set the car on fire under a bridge in Barrio Mambiche Prieto in Humacao.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Carlos R. Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement. The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Contreras prosecuted the case.
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Indiana man pleads guilty to sex trafficking underage Montana girlRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – An Indiana man who traveled to Montana to have sex with a minor, and had explicit images of her on his phone, admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Brandon Cole Stoliby, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of transportation of child pornography. On the first charge, Stoliby faces 30 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $5,000 special assessment, and an additional $100 special assessment. On the second charge, Stoliby faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $35,000 special assessment, a $5,000 special assessment, and an additional $100 special assessment.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided at the change of plea and sentencing was set for Nov. 3, 2026. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Malloy will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Stoliby remained in custody pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Stoliby met a 15-year-old Montana girl through Snapchat, exchanged sexually explicit messages and photos with her, and then traveled from Indiana to Missoula with his wife and children to pick up the girl and take her back to his home in Indiana.
The incident began in March 2025 when Stoliby and the girl met over Snapchat. She presented herself as 18 and Stoliby quickly showed sexual interest in her, sending her explicit messages and persuading her to send him explicit images. Those images were later found on Stoliby’s phone when he was eventually arrested in Montana.
By April 2025, the two had made plans for Stoliby to travel to Montana to pick her up and move her back to Indiana. While traveling with his family, Stoliby and the girl made plans for her to sell explicit images of herself to help cover the costs of the trip and the move. He arrived in Missoula County on April 6, 2025, picked the girl up from her home and took her to Butte, where the two engaged in sexual intercourse.
From there, they headed to Rapid City, South Dakota, where they were located by law enforcement and the girl was removed from Stoliby’s custody. Authorities also told Stoliby that the girl was 15. After contact with law enforcement, Stoliby again met up with the girl a day later and they resumed their trip to Indiana. This time, the girl’s guardians texted the girl and demanded she return.
Stoliby drove back to Montana and stayed the night in Billings, where he and his wife attempted to engage the girl in sexual activity. The next day they returned the girl to her guardians, who traveled back to Missoula County with her. However, Stolibly returned to Missoula County to pick her up again that night, without the knowledge of her guardians. They again left for Indiana but were stopped this time in Powder River County. The girl was once again returned to her guardians. Stoliby was later arrested and admitted in interviews with law enforcement to exchanging sexually explicit images with the girl, engaging in a sexual relationship with her, and keeping explicit photos she had sent him.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. The Missoula County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Illegal alien faces lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: An illegal alien in possession of a firearm has been sentenced to prison in federal district court.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker, and announced by Margaret E. ‘Meg’ Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Alan Castro-Hernandez, 27, of Garden City, was sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by immediate deportation after pleading guilty to two counts of being an Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm.
There is no parole in the federal system.
In March 2025, Chatham County Police responded to a shooting at the Emperors Gentlemen’s Club, finding a wounded victim along with 9 mm casings at the scene. During the investigation, using surveillance video, investigators identified the suspects’ vehicle and physical description.
Investigators searched Castro-Hernandez’s residence and found the Glock Model 48, 9 mm pistol used in the shooting. Several additional firearms were recovered during the search.
“This defendant knew his actions were illegal, and the community is safer after the conclusion of this case,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “The teamwork and investigative skills of our law enforcement partners, including Chatham County Police Detectives Randall Noble and Jon Puhala, ensured this illegal alien would face justice.”
Castro-Hernandez admitted to officers that he possessed the firearm and shot someone the night he was at the establishment. Castro-Hernandez also admitted to knowingly being illegally in the United States.
"When individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms choose to arm themselves and commit acts of violence, they put innocent lives at risk,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Waller. “ATF will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate firearms offenses, remove illegal firearms from our communities, and ensure violent offenders are brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Chatham County Police Department and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant United States Attorneys Kelsey L. Scanlon, Michael Spitulnik and J. Bishop Ravenel.
Illegal Alien with 11 Prior Deportations and Multiple Felony Convictions Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced today by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to 13 months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed from the country on three prior occasions. The government recommended a sentence of 13 months and one day imprisonment.
According to court documents and statements made during court proceedings, on December 27, 2025, Ulian Ohye-Michiko was found in the United States after being arrested by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for child abuse or neglect, domestic battery, false statement to or obstruct public officer, driving without a driver's license, driving under the influence, and operator - proof of insurance required.
Ohye-Michiko has four prior felony convictions: Aggravated Assault- Law Enforcement Officer, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and two for illegally returning to the United States after a removal. This is his third conviction for illegally reentering the United States.
Ohye-Michiko was previously deported to Mexico 11 times between 2008 and 2020.
Ohye-Michiko pleaded guilty to one count of Deported Alien Found in the United States. After serving his prison sentence, he will be deported to Mexico for a 12th time.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Acting Field Office Director Alejandro Almeida made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Hot Springs Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs, Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in Federal Prison to be followed by five years of Supervised Release for Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person - Felon. The Honorable Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court records, in July of 2024 law enforcement agent conducted undercover controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Markevin Duwayne Taylor, age 33. On August 5, 2024, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence, during which they located a large quantity of methamphetamine and a handgun. It was also determined that Taylor was a multiple time convicted felon.
On June 26, 2025, Taylor pleaded guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person - Felon. During Taylor’s sentencing hearing on July 6, 2026, the Court determined that Taylor was an Armed Career Criminal based on the number and type of Taylor’s prior felony convictions.
“Career criminals will not have safe harbor inside the Western District of Arkansas,” said United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes. “Our state, local and federal law enforcement partnership is strong, and we will work together to ensure that these dangerous offenders get the time in prison they deserve.”
“This investigation highlights our unyielding resolve to target drug traffickers who bring weapons and dangerous narcotics into our neighborhoods. Through Operation Take Back America, we will continue to deploy the full force of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from violent crime,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott, New Orleans Field Division.
“We are thankful for our relationship with the US Attorney’s Office,” said Hot Springs Police Chief Chris Chapmond. “The aggressive prosecution of these types of offenders sends a clear message to those that want to commit offenses that endanger our citizens.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan A. Achorn prosecuted the case for the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hot Springs Police Department investigated the case. The 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office also assisted with the prosecution and investigation of this matter.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Honduran woman sentenced for transporting a Mexican national illegally in the U.S.Read the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A woman from Honduras who was found guilty of illegally reentering the country and transporting a Mexican national was sentenced today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Yolanda Ernestina Soto-Antunez, 41, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2026 of being in the county illegally and transporting someone in the country illegally. Soto-Antunez was sentenced to time served (126 days) and remanded to the custody and control of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents and at trial that Soto-Antunez was illegally transporting a Mexican national in the U.S. and that she had illegally reentered the country in 2016.
A Phillips County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over Soto-Antunez on March 6, 2026, on Highway 2 near Malta for speeding. The deputy eventually requested translation help from two U.S. Border Patrol agents after he struggled to understand Soto-Antunez’s broken English. Law enforcement learned Soto-Antunez was in the county illegally from Honduras and the passenger in her car was in the country illegally from Mexico.
Through the course of their investigation, agents found $18,000 in a duffle bag that belonged to her passenger. He told agents he was traveling to Washington to borrow an additional $12,000 from a cousin for a total of $30,000 to pay for his sister to be transported illegally into the U.S.
Agents also learned Soto-Antunez had been previously deported from the U.S. in June 2012 and had reentered the country illegally in August 2016.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Phillip’s County Sheriff’s Office.
HSTF Investigation Leads to Lengthy Prison Sentence for Illegal Alien from Mexico Who Trafficked Methamphetamine Supplied by the Sinaloa CartelRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) has resulted in the conviction and sentencing of an illegal alien from Mexico who distributed hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine for a drug trafficking organization supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Anselmo Nava-Sanchez, 32, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. After serving his prison sentence, Nava-Sanchez will be removed from the United States.
“The Sinaloa Cartel depends on drug trafficking organizations operating inside our country to distribute deadly drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “This one illegal alien defendant trafficked almost 800 pounds of drugs for the organization. For that, he will serve almost 16 years in an American prison before being deported.”
According to filed documents and court proceedings, law enforcement identified Nava-Sanchez as a drug distributor for a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the course of the investigation, Nava-Sanchez was involved in the importation, manufacture, and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine. In August 2023, law enforcement intercepted Nava-Sanchez’s vehicle on his way from Georgia to North Carolina to make an arranged drug delivery. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement seized two large trash bags containing plastic bins with nearly 10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement also searched Nava-Sanchez’s residence where they found multiple coolers filled with more than 85 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, plastic tubs containing nearly 90 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, drug ledgers, digital scales, and items indicating that Nava-Sanchez was using his residence as a meth lab to convert liquid meth into crystal meth. Law enforcement also located a Buick SUV at the residence that had built-in trap compartments commonly used to avoid detection by law enforcement when transporting large quantities of drugs.
In total, during the investigation, Nava-Sanchez was responsible for trafficking more than 360 kilograms of methamphetamine for the DTO.
Nava-Sanchez will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.
This was an investigation led by the HSTF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
HSTF is an initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF CORE 23 (Charlotte) is comprised of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), United States Customers and Border Protection (CBP), United States ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the Naval Criminal investigative Service (NCIS), the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FIDC) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the North Carolina Insurance Bureau, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Raleigh Police Department, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, the Cary Police Department, the Nash Count Sheriff’s Office, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the Halifax County Sheriff’s office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, the Brunswick Count Sheriff’s Office, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department, the Nags Head Police Department, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS), the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), the Kannapolis Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Waxhaw Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, the Gastonia Police Department, the Huntersville Police Department, the Cornelius Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Pineville Police Department, the Stallings Police Department, the Kings Mountain Police Department, the Greensville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) International Airport Police Department, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the Anderson City Police Department, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston County Airport Police Department, the Charleston Police Department, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Summerville Police Department, the Greensboro Police Department, the Winston-Salem Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Alamance County Sheriff’s office, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, the Eden Police Department, the Piedmont Triad Internal Airport Police Department, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Districts of North and South Carolina.
Gun-Toting Drug Dealer Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Kevin Tyrone Eure, 37, to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to sell and selling cocaine and crack and possessing guns as a convicted felon and while selling crack.
Kevin Tyrone Eure, AKA “Boo Dro,” dealt drugs in the Craven County area. Law enforcement confirmed this by covertly purchasing cocaine and crack from him. They followed up by executing a search warrant at his home in Grifton. Investigators found crack packaging materials, digital scales, and vacuum sealed bags, that he used to package his drugs for sale. Investigators also located a bullet proof vest, over 37 pounds of ammunition, and 12 guns of various sizes throughout his home. He hid the guns in random spots around his home, including in the slot of a toaster and a Draco inside a dryer. When interviewed, Eure admitted to selling cocaine and crack for the past eight years throughout eastern North Carolina.
“Selling crack and cocaine is illegal. Stashing a bunch of guns in your house while slinging drugs makes the crime that much worse.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “It’s really easy to avoid this type of trouble: don’t sell drugs; don’t have guns if you are a felon. I hope he learns his lesson and doesn’t commit any more crimes when he eventually gets out of prison. He will have a long time to reconsider these bad choices. Drugs kill. Prison awaits. Do right.”
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. ATF, the North Carolina SBI, the Craven County Sherrif’s Office, and the New Bern Police Department investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-00007-FL.
Greece man arrested, charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars by filing false class action lawsuit claimsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Phillip Digennaro, 38 of Greece, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, Digennaro has filed false claims in multiple class action lawsuits in order to obtain payments from settlement funds that he was not otherwise entitled to receive. He used over 480 bank accounts at eight different financial institutions to perpetuate this scheme, including Synchrony Bank, Alliant Bank, Chase Bank, Key Bank, M&T Bank, PNC Bank, Discover Bank, and Barclays Bank, as well as Pay Pal. Between January 2022 and December 2025, Digennaro is accused of receiving approximately 27,052 payments totaling approximately $1,303,060.59 from approximately 107 different class action lawsuit settlements. Digennaro continued to transfer funds derived from the class action lawsuits between various accounts in his control until April 2026.
One example, Digennaro filed false claims in the Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Lawsuit, which was litigated in the Northern District of California. The lawsuit alleged that the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, Model Years 2014-2016, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco Diesel, model years 2014-2016, did not comply with federal and state emissions regulations and that Fiat Chrysler made misrepresentations to consumers regarding the vehicles. The defendants settled the Ecodiesel Class Action Lawsuit by making cash payments to class members ranging from $990 to $3,075. Between January 25, 2022, and May 19, 2023, Digennaro received nine payments totaling $27,060 from the lawsuit settlement fund. The investigation determined that Digennaro submitted at least five fraudulent driver’s licenses to support his fraudulent claims.
On May 21, 2026, law enforcement executed a federal seizure warrant and seized approximately $1,224,497.27 from accounts controlled by Digennaro. That same day, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence, seizing multiple checks that were issued from class action settlement funds and were payable to individuals other than Digennaro. During the search warrant, law enforcement also seized numerous electronic devices, which contained voluminous records of class action lawsuit filings, photoshopped documents with fake names, and a folder labeled “ready for claims” with subfolders for various class action lawsuits.
Digennaro made an initial appearance before U.S. District Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was released on conditions.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan K. McGuire and Melanie Bailey. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Fugitive Charged with Rape of a Child Returned from Guatemala to Face ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Federal agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation working with federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and in collaboration with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) recently returned Domingo Sunun to the United States to face state sexual assault charges including two counts of child rape and one count of aggravated rape, United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek announced today.
“Holding offenders accountable for offenses against children is among the highest priorities of this office and the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “When federal law enforcement and local partners work together with one goal, there is nowhere a fugitive can run that will be beyond the reach of the law.”
“Let this be a message to those who seek to victimize our youth: no matter where you run or where you hide, law enforcement will hunt you down and hold you accountable for your crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “There is no place in our community for those who prey on children, and we will do everything we can to not only seek justice for the victims, but to prevent additional child exploitation crimes. I commend FBI Nashville’s Violent Crimes Squad and our partners for their steadfast commitment to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.”
“Our Youth Services detectives are committed to seeking justice for innocent children against whom unthinkable acts have allegedly been committed,” said Metro Police Chief John Drake. “That can happen now that Domingo Sunun has been returned to Nashville from Guatemala. This is not the first time our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI have assisted in bringing a fugitive accused of serious crimes back to our city from another country. I am grateful to all for the years of work on this case.”
According to court documents, MNPD officers went to a residence on Gwynnwood Drive in Nashville in September 2021 to investigate allegations that Sunun had sexually assaulted his three nieces who were eight, ten, and twelve years old at the time. According to the victim statements, the sexual assaults occurred over a period of nearly three-and-a-half years. According to court documents, Sunun’s family members told investigators that Sunun abruptly packed all his belongings and left his Nashville residence after the initial police report was filed. State arrest warrants were obtained for Sunun charging him with aggravated rape and two counts of rape of a child. MNPD investigators then determined that Sunun had likely fled to Guatemala to avoid apprehension and prosecution.
In March 2022, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained an arrest warrant for the federal offense of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution and began working with international law enforcement partners to apprehend Sunun and return him to the United States. In December 2025, Sunun was apprehended in Guatemala and in March 2026, his extradition to the United States was granted by the government of Guatemala.
Upon his return to the United States, Sunun was transferred to state custody to face the child sexual abuse charges lodged against him in Davidson County General Sessions Court.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in collaboration with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked to obtain cooperation from the government of Guatemala to enable Sunun’s return to the United States. The Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting Sunun on the sexual abuse indictment. Assistant District Attorney Jeff George is the lead prosecutor on the sexual assault case and Administrative Assistant Ashley Mondelli assisted in the extradition of Sunun from Guatemala to the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Founder/CEO and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Sentenced to 72 Months and 24 Months, Respectively, for $90 Million Scheme to Distribute over 37 Million Pills of AdderallRead the Press Release
The founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruthia He of Done Global Inc., a California-based digital mental health company, was sentenced today to six years in prison and a fine of $1 million for orchestrating a scheme that used her company’s technology platform, compensation structure, and clinical protocols to unlawfully distribute over 37 million pills of Adderall, defraud insurers of over $12 million, and obstruct the federal investigation that followed. The defendant spent over $40 million on social media advertisements to deceive Americans into believing they had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), falsely diagnosing patients with ADHD, and distributing Adderall, including to patients who the company was warned were suffering from Adderall psychosis, bipolar, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions that were worsened by stimulant prescriptions. The goal of the conspiracy was to obtain an over $1 billion valuation by fueling user growth through a subscription for prescription business model whereby patients paid a monthly fee for prescriptions that were automatically refilled and obtained through a frictionless technology platform. Co-defendant David Brody, Done’s former clinical president, was separately sentenced to two years in prison a fine of $1 million.
“Ruthia He hid behind the cloak of medicine to deceive the public, defraud health care programs, and unlawfully deal highly addictive drugs to vulnerable patients,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Ruthia He’s business model cast aside medical necessity and patient care in favor of profit and greed. Today’s sentence is a clear warning to every digital health boardroom: if you build fraud or illegal drug distribution into your growth model, the Department of Justice will find you and bring you to justice.”
“Drug traffickers are driven by profits, not people,” said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian for the Northern District of California. “Whether they operate from a street corner or from a computer, the motive and the resulting harm are the same. These defendants made a choice to operate a telehealth platform that ignored medical necessity and as a result put patients at risk. Today’s sentences send an important message: Telehealth companies prescribing controlled substances must follow medical standards, prioritize patient safety, and comply with the law, and those who do not will be held responsible.”
“Today’s sentencing reflects the serious consequences of abusing the public’s trust and corrupting the nation’s controlled substance system for personal profit,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “The defendants used the convenience of telemedicine to facilitate the unlawful distribution of highly addictive stimulants, placing communities at risk and undermining legitimate patient care. Whether the scheme operates on a street corner or behind a computer screen, DEA and our partners will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who traffic in prescription drugs for criminal gain.”
“Today’s sentencing makes clear that people who use technology as a cover to push dangerous drugs and exploit federal health care programs will pay a heavy price,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of HHS‑OIG. “These defendants harmed patients, undermined clinicians, and stole taxpayer dollars. High‑tech fraud schemes are still just fraud, and HHS‑OIG will continue to work with our partners to pursue justice for victims and hold fraudsters accountable.”
According to court documents, defendants used a technology platform, management incentives, and clinical protocols that were designed together to corrupt medical decision-making at a national scale. Defendants sought to build a billion-dollar technology company and raise money from investors by advertising easy access to Adderall and other stimulants in exchange for payment of a monthly subscription fee:
Done Health adertisement.Other ads deceived Americans who suffered from other mental health conditions — or simply from inattentiveness due to aging or a lack of structure due to work-from-home policies — into thinking that they were suffering from ADHD, and that Adderall was the solution to their problems.
“When fraudsters steal from Medicare and Medicaid, they’re also stealing from the elderly, disabled, and low-income Americans who depend on these programs and from the taxpayers who fund them,” said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “But it’s never just about the money. The evidence prosecutors assembled in this case confirms what we’ve seen countless times before: that scammers who are willing to steal your money don’t mind stealing your health or even your life. CMS is proud to work alongside the Justice Department and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud to put criminals like He and Brody behind bars, where they can’t steal from hardworking taxpayers or harm vulnerable Americans anymore.”
Evidence at trial showed that the defendants used a combination of carrots and sticks to cause unnecessary prescriptions. The defendants refused to hire or fired Done clinicians who did not participate in the conspiracy, while paying up to $60,000 per month to clinicians who signed Adderall prescriptions every 30 seconds. The defendants pressured clinicians to diagnose ADHD in initial visits capped at half the length of a typical examination and pressured them to prescribe stimulants to patients who the clinicians did not believe had ADHD or who were at risk for serious side effects. The defendants also used an “auto-refill” platform technology feature after an initial diagnosis to minimize follow-up appointments, where prescribers signed prescriptions for Adderall based on an automatically generated message that a patient desired a refill. Because of these policies, some patients went years without seeing clinicians, who continually authorized refills even through involuntary psychiatric holds or after the patients had died. Brody himself personally wrote prescriptions for 394,324 Schedule II stimulant pills prescribed to 6,559 Done members who were complete strangers to him: he never evaluated them or even reviewed a single patient record. Brody even admitted that “it only [took him] 30 seconds per refill” prescription because he never checked patients’ medical records. As he told defendant He, his dream job at Done would allow him to make money “WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO SEE OR TALK TO THE PATIENT[s].”
“Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting American communities from the devastating impact of prescription drug abuse and corporate fraud,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “These defendants deliberately corrupted medical decision-making and flooded communities with over 40 million pills of Adderall, fueling addiction and worsening the prescription epidemic across the United States. “Their actions put vulnerable patients — including children — at risk. They ignored repeated warnings from clinicians and families, and prioritized profit over safety and health. This case demonstrates the critical role HSI plays in investigating and dismantling complex criminal enterprises that exploit technology and the health care system for profit. HSI remains steadfast in our mission to protect the public and ensure that those who endanger lives for personal gain face the full consequences of their actions.”
The evidence at trial showed that defendants were repeatedly warned by clinical leaders that they would face “legal consequences” for furthering illegal prescriptions, but they nevertheless persisted. He told providers and employees who raised concerns that she would buy an expensive luxury car for the “first person to get arrested.” Defendants also prohibited independent clinical practitioners from discharging patients, and patients continued to receive Adderall even after concerned family members repeatedly notified Done that their children were suffering from bipolar, Adderall-induced psychosis, or other mental health conditions that could be worsened by continued prescriptions. Three mothers testified at trial about their desperate efforts to warn Done that it should not be prescribing to their children, which Done ignored.
“When people put profit above the safety and well-being of others, they undermine trust in the systems we all rely on,” said Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr. of IRS-CI New York. “IRS-CI special agents are specially equipped to trace the complex financial trails left behind by those seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of patient care and public safety. We stand up for victims and remain vigilant, holding individuals accountable for brazen schemes that put lives at risk.”
Brody encouraged Done’s practitioners to disregard the widely accepted DSM-V criteria. Indeed, Brody described these addictive substances to Done employees as candy that Done providers handed out like Santa Claus. Brody acknowledged that Done’s practices were “on the edge” of the law, remarking that people who were “really into the law” were not his cup of tea. When one prescriber expressed concerns about the legality of Done’s prescribing practices, defendant Brody said that she should prescribe stimulants to patients “no matter what and not worry about going to jail.”
In order to ensure that members continued paying monthly subscription fees, He, Brody, and others conspired to defraud insurers so that Done members would be able to use insurance to pay for Adderall dispensed at pharmacies. He, Brody, and others submitted false and fraudulent prior authorization requests to insurers, which claimed that Done followed the DSM-5 in diagnosing ADHD, utilized urine drug screens, and falsely claimed that non-stimulants had previously been tried without success. As a result, Medicare, Medicaid, and the commercial insurers paid in excess of approximately $12.3 million.
In 2022, faced with scrutiny from the media, He and Brody lied about Done’s policies. When national pharmacy chains began blocking Done prescriptions due to safety concerns, the defendants falsely claimed to have robust compliance measures to ensure the pills kept flowing. Internal documents showed that defendant He ultimately created a secondary entity, Mindful Mental Wellness, specifically to bypass pharmacy blocks and continue dispensing stimulants.
The Health Care Fraud Unit’s investigation reached beyond the individual clinicians writing the prescriptions to examine how corporate decisionmakers controlled its operations. To obstruct the government’s investigation, the evidence at trial showed that He moved operations to China to make personnel and evidence unavailable. After receipt of the grand jury subpoena issued to Done, He instructed Done employees to move to encrypted messaging applications, such as Signal and WhatsApp, to discuss sensitive company business, instead of using official company platforms that were being collected by Done’s attorneys for production to the government. He also turned on “disappearing messages” in her communications with Done colleagues, rendering it impossible to obtain such messages. He also personally deleted and directed employees to delete incriminatory documents and messages from the company servers. As the investigation closed in, He continued to move assets and company operations abroad. She researched non-extradition countries on her MacBook and saved a screenshot of the results:
Image of He's search for non-extradition countries. Chart of Done Global Advertising-Related Payments to China. Notification of He turning on disappearing messages.In Feb. 2023, agents intercepted He on her way to the airport, bound for a flight to Hong Kong. She surrendered her passport and was warned that leaving the country would result in arrest. Four months later, however, she secretly obtained a Chinese travel document that would allow her to travel to China — a fact she concealed from the court and law enforcement following her arrest and that ultimately led to her pretrial detention due to her risk of flight. He also set up a shell company — MakeBelieve Asia — and transferred millions of dollars to China.
In Nov. 2025, He and Brody were both convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, four counts of distribution of controlled substances, and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He was also convicted of one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
The DEA, HHS-OIG, HSI, and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Acting Health Care Fraud Unit Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Chief Emily Gurskis, and Trial Attorneys Arun Bodapati and Raymond Beckering III of the Justice Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Green for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case. The sentence is the first sentence announced since the creation of the West Coast Strike Force in the Northern District of California, District of Arizona, and District of Nevada.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Fraud Division’s Health Care Strike Force program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, CMS, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Former Texas Tech Professor Pleads Guilty to Running Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Note: As a courtesy to the public, a copy of the Factual Resume is attached.
An official copy of this court document can be obtained (irrespective of any markings that may indicate that the document was filed under seal or otherwise marked as not available for public dissemination) on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records website at https://pacer.uscourts.gov.A former Texas Tech marketing and supply chain professor pled guilty today for his leadership role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Daniel Taylor, 51, of Lubbock, Texas, was charged in February 2026 with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. On July 1, 2026, he pled guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. During the entire scope of the conspiracy, Taylor was employed as an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management at the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business. He admitted in court documents that his educational background and expertise in supply chain management helped to further or advance his fentanyl distribution network.“Taylor utilized his education and background in supply chain management to build and operate his own supply chain of dangerous narcotics in the Lubbock area, primarily dealing out of the Executive Inn,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “With his pink flamingo and ghost branding of fentanyl, he also drugged prostitutes to fuel his own sexual desires. I expect—and we will certainly be asking for—a severe prison sentence to hold him accountable for the harm he caused our community.”
“This defendant exploited the knowledge and credibility he gained as a university professor to build a fentanyl trafficking operation that put lives at risk throughout the Lubbock community,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker of the DEA Dallas Field Division. “DEA and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying and dismantling the criminal networks responsible for distributing fentanyl, and we will continue pursuing those who profit from this deadly poison.”
According to court documents, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Caprock High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force began investigating Taylor and others in June 2025, after receiving information that a Texas Tech professor named “Dan” was distributing fentanyl powder in Lubbock.
In January 2026, agents were conducting surveillance on Taylor when they observed him leave his residence with a female. They followed Taylor and the female as Taylor drove (them) to the Executive Inn in Lubbock. At the Executive Inn, Taylor and the female picked up a second female. Agents learned that, while this second female was in custody in September 2025, Taylor created an account through the jail electronic messaging system and used it to put money on her jail account and to arrange to pick her up upon her release from jail.
Shortly thereafter, agents obtained a court order to place a GPS tracking device on Taylor’s vehicle.
On January 12, 2026, agents and watched Taylor leave his residence and travel to a convenience store off Frankford Avenue. Inside the store, Taylor made contact with the female he previously picked up at the Executive Inn, who followed Taylor outside and entered Taylor’s vehicle for less than a minute before exiting and returning to her vehicle, some of which is depicted below:
Agents believed they had witnessed a narcotics transaction and conducted a traffic stop on the female’s vehicle. As a Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office deputy approached the vehicle, the occupants began telling the deputy that there was a male in the back seat experiencing a drug overdose. Paramedics arrived and transported the individual to the University Medical Center (UMC) hospital in Lubbock. The individual required endotracheal intubation and was intubated for approximately three days. The individual’s treating physician stated that he was experiencing imminent, life-threatening deterioration as a result of an opioid overdose.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Taylor had just distributed two different types of fentanyl powder to the female: white fentanyl powder, marketed as “ghost,” and a pink powder that the DEA laboratory determined to be a combination of fentanyl and bromazoloam, a benzodiazepine that was emergency scheduled by the DEA as a Schedule I controlled substance in March 2026. Taylor marketed the pink powder as “pink flamingo.” The individuals in the vehicle began consuming the drugs immediately after obtaining it from Taylor, causing the individual’s overdose.
On February 17, 2026, agents were conducting surveillance on Taylor when they observed another female leaving his house with fentanyl powder. Agents obtained a search warrant for Taylor’s residence, where the found a station containing a heat-sealer, multiple clear and pink plastic baggies, and a handwritten note describing the recipe for “flamingo,” which was indicated to be 60% “ghost” fentanyl powder and “8mg bromazoloam per point (appx. 2 Xanax bars). Inside a Pelican case, agents found numerous containers of suspected fentanyl powder, baggies with stickers of scissors on them containing a white powdery substance. Agents also located a pink container with several doses of Narcan. Flamingo-related paraphernalia, including small flamingo stickers, keychains, and pink envelopes. Inside the kitchen, agents found a sign with cartoon flamingos holding cocktails. Various items were seized during the execution of the search warrant, some of which are depicted below:The drugs were analyzed by the DEA laboratory and confirmed Taylor’s possession of various quantities of fentanyl, bromazoloam, cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine), methamphetamine, ketamine, and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
Inside Taylor’s home office, agents observed that his computer monitor displayed a photograph of a young adult female dressed in lingerie and posing on Taylor’s bed. Subsequent investigation revealed that Taylor was providing fentanyl powder to prostitutes in exchange for sex. Three different cooperating sources independently stated the following: that females would arrange to meet with Taylor at his residence through text messaging applications. Upon their arrival, Taylor would have a small quantity of fentanyl powder, and sometimes methamphetamine, out on his kitchen counter. The women would consume the narcotics and would then be directed to shower in Taylor’s bathroom, where he would often have a gift basket that included lingerie, a toothbrush, a razor, and perfume. The women would shower and put on the lingerie, and Taylor would often photograph the women in the lingerie before having sex with them. Taylor would then provide the women with additional fentanyl powder, and occasionally cocaine, methamphetamine, or MDMA, and they would leave.
In total, Taylor admitted to distributing fentanyl powder to three different prostitutes several times a week for at least two years, and that he had been selling “pink flamingo” fentanyl powder for approximately eight months. Taylor was told by the women that the ghost fentanyl powder was causing people to overdose. Taylor then started mixing ghost with bromazoloam and would mix the substances with water and red food coloring, which would turn the powder pink. Taylor chose to call and market the substance as “pink flamingo.” Taylor would put cartoon flamingo stickers on his product and conceal the narcotics inside different types of snack and candy packaging and would heat-seal the packages to make it look as though the packages had never been opened.
Taylor referred to the prostitutes as his “flamingo fam” and that he had a plan to purchase a house for himself and the prostitutes to all live together.
Confidential sources confirmed that several individuals had overdosed on fentanyl supplied by Taylor and had to be administered Narcan. On one occasion, a prostitute overdosed on fentanyl at Taylor’s house, and Taylor had to administer two doses of Narcan to revive her. In total, Taylor admitted to causing at least eight overdoses on fentanyl powder he had supplied. On one coconspirator’s phone, agents found a video taken in 2025 of an adult male appearing to suffer from a drug overdose. During the recording, the camera panned to drugs and drug paraphernalia on a table, including a clear plastic baggie with a flamingo sticker, as depicted below:Taylor remains in federal custody pending sentencing before United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix. The date for the sentencing hearing is currently pending. Taylor faces a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison and a $5,000,000 fine.
daniel_taylor_press_release_factual_resume_attachment.pdf
This investigation was a joint operation of the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This group is composed of agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.
Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison in Public Corruption SchemeRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Charles Wright, 61, of Wellford, the former sheriff of Spartanburg County, has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain’s Benevolence Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to SCSO deputies and their families during times of need, such as bereavement, financial difficulties, and traumatic line-of-duty events. Wright, in his capacity as sheriff, hired Amos Durham as the director of the Benevolence Fund. In that position, Durham was responsible for overseeing the fund. Wright then directed Durham to withdraw cash and right checks to Wright, which Wright used for his own personal enrichment and not for deputies and their families in need. When one employee’s family approached the Benevolence Fund for help covering hospice bills, they were turned away because the fund was empty. When another deputy asked for assistance with bills associated with a tree that fell on the deputy’s house, they were also turned away. Around the same time, Wright took more than $89,000 donated cash from the Benevolence Fund for his private use. Wright used for personal purchases and expenses, to include hotel rooms, food, and travel bills. Wright also charged more than $17,000 in personal expense on the county credit card, including for fitness programs, Apple products, online games, and streaming platform subscriptions.
Wright also employed and paid his cousin, Lawson Watson, at least $200,000 in taxpayer funds for a no-show job across a four-year period. In March 2005, Wright hired Watson as an employee of the SCSO. Watson received a full salary and benefits for work that he did not perform from at least January 2021 through March 2025. Wright knew that his cousin was not working and he allowed Watson to continue to fraudulently receive a paycheck and benefits for work that he did not perform. Wright further provided his cousin the use of a county vehicle and county phone for the cousin to use at a private job.
Wright also obtained controlled substances under false pretenses. Wright repeatedly obtained oxycodone and hydrocodone pills fraudulently by misleading numerous employees and members of the public, seeking them out to turn over prescription pills over to Wright for what he claimed was part of the SCSO “take back” narcotic disposal program. In truth, Wright obtained the narcotics for his own personal use. He targeted many at SCSO and in his community who were suffering loss and medical hardship—including at funerals, at church, and following surgery—whom he knew would have pills. Wright, while in uniform, badge on chest and service weapon on his hip, purchased drugs from a street-level pill dealer on several occasions in the SCSO parking lot.“Wright’s abuses represent a grave violation of public trust. He let down the people who elected him to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate public corruption and hold those who abuse their positions of power accountable.”
“Today’s sentencing reaffirms that honor and integrity remain core traits of wearing a law enforcement badge,” said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Kevin Moore. “There is a real cost for tarnishing the badge and the trust it represents, and former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright will now face that consequence. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure elected officials are held accountable for crimes—especially when their actions erode the public’s trust.”
“My office was proud to partner with law enforcement at SLED and the FBI who investigated this matter as well as our counterparts at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute this case and ensure that justice was done,” stated 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black. “Public trust in our institutions cannot be undermined, and today’s sentence should send a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated.”Chief United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Wright to 41 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Wright’s two co-defendants, Amos Durham and Lawson Watson, are scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, July 9.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lothrop Morris and Criminal Chief Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.###
Former San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to Federal Prison for Excessive Force and Cover-UpRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Former San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah Manuyag Flores was sentenced in federal court today to 57 months in prison for violating the civil rights of a pretrial detainee by using excessive force that caused a spinal injury, then lying in a report to cover up his illegal conduct.
“When a law enforcement officer abuses his authority and violates someone’s constitutional rights, there will be serious consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
“Upholding civil rights is fundamental to the mission of every law enforcement agency. When an officer violates that oath, equal accountability is essential to maintaining the public’s trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “Today’s sentence reflects the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate such matters and ensure those who abuse their authority face appropriate consequences.”
After a weeklong trial in December 2025, it took a jury just two hours to convict Flores of both counts filed against him, including Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law and Falsification of Records in a Federal Investigation.
The jury found that Flores violated the civil rights of the victim, identified by the initials J.P., by unnecessarily shoving him from behind while his legs were shackled and his hands were cross-chained at his waist, causing J.P. to fly across his holding cell, slam headfirst into the far wall, and collapse to the ground with what was later determined to be a fracture of his spinal column.
Flores did not provide J.P. with medical aid and failed to report his use of excessive force to a supervisor, both of which are required by the Sheriff’s Department’s Use of Force Policy. As a result, J.P. lay on the floor of his cell next to a pool of his own blood for over two hours before his injuries were discovered by another deputy. When Flores then was directed to write an Inmate Status Report about his earlier interaction with J.P., he included multiple false statements, including “no force was used.”
In advocating for a lengthy prison term, Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Askins argued: “The power disparity between the defendant who was in complete control and [J.P.] who couldn’t do anything to protect himself was as wide as the ocean. The defendant’s only job was to walk with him.” Askins continued: “There was no escalation here. There was no resistance here. The defendant didn’t have to use any force at all. All he had to do was to keep walking.”
Before pronouncing sentence, U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez noted that the public does not get to see what goes on inside jail facilities and relies on law enforcement officers to “do the right thing.” She discussed at length that Flores not only used excessive force but then told another deputy “nothing happened” and repeatedly ignored multiple opportunities in the two hours afterwards to help the victim. Addressing Flores, Judge Lopez said: “What you do then matters.” In referencing a still-shot from a surveillance camera that showed Flores walking away from the victim’s cell smiling in the moments afterward, Judge Lopez said: “I don’t know how many years it’s going to be before I get that photo out of my mind. Your conduct was egregious.”
Flores, who had been free on bond, was ordered to report to prison by August 18, 2026. As a result of his convictions, Flores was terminated by the San Diego Sheriff’s Office and will not be able to work as a law enforcement officer at any level of government—local, state, or federal—in the future.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Askins and Michael Deshong.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr0254
Jeremiah Manuyag Flores Age: 45 La Jolla, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine
Falsification of Records in a Federal Investigation – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1519
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (Homicide Unit)
Former Phoenix Mariachi Instructor Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carlos Jobany Castaneda Lechuga, 38, of Laredo, Texas, pleaded guilty yesterday to five counts of Producing Child Pornography involving five minor age girls. Sentencing is scheduled for September 15, 2026, before United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa. Lechuga has been detained in federal custody since his arrest in December 2024.
During the change of plea hearing, Lechuga admitted that between 2013 and 2019, he taught mariachi music classes at a school and gave private music lessons at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. The victims were students who came to his home for private music lessons. During this period, when each of the girls was between the ages of 6 – 11 years old, Lechuga recorded videos and images that showed him undressing, touching, and exposing the girls’ nude genitalia to the camera. In December 2024, the FBI located five video recordings on the dark web showing two of the identified girls.
A conviction for Producing Child Pornography carries a minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years, and a possible $250,000 fine.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC coordinates federal, state, and local resources to investigate, prosecute, and rescue victims. For more investigation, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The FBI’s Phoenix Division and Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 25-CR-00025-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-120_Lechuga# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Former Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Laundering Millions of Dollars for Overseas ScammersRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Samuel D. Marcus, 33, of Oreland, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky yesterday to one count of concealment money laundering.
The defendant was charged by indictment in February, arising from his role as a money mule for a group of Nigeria-based scammers, in which he received, concealed, and laundered millions of dollars in fraud proceeds.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, after falling victim to a romance fraud scheme in late 2022 and early 2023, Marcus then knowingly served as a money mule for the same group of fraudsters that initially victimized him.
From approximately July 2023 to December 2025, while employed as a Logistics Specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, Marcus was in direct and regular contact with this group of Nigeria-based fraudsters, who operated under the aliases “Rachel Jude” and “Ned McMurray,” among others. These fraudsters engaged in a variety of wire fraud schemes that targeted victims based in the United States, including romance fraud, cyber fraud, tax fraud, financing fraud, and business email compromise schemes, to which victims lost millions of dollars.
The fraudsters employed a network of money mules in the United States to help launder the fraud proceeds, and instructed victims to transfer funds to financial accounts opened and operated by various money mules, including Marcus.
At the direction of fraudsters, Marcus and other money mules conducted a series of rapid financial transactions to convert fraud victim funds deposited into their accounts into cryptocurrency and to move those funds into foreign accounts. Marcus personally deposited and transferred millions of dollars of fraudulently obtained money into and through his personal and business accounts, while fully aware that “Rachel Jude” and “Ned McMurray” were scammers who carried out sophisticated fraud schemes.
Marcus also affirmatively misled and lied to his financial institutions and law enforcement officers about the laundered funds, to include sending fraudulent invoices to make the transactions appear legitimate. In fact, Marcus continued to work as a money mule for the fraudsters after being informed by FBI agents that the money passing through his accounts had been stolen from other people and that his monetary transfers were consistent with money laundering.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16 and faces a maximum possible term of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samuel S. Dalke.
Foreign National Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Conducting “Tech Support” Fraud Scheme That Victimized Senior Citizens in United StatesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A foreign national has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for conducting a “tech support” fraud scheme that victimized senior citizens in the United States.
While residing in his native India in 2020 and 2021, KARTIK SAINI and co-schemers falsely represented to individuals in the United States that they were tech support or security employees of large companies, such as Google, Apple, or Citibank. Saini or a co-schemer falsely informed the victims that their computers had been hacked and that their bank accounts had been compromised. Saini or a co-schemer then convinced the victims to transfer significant funds to various bank accounts, claiming the companies would safely hold the money while the purported cyber hack was investigated by law enforcement. In reality, those bank accounts were controlled by Saini and his co-schemers, who used the accounts to steal the victims’ money.
In addition to the tech support fraud, Saini also convinced some of his victims to transfer cryptocurrency or gift cards to him or his co-schemers. In all, Saini defrauded at least four victims with an intended loss of more than $1.2 million. One of the victims, a Chicago resident, suffered a loss of more than $746,000, which reflected a large portion of her retirement savings.
Saini, 33, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Aug. 26, 2024, where he arrived from India. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago in March 2026 to a wire fraud charge. On June 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced Saini to six years and a month in federal prison and ordered him to pay full restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Lucas Rothaar, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
“Defendant’s scheme caused significant financial loss and emotional trauma to victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Shih argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “A significant sentence of incarceration will send a message to those would-be participants in these types of schemes, including those located in India, that those who defraud American citizens from abroad will face a meaningful term of imprisonment.”
Florida Man Sentenced to over 12 Years for Multi-State Drug OperationRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Kerby Pata, 40, of Miramar Florida, to over 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine and conspiracy to possess with the intent to sell more than 50 grams of meth.
In August 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and DEA, along with multiple state law enforcement agencies including the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and the Nashville Police Department, learned Pata had sold pounds and pounds of cocaine throughout multiple states, including Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Pata shipped drugs from the west coast to the east coast and then up and down the eastern seaboard. As part of his scheme, Pata utilized numerous drug couriers, often referred to as “drug mules”, to transport and sell his product.
“Drug thugs like Pata can’t hide in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We will continue to leverage law enforcement partnerships and federal resources through the Homeland Security Task Force to clear the streets of deadly illegal drugs and the greedy criminals who profit from destroying our homes, families, and communities.”
In April 2022, the Virginia State Police caught Pata, with more than six pounds of cocaine in his car. The Virginia court released Pata pending trial. Six months later, Pata and Stacey Phillipe flew to California where they purchased more than 13 pounds of cocaine. Phillipe then drove a rental car with Pata’s cocaine from California towards North Carolina. Fortunately, the Arkansas State Police stopped Phillipe on the way.
Pata continued using his drug mules unabated. Simoneka Neal drove eight pounds of Pata’s cocaine in February 2023. Officers attempted to stop Neal, but she recklessly sped off, eventually crashing. Officers searched her car and found the cocaine.
In February 2023, Pata was arrested in Florida on federal charges, but the Florida court released him pending trial. He immediately returned to his criminal ways, selling drugs again.
In September 2025, Pata mailed more than ¾ of a pound of methamphetamine to Aaron Barner in Virginia from Florida. Pata told Barner to deliver the meth to an individual in Nash County, North Carolina. Law enforcement conducted surveillance, observed Barner’s drug transaction, and arrested him.
Pata had previously served time in a federal prison for Aggravated Identity Theft in 2012. Neal received 60 months and Barnes received 24 months in federal prison for their roles in Pata’s drug distribution organization.
“This investigation is another example of what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies work together toward a common mission. Partnerships make our communities safer and send a clear message to drug traffickers: there is no jurisdictional boundary that will protect you from our unified law enforcement efforts.” said Nashville Police Department Chief, Caleb Shockley.
“This case is a testament to what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies work together toward a common goal, said Nash County Sheriff, Keith Stone. “Let this serve as a clear message to those who choose to traffic dangerous narcotics: there is nowhere to hide. We will continue working together across jurisdictions and agencies to relentlessly disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into our communities because the safety of our citizens remains our highest priority. I am grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and tireless efforts of every investigator, agent, prosecutor, and officer involved in this investigation. Together, we are making our communities safer and sending a strong message that criminal activity will not be tolerated in Nash County."
“This sentence sends a strong message that individuals who traffic kilogram quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into our communities will be held accountable,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Working alongside our local law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate, prosecute, and dismantle those who threaten the safety and well-being of our communities.”
This prosecution is part of Operation Bandit of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. This investigation came from partnerships between DEA, HSI, Nash County Sherriff’s Office and Nashville Police Department.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-00278-FL.
Employee of Securities Filing Agent Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Insider TradingRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Justin Chen was sentenced by United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant to 27 months in prison for insider trading conspiracy. Chen was previously employed at an EDGAR filing company and was responsible for reviewing draft securities filings before they were filed on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR filing system. Chen misused material non-public information taken from his employer to trade in the securities of 13 publicly traded companies, making at least $2.38 million in profits. In addition to the custodial sentence, Judge Merchant ordered Chen to forfeit $1,828,442.00 in ill-gotten gains and pay $115,437.19 in restitution. A co-defendant, Jun Zhen, pleaded guilty in October 2025 for his role in the insider trading conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“Chen abused his position with his employer and misappropriated material non-public information to make millions,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This sentence sends the message to the public that we are watching and will aggressively prosecute those who exploit their access to private information for personal gain and undermine the integrity of economic markets.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for their significant assistance in the prosecution.
"Justin Chen leveraged his employee access to earn over two million dollars through trades made with non-public information of more than a dozen companies. The FBI continues to hold accountable those who attempt to establish an unfair financial advantage by undermining the integrity of our securities market," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As detailed in court filings and on the record statements, Chen was employed as an assistant manager at a company identified as “EDGAR Filer 1.” EDGAR Filer 1 is a filing agent that assists issuers of securities with submitting required disclosures to the SEC and the investing public through the SEC’s EDGAR filing system. Through his employment at EDGAR Filer 1, Chen had advance access to upcoming SEC filings for EDGAR Filer 1’s clients. These filings routinely included significant, market-moving information—material non-public information, including Form 8-K announcements about upcoming mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, asset sales, and quarterly earnings reports. As a part of his employment, Chen and his co-defendant Zhen, were responsible for reviewing draft securities filings and providing those filings to other EDGAR Filer 1 employees who would convert the filings to the format used by the SEC’s EDGAR filing system. Chen and Zhen used their advanced knowledge of upcoming securities filings, which would disclose material non-public information about, for example, partnerships, mergers, and planned acquisitions, to trade in 13 NASDAQ-listed companies, making a total profit of at least $2.38 million.
For instance, in the afternoon and evening on May 20, 2025, Chen and Zhen purchased approximately 186,275 shares of SigmaTron International, Inc. (ticker: SGMA), an Illinois-based provider of electronic manufacturing services. The next morning, on May 21, 2025, SGMA announced that it had entered into a merger agreement whereby SGMA would be acquired by Transom Capital Group, LLC at a 134% price premium over SGMA’s closing price per share on May 20, 2025. Following the announcement SGMA shares opened for trading on May 21, 2025 up approximately 127% from their closing price on May 20, 2025. Chen and Zhen sold all their shares in SGMA approximately a half-hour after the announcement, making a total profit of approximately $290,005.
Chen engaged in similar trading, sometimes within minutes of material announcements, in Ondas Holdings, Inc. (ticker: ONDS); Purple Innovation, Inc. (ticker: PRPL); Signing Day Sports, Inc. (ticker: SGN); Triller Group, Inc. (ticker: ILLR); ARB OIT Group Limited (ticker: ARBB); Asset Entities Inc. (ticker ASST); Rumble Inc. (ticker: RUM); Gryphon Digital Mining Inc. (ticker GRYP); New GenIVF Group Limited (ticker NIVF); Getty Images Holding (ticker: GETY); and Polyrizon Ltd. (ticker: PLRZ).
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nick M. Axelrod and Sara K. Winik are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Brendan King of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section who is handling forfeiture matters.
The Defendant:
JUSTIN CHEN (also known as “Jia Wei Chen”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkCo-Defendant Awaiting Sentencing:
JUN ZHEN
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-303 (OEM)