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30 June 2026
Braden H. Boucek Formally Invested as United States Attorney for the Middle District of TennesseeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE — Braden H. Boucek was formally invested as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee during an investiture ceremony held June 26, 2026, at the Soli Deo Center on the campus of Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville. The investiture marked the formal ceremonial recognition of Boucek's appointment as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Chief Judge William L. Campbell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee administered the oath of office. Judge Whitney Hermandorfer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, who administered Boucek's initial oath of office in December 2025, presided over the ceremony.
United States Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty delivered remarks recognizing Boucek's unanimous Senate confirmation and his record of public service. Blackburn noted that Boucek "was unanimously confirmed by the Senate late last year," adding that such confirmations "don't happen a lot in Washington, D.C." She also highlighted the Senate's desire for nominees with significant prosecutorial experience, strong professional reputations, and a commitment to faithfully enforcing federal law. Hagerty described the office of United States Attorney as "an incredible responsibility at a very auspicious time" and encouraged Boucek to faithfully uphold the rule of law.
Boucek's public service includes serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in both Nashville and Memphis, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Tennessee, and an Assistant District Attorney. Before his confirmation, he served as Vice President of Litigation at the Southeastern Legal Foundation.
In his remarks, Boucek reflected on the history of the Office of the United States Attorney, noting that it was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, predating the Department of Justice itself. He emphasized the enduring responsibility of identifying, defending, and faithfully enforcing federal law while safeguarding the constitutional rights guaranteed to every American.
"To take an oath to defend the Constitution is the honor of a lifetime, and one for which I will be unceasing in my gratitude," Boucek said.
Boucek pledged vigorous enforcement of federal law while exercising prosecutorial authority with restraint.
"The days of wholesale non-enforcement of categories of federal law are over," Boucek said. "Apart from enforcing the federal laws that protect your life, liberty, and property, we will stay out of your hair, your wallet, and your lives."
Boucek concluded by thanking his wife, Monica, and their children for their steadfast support and reaffirmed his commitment to the people of the Middle District of Tennessee.
"We will never stop fighting for you," Boucek said.
The ceremony was attended by members of the federal judiciary, former United States Attorneys for the Middle District of Tennessee, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, state and local officials, law enforcement leaders, members of the legal community, and Boucek's family and friends. The program included the presentation of the colors by the Music City Young Marines, an invocation by Pastor Tommy Vallejos, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Boucek's daughter, and a benediction by Pastor Todd Teller.
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Billings man sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking meth with a gunRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for selling meth, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also sentenced to five years for possessing a gun, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Dustin Lee Wolff, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of using a dangerous weapon in a drug crime. His sentences for the two crimes will run consecutively.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Wolff was selling meth in the Billings area.
The case began in spring 2025 when the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Billings Police Department Street Crimes Unit learned that Wolff was possibly involved in drug trafficking.
Billings police pulled over Wolff on May 5, 2025, after he made an illegal U-turn and initially refused to stop. Officers questioned Wolff and he admitted to selling meth. They searched his truck and found just under a pound of meth, a stolen 9mm Glock pistol, a Smith & Wesson .380 caliber pistol and $14,525 in cash, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales.
Nearly three weeks later, on May 22, 2025, Task Force agents watched Wolff sell drugs to a known drug addict. At this point, Wolff had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and so Task Force agents stopped and arrested him. In his truck, law enforcement found another pound of meth, a stolen 9mm Taurus pistol, a .223 caliber AR pistol, cash, and drug paraphernalia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
Bergen County Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County man who trafficked kilos of fentanyl from his family home was sentenced on June 26, 2026, to 210 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release before the Honorable U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler, in Newark federal court, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Plinio Junior Pineda Lopez, 35, Oakland, New Jersey was convicted following a four-day trial before Judge Chesler in Newark federal court of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 500 grams of cocaine.
“The defendant transformed his family home into a staging ground for fentanyl trafficking, prioritizing profit over public safety. Fentanyl already destroys families, and this defendant took that danger one step further by bringing it directly into a home with young children. This significant sentence holds him accountable for helping spread a drug responsible for unprecedented loss of life, and serves as a warning to others engaged in the fentanyl trade.”
– U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Plinio Junior Pineda Lopez’s sentencing marks a major victory in Homeland Security Investigations’ fight against the dangerous fentanyl threat,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “By dismantling this trafficking network, we and our partners removed cartel-level quantities of fentanyl from the streets and prevented countless overdoses. We remain committed to using every law enforcement tool and partnership available to stop those who endanger American lives.”
According to documents filed in this case and evidence at trial:
Lopez directed and conspired with others to distribute large quantities of fentanyl between Florida and New Jersey. Following an extensive investigation of Lopez’s drug activity in Jacksonville, Miami, and Bergen County, law enforcement arrested Lopez on July 11, 2023, in Wallington, New Jersey when he attempted to conduct a narcotics transaction involving over one kilogram of fentanyl. Following his arrest, and pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, law enforcement searched Lopez’s home and recovered an extensive quantity of fentanyl and cocaine that was hidden in air ducts and appliances throughout his home, where children were present. Through this investigation, law enforcement recovered a total of approximately nine kilograms of fentanyl and approximately one kilogram of cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas in Newark; HSI Miami, HSI Jacksonville, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Oakland Police Department, and the Westwood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Pontillo, with the investigation that led to the charges and conviction.
This investigation 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 government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg, Chief of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Thompson of the Organized Crime/Gang Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq.
Baxter Springs man sentenced for enticing minor to produce and send him child pornographyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN – A Kansas man was sentenced to 222 months in prison for enticing a minor to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Garrett Gayoso, 25, of Baxter Springs pleaded guilty to one count production of child pornography.
Gayoso met the 16- year-old minor online. Evidence shows the victim was quickly forthcoming with Gayoso about her age. Gayoso groomed and convinced the victim to engage in sexually explicit activity, produce visual depictions of the conduct, and then send him the images via text messages. Between August 2024 and April 2025, Gayoso exchanged text messages with the minor that contained over 100 CSAM images.
“The defendant in this case was a law enforcement officer at the time this crime occurred. It’s deeply troubling that someone who took an oath to protect and serve the public would turn out to be someone from whom our society needs protection,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Child predators are master manipulators. Children should be taught that any time someone directs them to keep secrets from trusted adults that is not someone with whom they should be communicating.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) investigated the case.
Project Safe Childhood
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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.Artesia Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Kidnap and Murdering a Woman in 2021Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Artesia man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a woman from an Artesia motel and murdering her at a remote site in Eddy County in 2021.
According to court documents, on February 26, 2021, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Jerrold Albert Chavarria, 37, and Jerry Romero, 47, kidnapped Jane Doe from the Budget Inn motel in Artesia, New Mexico. Video footage from the Budget Inn motel showed Romero escorting a sobbing Jane Doe into the back seat of a red SUV driven by Chavarria. Approximately one hour later, at 5:35 a.m., the video footage showed Romero and Chavarria returning to the Budget Inn motel without Jane Doe. At 10:21 a.m., Jane Doe’s lifeless body was discovered at a remote location on an oil lease approximately 11 miles from the Budget Inn motel. Jane Doe had been shot twenty-one times at close range with two different calibers of ammunition.
Chavarria pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and faces up to life in prison at sentencing.
Romero remains in custody pending trial, which is not currently scheduled.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Roswell Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo are prosecuting the case.
764 Member Charged with Plot to Kill Two FBI Special Agents and a Federal Prosecutor and to Steal Incriminating Evidence from FBIRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Aaron Corey, a.k.a. “Baggeth,” age 23, of Albany, New York, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with attempted murder for hire, solicitation of a crime of violence, and obstruction of justice, related to his attempts to hire a hit man kill the two FBI Special Agents and the Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) assigned to investigate and prosecute him in an unrelated federal criminal case.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division Craig Tremaroli made the announcement.
The complaint, which was unsealed today, alleges that Corey self-identifies as a member of the “764,” a criminal organization of Nihilistic Violent Extremists operating within the United States and abroad. Among other things, those involved with the 764 network methodically target vulnerable, underage populations by using social media to encourage the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The complaint further alleges that Corey, who is being detained pending trial on unrelated federal child pornography charges, sent multiple letters to another inmate asking for help to hire someone to steal from the FBI the electronic devices seized from him for use at his upcoming trial and to murder the two FBI agents and the AUSA assigned to that case. Specifically, Corey allegedly directed that the victims be kidnapped, injected with fentanyl, and then put through a woodchipper. When the AUSA assigned to Corey’s case left the U.S. Attorney’s Office to take another job, Corey allegedly updated his request and added to his hit list the name of the AUSA who took over the case.
According to the complaint, the inmate who received Corey’s letters sent them to his attorney, who informed the FBI, and at the FBI’s request the other inmate provided the phone number of an undercover law enforcement officer (the “UC”) to Corey. The complaint further alleges that Corey, believing the UC to be a real hit man, wrote a letter to the UC offering to pay $200 down and $5,000 total for his electronic devices to be stolen from the FBI and $500 down and $30,000 total for the two FBI agents and the recently assigned AUSA to be murdered, reiterating his desire for them to be put through a woodchipper, this time asking for a video recording. Corey allegedly spoke with the UC multiple times and arranged for his fiancée, who lives abroad, to send the requested down payments of $200 and $500 to the UC, which she did.
“I commend the quick work of the FBI in investigating and disrupting this alleged and depraved murder‑for‑hire scheme. Their swift actions brought an immediate end to this disturbing situation involving an Assistant United States Attorney in my office and two FBI Special Agents. We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Let me be clear: any attempt to obstruct justice or to harm federal law enforcement officials or federal prosecutors will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice. My office will continue to tirelessly prosecute all 764 members and other Nihilistic Violent Extremists, whose violent and anti‑social goals have no place in civilized society and will not be tolerated.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said, "As alleged in the criminal complaint, Mr. Corey ordered the gruesome murder of two FBI Special Agents and an Assistant United States Attorney. He quickly found out just how seriously the FBI takes threats of violence, especially those directed toward law enforcement. His alleged plot was a depraved effort to rid himself of the serious federal charge he was facing, but it only resulted in additional charges that, if convicted, will significantly extend his time in federal prison. This sadistic behavior is exactly why the FBI is deeply committed to relentlessly investigating the sick individuals in the dangerous 764 network that aim to spread violence and chaos in our society."Corey was arraigned on the new charges today in Albany, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart and will remain in pretrial detention. The charges in the complaint carry a combined maximum sentence of 50 years in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges pending against Corey in the underlying receipt of child pornography case and in the complaint described above are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent of all charges unless and until proven guilty.
FBI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry is prosecuting the case.
criminal_complaint_us_v_aaron_corey_ndny.pdf7 Charged in $550K SCDC Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a nine-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charging two people in a $550,000 bribery scheme involving an SCDC corrections officer and two SCDC inmates and their family members and acquaintances. Five others have waived indictment and agreed to plead guilty to their roles in the in the scheme.
The following individuals were charged in the Indictment:- Courtney Briggs, 39, of Sumter County, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Larry Williamson, 51, a former inmate incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, five counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of using an interstate facility to facilitate bribery, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of marijuana.
The following individuals were charged by Information and have agreed to plead guilty:
- Lowanda Atkinson, 52, of Kershaw County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Atkinson served as a corrections officer in SCDC and was assigned to Lee Correctional Institution.
- Jason Brown, 43, an SCDC inmate, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Adriana Conyers, 37, of Sumter County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Christopher Hickman, 46, of Richland County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Mary Ann Hickman-Brown, 64, of Clarendon County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
According to court documents, Lowanda Atkinson worked as a corrections officer at SCDC from 2007 until 2023. At the time of her resignation, she held the rank of Corporal and was assigned to the property room at Lee Correctional Institution (Lee), where she was entrusted to maintain inmate property, search the property for contraband, and enforce contraband laws and policy.
Atkinson is alleged to have accepted more than $550,000 in bribes from inmates Jason Brown and Williamson, and Jason Brown’s family and associates in exchange for smuggling contraband. Atkinson allegedly smuggled phones, phone accessories, tobacco, and marijuana into Lee so that Jason Brown and Williamson could sell and distribute the contraband to other inmates. Atkinson is alleged to have received a portion of the cash proceeds from the contraband sales and bribes through Cash App, Zelle, and Apple Cash. It is alleged that Atkinson spent the money on a luxury SUV, designer purchases, and thousands of dollars in cosmetic procedures.
Each of the defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Samantha Usher are prosecuting the case.
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.###
29 June 2026
Zuni Man Charged with Federal Assault After Violent AttackRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man has been charged in federal court after allegedly assaulting a victim with a sharp-edged weapon during a violent incident at a residence in Zuni, New Mexico.
According to court documents, on June 2, 2024, D’ante Kekoa Pooacha-Thomas, 30, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, allegedly assaulted an older male inside their shared residence in Zuni. During the assault, Pooacha-Thomas allegedly attacked the older male with a knife or box cutter, inflicting a severe wound to the male’s neck and additional cuts to his face, hands, forearms, and legs. When two other residents of the home intervened, Pooacha-Thomas allegedly struck one of them with a baseball bat. As the injured victim was being transported to a medical facility by one of the residents, Pooacha-Thomas allegedly stole one of their cars and followed them, attempting to run them off the road.
Pooacha-Thomas is charged with two felony crimes: Assault resulting in serious bodily injury and Assault with a dangerous weapon. He was released to La Pasada halfway house, where he will remain on strict conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Pooacha-Thomas faces up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Pueblo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Zuni Man Charged for Violent AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man is facing federal charges for allegedly attacking another man with a machete.
According to court documents, on March 26, 2026, an argument broke out between Ronnie Shack, 25, an enrolled member of the Zuni Tribe, and another individual at Shack’s residence in Zuni, New Mexico. As the victim left the residence, Shack allegedly followed him and attacked him with a machete, slashing his back and pursuing him down the street. Neighbors called 911 and the victim was transported to a local hospital before being transferred to a regional hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Shack is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault causing serious bodily injury in Indian country. He will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Shack faces up to 20 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Teleky is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Yonkers Man and Convicted Felon Found Guilty at Trial of Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that KWANE REYNOLDS was convicted of possessing ammunition after a felony conviction. REYNOLDS was found guilty following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas.
“Kwane Reynolds, who had previously been convicted of a felony, shot a victim in the stomach at point-blank range on a busy public street in the Bronx,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office is committed to prosecuting to the maximum extent of the law gun violence committed by violent felons.”
According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:
On December 30, 2024, on a public sidewalk in the Bronx in broad daylight, the defendant fired two shots at another individual (the “Victim”). The shooting was captured on surveillance video, which showed that, following a verbal dispute between the defendant and the Victim, REYNOLDS drew a firearm and shot the Victim in the stomach at close range. REYNOLDS then fled the scene on a bicycle. REYNOLDS has previously been convicted of a felony.
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REYNOLDS, 58, of Yonkers, New York, was convicted of knowingly possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Molis, Joe Zabel, and Jacob R. Fiddelman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Frank Mastroianni.
West Haven Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Role in Counterfeit Pill Manufacturing and Distribution OperationRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHAWN STEPHENS, 35, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 97 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his participation in the large-scale manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit pills containing synthetic opioids and other substances.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation led by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service targeting the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall tablets containing methamphetamine, protonitazene, dimethylpentylone, xylazine, and other substances. Protonitazene is a Schedule I synthetic opioid that is three times more potent than fentanyl.
In June 2023, law enforcement received information that Stephens’ co-conspirator, Kelldon Hinton, was using a pill press to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills containing controlled substances. Through the use of physical and electronic surveillance, the seizure and searches of parcels sent through the U.S. Mail and commercial delivery services, undercover purchases of counterfeit pills, trash pulls, and other investigative methods, investigators determined that Hinton, with the assistance of Stephens and others, was purchasing protonitazene, dimethypentalone, xylazine, other substances, and pill press parts from China and elsewhere, using tableting machines (“pill presses”) to manufacture counterfeit pills in a garage he rented in East Haven, marketing and selling the pills on the dark web, and mailing pills to customers around the U.S. In text messages, Hinton referred to the rented garage as his “lab.” Between February 2023 and February 2024, Hinton shipped more than 1,300 packages through the U.S. Mail. Hinton also distributed the counterfeit pills to associates in Connecticut, who sold them to their own customers.
Hinton, Stephens, and other co-conspirators were arrested on September 5, 2024. On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches of several locations, including the garage located on Tyler Street Extension in East Haven, which yielded approximately one million narcotic pills weighing nearly 100 kilograms, approximately 300 grams of cocaine, two large pill presses, pill manufacturing equipment, drug ledgers, and other items. One of the pill presses seized was capable of producing 100,000 pills per hour.
The investigation subsequently revealed that Hinton rented a unit at a storage facility in West Haven. On September 18, 2024, a court-authorized search of the storage unit revealed hundreds of thousands of additional narcotic pills weighing nearly 100 kilograms.
Stephens helped Hinton maintain both his garage lab and storage facility, and he mailed customer orders for Hinton.
On October 21, 2025, Stephens pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Stephens, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on July 30.
Hinton pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the DEA Chicago Cyber Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the East Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Konstantin Lantsman.
Violent Ecuadorian Illegal Alien Sentenced in Connection with Illegal Re-Entry ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – An Ecuadorian alien received a federal-prison term, today, for illegally re-entering the United States after her prior removal.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Vanessa Yalixa Munoz-Baque, 31, to six months in federal prison in connection with the re-entry charges after she was previously removed from the U.S. in August 2023. On November 3, 2023, Munoz-Baque illegally re-entered the U.S. again, and began residing in Frederick, Maryland. Law enforcement discovered her illegally present in the U.S. upon her arrest for attempted murder.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to court documents, on September 11, 2024, local law enforcement apprehended Munoz-Baque in Frederick. Authorities charged her with attempted murder and assault after she placed a knife to her victim’s neck and stabbed him in the leg. Then in March 2025, Munoz-Baque pled guilty to first-degree assault and received a 25-year sentence, with all but three years suspended.
Munoz-Baque was originally deported after law enforcement apprehended her at the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, in June 2023. Authorities subsequently charged Munoz-Baque with unlawfully attempting to enter the U.S. without inspection.
Law enforcement placed her in expedited removal proceedings, and an immigration judge ordered Munoz-Baque’s removal to Ecuador. After her removal, Munoz-Baque never obtained consent from the Attorney General of the United States, or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, for readmission into the country.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ICE-ERO for its work in this investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Medinger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Shea who prosecuted this 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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Vietnamese National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Commit Identity Theft in Connection with $67 Million Dollar Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that LE VAN HUNG, a/k/a “Hung Van Le,” a/k/a “Van Hung Le,” pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit identity theft based on his role in a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit, among others, a multinational media company headquartered in New York, New York (the “Media Company”). HUNG pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero on September 29, 2026.
“For nearly four years, Le Van Hung oversaw an operation that stole the identities of thousands of Americans for use in a sprawling money laundering conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s guilty plea, together with Hung’s agreement to forfeit $67,000,000 and make restitution to victims of this scheme, demonstrate the commitment of this Office to hold perpetrators of financial crimes accountable and to stand up for victims.”
According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
From at least in or about 2020, through in or about May 2024, HUNG, while working for the Vietnamese office of the Media Company, conspired with others to participate in a sprawling, transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Media Company and related entities. In order to further the money laundering scheme, HUNG exploited stolen personally identifiable information and documents of thousands of U.S. residents in order to, among other things, open and maintain financial accounts that were used to launder fraud proceeds. HUNG also recruited and managed various co-conspirators, including co-conspirators who worked with the Media Company’s “Make Money Online” team.
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HUNG, 31, of Vietnam, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. HUNG also agreed to forfeit at least $67 million, representing proceeds traceable to the offense, and separately to pay restitution up to $67 million.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkett, Rebecca T. Dell, Paul M. Monteleoni, Daniel C. Richenthal, and Amanda C. Weingarten are in charge of the prosecution.
Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office Prosecutes 60 Defendants for Crimes Related to Unlawful Border Crossings from CanadaRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – Over the last six weeks, unlawful crossing activity at Vermont’s international border with Canada has increased significantly, resulting in a substantial number of criminal prosecutions in the District of Vermont. Since May 22, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont has prosecuted 60 defendants for crimes related to unlawful border crossings. These 60 defendants were citizens and nationals of 20 different foreign countries including Angola, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Mauritania, Mexico, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom. Court proceedings required interpretation services for 12 different languages. Four of the defendants were charged with felony alien smuggling offenses. One defendant was charged with felony unlawful reentry after a prior removal. The remainder of the defendants were charged with misdemeanor illegal entry.
One of the alien smuggling cases occurred on June 11, 2026. According to court records, a minivan linked to prior smuggling activity was located by Border Patrol in Newport, Vermont. The minivan drove at a high rate of speed through streets in the City of Newport, eventually merging onto Interstate 91 southbound. Border Patrol successfully stopped the vehicle on Interstate 91. An immigration inspection revealed that the driver of the minivan was Eduardo Luis Frias-Urena, age 37, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, who has lawful permanent resident status in the United States. In the back seat, agents located Ion Tulceanu, age 31, a citizen of Romania. Tulceanu admitted he had flown from Romania to Poland, and then to Toronto, Canada, rode a bus to Montreal, and paid for a ride to the border, where he crossed the border on foot. On June 12, 2026, Tulceanu pleaded guilty to illegal entry and received a sentence of time served from United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Frias-Urena was charged by criminal complaint with transportation of an illegal alien and was ordered by Magistrate Judge Doyle to be released on conditions pending trial.
Another alien smuggling case occurred on June 20, 2026. According to court records, Border Patrol surveillance detected a crossing event on the border near Highgate, Vermont at approximately 4:00pm. Approximately 2.5 hours later, six people were found hiding in the woods off a rural road in the same vicinity. They were identified as Sidney Lauryn Parra Torres, age 24, a citizen of Colombia and a woman from the Congo with her four children aged 2 to 14 years old. Border Patrol later apprehended Maimouna Diakhate, age 24, of Senegal, at a residence in close proximity to where the others had been apprehended. A Toyota Prius that had been previously suspected of alien smuggling was located loitering in the area in proximity of the Highgate Port of Entry. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver identified as Oguzhan Yilmaz, age 25, a citizen of Türkiye, who was detained. Investigation revealed that Yilmaz had received Zelle payments from Parra Torres. On June 22, 2026, Diakhate pleaded guilty to illegal entry and received a sentence of time served from Magistrate Judge Doyle. Parra Torres was charged by criminal complaint with illegal entry and consented to detention pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. Yilmaz was charged by criminal complaint with attempted transportation of an illegal alien and was ordered by Magistrate Judge Doyle to be released on conditions pending trial.
One of the illegal entry cases involved an illegal entry through the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, Vermont by Maria Paz Gonzalez-Vidal, age 59, a citizen of Chile. According to court records, Gonzalez-Vidal purchased both a Canadian and an American ticket to a performance at the Haskell on June 13, 2026. While inside the Haskell, Gonzalez-Vidal changed clothing in an apparent attempt to facilitate her unlawful entry into the United States. Gonzalez-Vidal then exited the Haskell, and was apprehended on Main Street in Derby Line, Vermont. She pleaded guilty to illegal entry on June 15, 2026, and received a sentence of time served from Magistrate Judge Doyle.
Another case involved an illegal entry by Diego Alejandro Restrepo-Vergara, age 45, a citizen of Colombia. According to court records, Restrepo-Vergara flew from Panama City, Panama to Montreal, Canada on June 21. One June 22, he crossed the international border near the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, Vermont on foot, and was apprehended on June 23 in Newport, Vermont. At the time of his apprehension, Restrepo-Vergara had a valid American tourist visa, and could have lawfully entered at the Derby Line Port of Entry approximately 200 yards from the Haskell Free Library. Restrepo-Vergara pleaded guilty to illegal entry on June 24, 2026, and received a sentence of time served from Magistrate Judge Doyle.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that those pending trial are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Frias-Urena and Yilmaz face up to 5 years of imprisonment if convicted of alien smuggling. Parra Torres faces up to six months of imprisonment if convicted of illegal entry. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the diligent efforts of the United States Border Patrol Agents patrolling the northern border of Vermont. He added: “Securing our northern border with Canada remains a significant national security priority. Everyone crossing the border, including United States citizens, must do so at a designated port of entry. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize prosecution of those who unlawfully enter our country and those facilitating their unlawful entry.”
“Securing our border is a paramount national security priority, and I want to be unequivocally clear: the border is closed to illegal immigration”, stated Acting Chief Patrol Agent Richard Fortunato, Swanton Border Patrol Sector. “We are deeply grateful for the diligent efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont in prosecuting the 60 defendants involved in unlawful border crossings. Their commitment to upholding the rule of law is critical in our shared mission to protect our nation and deter those who seek to enter our country illegally.”
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Venezuelan Nationals Charged with Stealing More Than $500K in ATM “Jackpotting” SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that the following four individuals have been charged with federal offenses related to the theft of more than $500,000 in an ATM “jackpotting” scheme:
EUCLIDES MORENO ITANARE, 28, of Raleigh, North Carolina
WILLIAN RICARDO FLORES, 49, of the Bronx, New York
ALBERTO JOSE FREITES ARVILLA, 41, of Queens, New York
LUIS JOSE FREITES ARVILLA, 38, of Lynn, MassachusettsThe four defendants are citizens of Venezuela.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in August 2025, Itanare, Flores, Alberto Freites Arvilla, Luis Freites Arvilla, and others conspired to steal cash from at least nine ATM’s in Connecticut through what is known as a “jackpotting” scheme. Jackpotting often involves using specialized hardware and malware that forces an ATM to dispense its stored cash.
It is alleged that the defendants accessed ATMs in Milford and Ansonia, and at I-95 rest stops in Fairfield, Branford, Madison, and Darien. For each of the thefts, the pattern of behavior was similar. Surveillance video shows that while Luis Freites Arvilla acted as a lookout, Alberto Freites Arvilla opened the hood of the ATM, accessed the internal components of the ATM, and then left the area. Over the course of several hours, Luis Freites Arvilla, Itanare, and Flores then took turns withdrawing cash from the ATM. The defendants sometimes changed clothes in an attempt to avoid suspicion when approaching the same ATM multiple times.
It is alleged that the defendants stole $529,220 from eight ATMs between August 8 and August 18, 2025. They were prevented from stealing any money from the ATM in Ansonia due to a software patch that protected the ATM against this type of theft.
The four defendants were arrested on June 25, 2026, on federal criminal complaints charging each with interstate transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and with conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. They are currently detained.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police, the Raleigh (N.C.) Police Department, and the New York City Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel George.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of North Carolina for its assistance.
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 toward 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 New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Two Philadelphia Men Arrested on Child Sexual Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isaiah Banks, 30, and Bryan Jackson, 42, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with child pornography offenses.
Banks has been charged with manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography and Jackson with receipt of child pornography.
The criminal complaints allege that the defendants conspired and worked together to deceive a minor (“Minor 1”) into believing that he was communicating with an older girl, in order to induce Minor 1 into producing child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), which the defendants then shared with each other.
The complaints further allege that Banks and Jackson also deceived a second minor (“Minor 2”) into producing CSAM, under the guise that Banks would sell the videos to a girl for money, some of which would be shared with Minor 2.
If convicted, Banks faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years’ incarceration with a 15-year mandatory minimum term, and a minimum of five years up to a lifetime of supervised release. If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ incarceration with a five-year mandatory minimum term, and a minimum of five years up to a lifetime of supervised release.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Branwen McNabb O’Donnell.
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaints are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Two Corinth Pharmacists Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN, MS – U.S. Attorney Scott Leary announced today that two Corinth pharmacists have been sentenced for stealing almost $800,000.00 from the federal health care benefit programs Medicare and Medicaid. These prosecutions were part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Northern District of Mississippi, working in close collaboration with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
Ricky Wayne Quinn, 71, was a pharmacist and owner-operator of the “Medical Plaza at Alcorn, LLC” in Corinth, Mississippi. John Anthony “Andy’ Null, 56, was a pharmacist and long-time employee of Medical Plaza Pharmacy. Both pleaded guilty on an earlier date to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud. Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson sentenced Quinn to thirty months in prison and ordered both defendants to pay $786,972.10 in restitution to Medicare.
According to court documents, the defendants billed Medicare and Medicaid for the same single prescription drug product numerous times. These high reimbursement prescription drug products included, but not limited to, diabetic insulin pens, asthma inhalers and psychotropic medications. This investigation was a part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
U.S. Attorney Scott Leary said, “This administration has emphasized the investigation and prosecution of those who steal taxpayer dollars. Defrauding Medicare funds intended for sick Americans is just the type of crime the National Fraud Enforcement Division is calling on us to emphasize. We must remain diligent to ensure medical dollars go where intended.”
Attorney General of Mississippi Lynn Fitch’s office stated, “We are sending a clear message that here in Mississippi, we are committed to fighting waste, fraud, and corruption. We are grateful for such strong partners at the Office of the Inspector General and U.S. Attorney’s Office. Working together, we are ensuring justice is served on behalf of Mississippi taxpayers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs is prosecuting the case.
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.
Tulsa Couple Sentenced for Coercing a Minor Child into Having Sex and Recording ItRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa couple was sentenced for admitting to coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct while they recorded it, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Ryan Leon French, 47, and Lexie Renne French, 44. Ryan was sentenced for Production of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography and ordered to serve 365 months' imprisonment. Lexie was also sentenced for Production of Child Pornography and was ordered to serve 240 months' imprisonment. Upon their release, Ryan and Lexie will be required to register as sex offenders and will be supervised for life. They were separately ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
In March 2025, the FBI was contacted by the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) regarding a police report filed by Lexie French. She reported that her husband, Ryan French, was attempting to blackmail her. Lexie initially reported that Ryan forced her to use cocaine and perform “sexual acts” on minor children. When law enforcement and OKDHS began investigating the claims, Lexie began changing her story.
Two days later, law enforcement found Lexie and Ryan. Court documents show that Lexie and Ryan both admitted to persuading and coercing a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recording it. Ryan told law enforcement that he could view and save sexual acts that he told Lexie to perform through a home security system.
They will both remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon and Melody Nelson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal 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.
Tulare County Resident Sentenced 15 Years in Prison for Receipt of Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Boyce Isaiah Cervantez, 29, of Dinuba, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 15 years and eight months in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. Judge Thurston also ordered Cervantez to pay $25,000 in restitution to three victims whose images he possessed.
According to court documents, in March 2024 Cervantez received more than 600 images of children being sexually abused. Several of the images depicted prepubescent minors. Cervantez pleaded guilty on Feb. 17, 2026.
The Central California Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Three Illegal Alien MS-13 Members Convicted of Nine Murders, Kidnapping, and Racketeering Charges Following Homeland Security Task Force EffortRead the Press Release
Today, a federal jury in the District of Nevada convicted three men, Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, 30, also known as “Molesto,” of El Salvador; David Arturo Perez-Manchame, 27, also known as “Herbi,” of Honduras; and Joel Vargas-Escobar, 30, also known as “Momia,” of El Salvador, of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murders and attempted murder, as well as murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related gun offenses.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants were members of La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, a transnational criminal organization (TCO) composed largely of individuals of Salvadoran or other Central American descent. MS-13 members and associates are organized by subsets known as “cliques,” and each clique typically has one or more leaders, commonly referred to as “shot callers.” The defendants were members of the Parkview clique operating in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Prospective MS-13 members ordinarily must participate in the murder of rival gang members, known as “chavalas,” to gain entrance and maintain and increase position within MS-13. According to evidence presented at trial, Vargas-Escobar was the leader of the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas up until his arrest on New Year’s Eve of 2017. Reyes-Castillo then became the ranking “Homeboy” of the Parkview clique in Las Vegas. Perez-Manchame was a member of the Parkview clique. Collectively, these three men committed nine murders, over approximately a year, in Nevada and California. Evidence at trial was presented showing that many of the victims were kidnapped by MS-13 members and taken to remote locations in the mountains and desert where those victims were tortured and killed.
“Thanks to the tireless work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, these MS-13 members will be held accountable for the horrific violence they unleashed on U.S. communities during their year-long killing spree,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to us to dismantle MS-13 and other deadly transnational criminal organizations.”
“The depravity and complete devaluing of human life of these defendants, who were responsible for killing nine victims and shooting others, is beyond comprehension,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gangs like MS-13 terrorize communities with violence and killing. The Criminal Division will pursue these violent transnational criminal organizations in this exact way – charge these depraved gang members in bunches and try them for their brazen crimes in a way that highlights exactly what they do, which is systemically kill. These defendants will now face a sentencing hearing where, rightly, their liberty for the rest of their lives is at stake.”
“These convictions deliver a clear and uncompromising message: MS 13’s violence will be met with the full power of federal prosecution,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “These defendants carried out a campaign of terror marked by murders, kidnappings, and brutality. Their reign of violence ends today. The Las Vegas Homeland Security Task Force is unyielding in its mission — we will hunt down violent gang members, dismantle their networks, and drive transnational criminal organizations out of our communities. Southern Nevada will not be a refuge for predators or the terror they attempt to unleash.”
“This FBI has made wiping out violent gangs in America a top priority – including MS-13 — arresting over 2,500 violent gangs and criminal enterprises since last year, up 322%,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s conviction is just the latest example — with three MS-13 gang members convicted of nine murders, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and more in Las Vegas. These gangs have terrorized our communities for far too long, and under this administration and law enforcement team, they are no longer allowed to operate with impunity in America. This FBI will continue working with our partners across the country to dismantle their presence coast to coast.”
“Today's conviction underscores the unwavering commitment of FBI Las Vegas working alongside our federal and local partners in eradicating gang violence that endangers our communities through senseless crime, murder, and kidnapping,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “The FBI has recently initiated Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a nationwide campaign dedicated to combating violent crime during the summer. MS-13 gang members are known for acts of brutality, violence, and intimidation. Despite these threats, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our mission to protect our communities and eliminate this danger.”
“These convictions send a powerful message to violent transnational gangs like MS-13 — your reign of terror will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI remains at the forefront of the fight against gangs that traffic in violence, fear, and exploitation, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminals to ensure the safety and security of the American people.”
Photo recovered on cell phone of Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo.At trial, evidence was presented about the following murders committed by Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, Vargas-Escobar and other members of MS-13:
In December 2017, the Parkview clique “greenlit” the death of murder victim 1 who was a member of a rival gang. On Dec. 18, Reyes-Castillo and another MS-13 member kidnapped murder victim 1 from downtown Mendota, California, and drove him to a rural area. Reyes-Castillo then took murder victim 1, along with several other MS-13 members, to another location and murdered him with a machete and knives, striking him so brutally that he was left unrecognizable.
On Dec. 31, 2017, Reyes-Castillo, Vargas-Escobar, and another MS-13 member killed murder victim 2 by shooting him multiple times in front of a house in Las Vegas. The MS-13 members saw murder victim 2 outside of an alleged drug house and believed he was dealing marijuana in their territory. They murdered him to reduce competition for MS-13 drug dealers.
On Jan. 9, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 3, drove him to the desert and killed him by shooting and stabbing him multiple times. The MS-13 members believed murder victim 3 had defected to the rival 18th Street gang and thus targeted him to interrogate him and murder him. The victim’s body was found almost three weeks later, on a mountain near Las Vegas.
On Jan. 21, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 4 from a nightclub and drove him to the desert. They murdered him by shooting and stabbing him multiple times. Murder victim 4 was targeted by the Parkview MS-13 clique for being a rival 18th Street gang member. They had gotten his name from interrogating a previous victim.
On Feb. 6, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members were again searching for rival gang members. They killed two victims (murder victims 5 and 6) in a drive-by shooting. A third victim was hit by gunfire and survived. The MS-13 members believed the men were in rival gang territory and could be rival 18th Street gang members.
On Feb. 9, 2018, Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 7, who they believed was a rival gang member because of the way he was dressed and his tattoo. They drove him to a mountain and murdered him by stabbing him over 200 times; his decomposing body was found in the mountains about three weeks later.
Sometime in February 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 8 as he had been named as an 18th Street gang member by a previous victim. The MS-13 members, including Reyes-Castillo, drove murder victim 8 to the mountains outside of Las Vegas and killed him by shooting him 20 times.
On March 1, 2018, Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame and another MS-13 member kidnapped murder victim 9 and drove him up to the mountains near Las Vegas. They believed murder victim 9 was a rival gang member because he was in 18th Street gang territory. They murdered him by stabbing him more than 120 times.
The jury convicted Reyes-Castillo of one count of racketeering influenced corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, seven counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, six counts of causing death through the use of a firearm, five counts of kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
The jury convicted Perez-Manchame of one count of RICO conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and two counts of kidnappings in aid of racketeering.
The jury convicted Vargas-Escobar of one count of RICO conspiracy, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of causing death through the use of a firearm.
Each of these defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison without parole. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 10, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, HSI, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Bureau investigated the case. The Eastern District of California also provided assistance.
Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanee Smith and Steven Rose for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of 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 Las Vegas HSTF comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
Charges in this case were supported by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV). JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target Tren de Aragua (TdA). JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the District of Nevada; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and District of Arizona, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Criminal Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, HSI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and HSI both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
Three Illegal Alien MS-13 Members Convicted of Nine Murders, Kidnapping, and Racketeering Charges Following Homeland Security Task Force EffortRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS — Today, a federal jury in the District of Nevada convicted three men, Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, 30, also known as “Molesto,” of El Salvador; David Arturo Perez-Manchame, 27, also known as “Herbi,” of Honduras; and Joel Vargas-Escobar, 30, also known as “Momia,” of El Salvador, of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murders and attempted murder, as well as murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related gun offenses.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants were members of La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, a transnational criminal organization (TCO) composed largely of individuals of Salvadoran or other Central American descent. MS-13 members and associates are organized by subsets known as “cliques,” and each clique typically has one or more leaders, commonly referred to as “shot callers.” The defendants were members of the Parkview clique operating in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Prospective MS-13 members ordinarily must participate in the murder of rival gang members, known as “chavalas,” to gain entrance and maintain and increase position within MS-13. According to evidence presented at trial, Vargas-Escobar was the leader of the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas up until his arrest on New Year’s Eve of 2017. Reyes-Castillo then became the ranking “Homeboy” of the Parkview clique in Las Vegas. Perez-Manchame was a member of the Parkview clique. Collectively, these three men committed nine murders, over approximately a year, in Nevada and California. Evidence at trial was presented showing that many of the victims were kidnapped by MS-13 members and taken to remote locations in the mountains and desert where those victims were tortured and killed.
“Thanks to the tireless work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, these MS-13 members will be held accountable for the horrific violence they unleashed on U.S. communities during their year-long killing spree,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to us to dismantle MS-13 and other deadly transnational criminal organizations.”
“The depravity and complete devaluing of human life of these defendants, who were responsible for killing nine victims and shooting others, is beyond comprehension,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gangs like MS-13 terrorize communities with violence and killing. The Criminal Division will pursue these violent transnational criminal organizations in this exact way – charge these depraved gang members in bunches and try them for their brazen crimes in a way that highlights exactly what they do, which is systemically kill. These defendants will now face a sentencing hearing where, rightly, their liberty for the rest of their lives is at stake.”
“These convictions deliver a clear and uncompromising message: MS 13’s violence will be met with the full power of federal prosecution,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “These defendants carried out a campaign of terror marked by murders, kidnappings, and brutality. Their reign of violence ends today. The Las Vegas Homeland Security Task Force is unyielding in its mission — we will hunt down violent gang members, dismantle their networks, and drive transnational criminal organizations out of our communities. Southern Nevada will not be a refuge for predators or the terror they attempt to unleash.”
“This FBI has made wiping out violent gangs in America a top priority – including MS-13 — arresting over 2,500 violent gangs and criminal enterprises since last year, up 322%,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s conviction is just the latest example — with three MS-13 gang members convicted of nine murders, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and more in Las Vegas. These gangs have terrorized our communities for far too long, and under this administration and law enforcement team, they are no longer allowed to operate with impunity in America. This FBI will continue working with our partners across the country to dismantle their presence coast to coast.”
“Today's conviction underscores the unwavering commitment of FBI Las Vegas working alongside our federal and local partners in eradicating gang violence that endangers our communities through senseless crime, murder, and kidnapping,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “The FBI has recently initiated Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a nationwide campaign dedicated to combating violent crime during the summer. MS-13 gang members are known for acts of brutality, violence, and intimidation. Despite these threats, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our mission to protect our communities and eliminate this danger.”
“These convictions send a powerful message to violent transnational gangs like MS-13 — your reign of terror will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI remains at the forefront of the fight against gangs that traffic in violence, fear, and exploitation, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminals to ensure the safety and security of the American people.”
"We are proud of the relationship the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has with our federal partners on the Homeland Security Task Force," said Undersheriff Andrew Walsh for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. "The work we do together ensures our community remains one of the safest in America. We are especially proud of the work of our LVMPD homicide detectives who investigated these cases. The LVMPD Homicide Bureau consistently maintains a solve rate of over 95% annually. Since Sheriff Kevin McMahill took office in 2023, the homicide rate in Las Vegas has dropped 43%."
Photo recovered on cell phone of Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo.
At trial, evidence was presented about the following murders committed by Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, Vargas-Escobar and other members of MS-13:
In December 2017, the Parkview clique “greenlit” the death of murder victim 1 who was a member of a rival gang. On Dec. 18, Reyes-Castillo and another MS-13 member kidnapped murder victim 1 from downtown Mendota, California, and drove him to a rural area. Reyes-Castillo then took murder victim 1, along with several other MS-13 members, to another location and murdered him with a machete and knives, striking him so brutally that he was left unrecognizable.
On Dec. 31, 2017, Reyes-Castillo, Vargas-Escobar, and another MS-13 member killed murder victim 2 by shooting him multiple times in front of a house in Las Vegas. The MS-13 members saw murder victim 2 outside of an alleged drug house and believed he was dealing marijuana in their territory. They murdered him to reduce competition for MS-13 drug dealers.
On Jan. 9, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 3, drove him to the desert and killed him by shooting and stabbing him multiple times. The MS-13 members believed murder victim 3 had defected to the rival 18th Street gang and thus targeted him to interrogate him and murder him. The victim’s body was found almost three weeks later, on a mountain near Las Vegas.
On Jan. 21, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 4 from a nightclub and drove him to the desert. They murdered him by shooting and stabbing him multiple times. Murder victim 4 was targeted by the Parkview MS-13 clique for being a rival 18th Street gang member. They had gotten his name from interrogating a previous victim.
On Feb. 6, 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members were again searching for rival gang members. They killed two victims (murder victims 5 and 6) in a drive-by shooting. A third victim was hit by gunfire and survived. The MS-13 members believed the men were in rival gang territory and could be rival 18th Street gang members.
On Feb. 9, 2018, Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 7, who they believed was a rival gang member because of the way he was dressed and his tattoo. They drove him to a mountain and murdered him by stabbing him over 200 times; his decomposing body was found in the mountains about three weeks later.
Sometime in February 2018, Reyes-Castillo and other MS-13 members kidnapped murder victim 8 as he had been named as an 18th Street gang member by a previous victim. The MS-13 members, including Reyes-Castillo, drove murder victim 8 to the mountains outside of Las Vegas and killed him by shooting him 20 times.
On March 1, 2018, Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame and another MS-13 member kidnapped murder victim 9 and drove him up to the mountains near Las Vegas. They believed murder victim 9 was a rival gang member because he was in 18th Street gang territory. They murdered him by stabbing him more than 120 times.
The jury convicted Reyes-Castillo of one count of racketeering influenced corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, seven counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, six counts of causing death through the use of a firearm, five counts of kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
The jury convicted Perez-Manchame of one count of RICO conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and two counts of kidnappings in aid of racketeering.
The jury convicted Vargas-Escobar of one count of RICO conspiracy, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of causing death through the use of a firearm.
Each of these defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison without parole. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 10, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, HSI, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Bureau investigated the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California also provided assistance.
Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanee Smith and Steven Rose for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of 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 Las Vegas HSTF comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
Charges in this case were supported by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV). JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target Tren de Aragua (TdA). JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the District of Nevada; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and District of Arizona, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Criminal Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, HSI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and HSI both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
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The Department of Justice Files Complaints Against Massachusetts and Rhode Island Challenging State Laws that Provide In-State Tuition to Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Division filed complaints against Massachusetts and Rhode Island to challenge state laws that provide in-state tuition and financial assistance to illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates or scholarships, create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal aliens with benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for, all in direct conflict with federal law.
“The Department of Justice is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not receive taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment over America’s own citizens,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “As our Nation marks 250 years of freedom, we will continue to challenge state laws that place aliens over citizens in clear defiance of Congress’s commands.
“This is a simple matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”
In the complaints, the federal government seeks to enjoin enforcement of Massachusetts and Rhode Island laws that require colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain in-state residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Additionally, the complaint seeks to enjoin Massachusetts and Rhode Island from enforcing state laws that afford financial assistance and scholarships to illegal aliens.
Today's filings mark three lawsuits in the past week challenging in-state tuition for illegal aliens, bringing the Department’s total in this series of actions to 12.
The Department’s efforts have already delivered several victories for the American people, as four similar lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska have resulted in favorable orders permanently enjoining and declaring unconstitutional analogous laws that gave reduced tuition to illegal aliens. Lawsuits against other states that similarly place illegal aliens ahead of U.S. citizens are pending across the country in Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, and Kansas.
Southern District of Iowa Announces Cases Related to the 2026 National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa announced a civil complaint and a civil settlement, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
The charges are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. The Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters:
- one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme;
- two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and
- in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme.
The Takedown involves: the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
The coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following cases from the Southern District of Iowa were part of these efforts:
- Eugene J. Cherny, 70, of Des Moines, Iowa, and his plastic surgery practice, Heartland Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., were named as defendants in a civil False Claims Act complaint in connection with false representations made to a Medicare contractor. As alleged in the complaint, Cherny obtained two invoices for each skin substitute product he received from a distributor: one showing the price Cherny actually paid and another showing an artificially-inflated “list price.” When a Medicare contractor asked Cherny to send invoices documenting what he had paid so Medicare could reimburse him, Cherny provided only the invoice containing the artificially-inflated price. The complaint alleges that federal health insurance programs paid Cherny and Heartland more than $2 million based on the false information he provided. The case is being handled jointly by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa.
- Genesis Health System, Mercy Health Network, Inc., and Trinity Health Corporation located in Davenport, Iowa, agreed to pay $4,643,128 following a voluntary self-disclosure concerning Genesis’s overuse and resulting over-billing of the Impella heart pump device between April 2016 and March 2022. The case was settled by the United States Southern District of Iowa.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation.
Descriptions of each case involved in the Takedown are available on the Department’s website here.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Westbrook BankRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to bank robbery.
According to court records, Jean Pierre Gendron, 61, handed a note demanding money to a teller at a Westbrook bank. Gendron then fled the bank with over $6,300 in a blue bank bag. The Westbrook Police Department identified Gendron as the robber and determined that he boarded a bus to Londonderry, New Hampshire, shortly after the robbery. The Londonderry Police Department arrested Gendron when he exited the bus. When he was apprehended, Gendron had over $6,300 in cash and a blue bank bag on his person. Gendron admitted to robbing the bank.
Gendron faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and the Westbrook Police Department investigated the case.
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Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to over 1 Year in 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 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on June 22, 2026.
Harold White Hat, age 42, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
White Hat was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 25, 2026.
White Hat was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in United States District Court, District of South Dakota, in May 2022. As a result of his conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and regularly update his registration. In September 2025, White Hat updated his sex offender registration to reflect that he was residing at a residence in Sioux Falls. Later, however, White Hat left that residence and did not update his registration. An arrest warrant was issued, and on November 17, 2025, White Hat 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 Unit 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 United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted the case.
White Hat was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Shasta County Man Admits to $476,000 Vehicle Financing Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — James Raymond Hanes, 61, of Anderson, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in a vehicle financing scam that used stolen identities, fake driver’s licenses, and fraudulent loans to obtain and resell cars, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between June 2022 and December 2023, Hanes obtained personally identifiable information of multiple individuals and used it to create at least 16 counterfeit driver’s licenses bearing his photo but someone else’s identity. He then secured more than $47,000 in vehicle loans in those victims’ names, purchased cars from dealerships across Northern California, registered them with the DMV, obtained insurance, and resold the vehicles to associates and unsuspecting buyers.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with assistance from the Redding Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is prosecuting the case.
Hanes is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Oct. 13, 2026. Hanes faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the crime of bank fraud, with a mandatory consecutive statutory penalty of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Rocky Mount Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison and Ordered to pay $3,097,568 in RestitutionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Jessica Latoya Staten, 41, to 2 years in federal prison and one year of supervised release for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. The Court also ordered Staten to pay $3,097,568 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
“What a shocking abuse of trust for a tax return preparer to file hundreds of fraudulent federal income tax returns. No longer will we tolerate the petty misery of the destruction of society by vicious selfishness. Let this sentence serve as a warning to others considering the same dirty deeds: We will find you and prosecute you. Cheaters. Never. Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
“Dishonest tax return preparers use various schemes to defraud the government,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins of the IRS Criminal Investigation's Charlotte Field Office. “Today’s sentencing serves as a warning to anyone considering filing false tax returns. Both IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remain committed to actively pursuing individuals who try to defraud the U.S. tax system.”
Staten engaged in a scheme to prepare and file hundreds of false and fraudulent federal income tax returns (Forms 1040) for others between approximately 2018 and 2025, resulting in more than $3 million in tax losses. Staten owned and operated “Luckie Ones Tax Professionals,” a tax return preparation based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. During the offense period, Staten prepared false tax returns for clients in eastern North Carolina that artificially increased certain credits to which her clients were not entitled to inflate the tax refund amounts, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the Lifetime Learning Credit. As part of the scheme, Staten also reported false self-employment income and expenses for non-existent businesses that she attributed to her clients.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the Honorable James C. Dever III pronounced the sentence. IRS-CI 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. 4:26-CR-00008-D.
Robeson County Man Who Stole over $170,000 in Fraudulent Covid Loans Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Robeson County man Phillip Collins, 47, stole from the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by submitting false loan applications which resulted in the disbursement of $170,833 in loan proceeds. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine when sentenced later this year. He will also be ordered to pay a Forfeiture Money Judgment of $170,833.
“Although the government may have stopped doling out Covid money, our government continues to hand out billions in other loans, subsidies, and programs. This office will continue to hold accountable anyone who defrauds any of our taxpayer funded programs. Crime Doesn’t Pay! Cheaters. Never. Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Collins submitted fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications for a business located in Robeson County. Collins made false representations of the number of employees and gross revenues. He also submitted false and fraudulent tax forms and bank statements. Following approval of each of the loan applications, funds were disbursed into a personal account controlled by Collins.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Jones accepted the guilty plea from the defendant. The FBI and IRS-CI 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. 7:26-CR-24-FL.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempting to Meet A 13-Year-Old to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Trevor Hedge (57, Ocala) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to life in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender. A federal jury found Hedge guilty on March 3, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in May 2025, the Ocala Police Department hosted an undercover operation aimed at apprehending individuals using the internet to exploit children. During the operation, a detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (UC) posed online as a neglected 13-year-old child. Hedge messaged the UC and, after learning the UC’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. During this conversation, Hedge described his “addiction” to sexual activity with minors and told the UC that he was “grooming” her. On May 22, 2025, Hedge arranged to meet the UC to engage in sexual activity. The Ocala Police Department arrested Hedge when he arrived to pick up the UC at a predetermined location.
Hedge is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a minor in 1993.
This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Rapid City Woman Sentenced to One Year and One Day in Federal Prison Following Conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on June 26, 2026.
A’Aliyah LeClaire, 30, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
LeClaire was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in March 2025. She pleaded guilty on April 17, 2026.
LeClaire was involved with moving money generated from a cocaine conspiracy that spanned from Texas to Rapid City. A source in Texas supplied cocaine through the mail to an individual in Rapid City. LeClaire assisted that individual with moving the money by helping make deposits and by allowing her accounts to be utilized to transfer the money to help hide the nature and ownership of the money.
“Whether you’re moving the drugs or moving the drug money, you can expect to hear from us sooner or later,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small a person’s role is when it comes to assisting drug traffickers, IRS-CI will be relentless in pursuing those who bring drugs into our communities. Our special agents will follow the money to a criminal’s door,” said IRS-CI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “Every prison sentence is a result of the incredible coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement and it’s a victory for the people of South Dakota.”
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Division of Criminal Investigation. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
LeClaire has been ordered to self-surrender.Rapid City Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for His Role in a Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 15, 2026.
Lucius Muldrow, 40, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Muldrow was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026.
Between November 2021 and September 2025, Muldrow was part of a conspiracy to distribute at least 200 grams of methamphetamine in Western South Dakota. Muldrow routinely received methamphetamine from co-conspirators within the community and sold it from his home and other areas throughout the community.
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).
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Muldrow was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pryor Couple Who Fled to Montana Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing a 15-Year-OldRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury convicted a Pryor couple who fled to Montana to avoid prosecution for sexually abusing a 15-year-old.
The federal jury unanimously decided that Larry Keith Tennison, 67, and Gretchen Francie Tennison, 48, a member of the Cherokee Nation, were both found guilty of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the minor victim disclosed to a family member in 2019 that the Tennisons would get her drunk and sexually abuse her. The family met with the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and disclosed the abuse. Deputies served a search warrant at the Tennisons' home in September 2020. They were charged with child sexual abuse in State court, quickly sold some of their possessions, and moved to Montana. Law enforcement discovered that Gretchen and the minor victim were tribal. Federal prosecutors indicted the Tennisons under seal in May 2021, and the court issued federal arrest warrants.
More than five years later, law enforcement received a tip that Gretchen and Larry had been spotted in Columbus, Montana, using the aliases “Fran Smith” and “Keith Smith.” The deputies with the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office in Montana confirmed they were, in fact, Larry and Gretchen Tennison. Agents with the FBI arrested them.
When the victim testified before the jury, she described being groomed by the Tennisons and the things they would buy her. Eventually, they started offering her grape or apple flavored alcohol when she was 15 years old. She testified to being intoxicated and drinking to the point of stumbling or throwing up. During one incident, she testified that she was the only person invited by the Tennisons to celebrate Larry’s 60th birthday. She went on describing in detail how the Tennisons both sexually abused her.
A deputy with the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office testified and described what was found in the Tennisons’ home after the search. When deputies searched the home, they found various sex toys and a jar of purple and green beer bottle caps that the Tennisons saved, matching the victim's description. An FBI agent testified about the meeting with the victim and how she described the events that took place when she was 15 years old.
The federal jury then heard Larry’s interview with FBI agents after he was arrested. Larry described quickly selling their property and planning to drive to Florida to buy a boat to live on, but then tropical storms hit. He described dumping their cellphones, living in their van in the desert, and in various parks before eventually going to Montana. When they got to Montana, Larry said they came up with alias names, and he started working as a handyman.
When agents asked how he knew about the warrants, Larry described going home after the search warrant and discovering that Gretchen was arrested for keying a car. He met with an attorney to help secure Gretchen's bond and showed the attorney the search warrant. Larry claimed he didn’t know what the search warrant was for. When agents asked if he knew what the warrant was for now, Larry said they “were accused of doing something to a girl.” Without being told who the victim was, Larry began describing how he knew the minor victim. He explained how the minor victim started staying the night with them, and that he felt like “they didn’t have a chance…because of her side of the story…” The jury heard Larry describing multiple details that were not in public court documents.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
The FBI and the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office in Montana.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Christopher Kelly prosecuted the case.
Prewitt Woman Pleads Guilty to AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Prewitt woman pleaded guilty to stabbing a man during a dispute.
According to court documents, on January 6, 2026, Naomi Martinez, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, kicked and stabbed John Doe in the face, head and neck with a kitchen knife, causing serious bodily harm.
Martinez pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.
Pace Man Charged with Theft of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Hunter Drake Lovett, 30, of Pace, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with theft of government property. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge today.
Lovett appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for July 20, 2026, before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Lovett faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, Eufala Alabama Police Department, and Florida Forestry Service. Assistant United States Attorney Brooke A. Lindsay is prosecuting the case.
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.
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 available 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.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to Prison for Operating Unlicensed Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Jersey man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business that was used to transmit funds derived from criminal offenses and which were intended to be used to promote and support unlawful activity.
Shadrach Anapalum, 36, of Newark, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Anapalum was also ordered to pay $304,000 in restitution. In March 2026, Anapalum pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Between May and December 2022, Anapalum received approximately $375,000 from at least four victims of online scams. Anapalum generally kept approximately 10 percent of the funds for himself, before transmitting the money elsewhere, including to bank accounts in China and Turkey. In a consensually recorded call with a cooperating witness, Anapalum said he lied to a bank about the nature of the checks he was depositing and agreed that what he was doing was not legitimate.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
New Iberia Man Sentenced to Twelve Years in Federal Prison for Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE – On June 16, 2026, Isaiah Robinson, 27, of New Iberia, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for Enticement of a Minor. Robinson also received a 10-year term of supervised release to follow his imprisonment.
“This case reflects our commitment to protect children and seek justice for the most vulnerable among us and, more importantly, the importance of parents remaining vigilant and reporting this criminal activity to law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “Our Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue offenders who exploit minors, including by investigating tips provided by parents and others who see something suspicious, and bring these predators to justice.”
According to court documents, Robinson was engaged in an online conversation with a minor on Snapchat whom Robinson knew to be a female child approximately 12 years old in January 2024. During the conversation, Robinson requested that the child send explicit photos of herself to him. The minor child’s father discovered the conversation on the child’s phone and alerted law enforcement, who were able to confirm Robinson’s identity as the user of that Snapchat account.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon II with assistance from Legal Administrative Specialist Tanya Broussard.
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.
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. The case number for this matter is 6:25-CR-00015-1.
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CONTACT: Public Affairs USALAW-News@usdoj.gov
United States Attorney’s Office www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Western District of Louisiana Twitter @USAO_WDLNavajo Nation Man Charged with MurderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Navajo Nation man is facing a federal murder charge for killing his father with a baseball bat.
According to court documents, between December 28, 2024, and January 14, 2025, David Barney, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, killed John Doe by hitting him in the head with a baseball bat. After hitting Doe, Barney wrapped Doe in blankets, placed him in a wheelbarrow, and rolled him to a nearby location, where he left Doe’s body until it was discovered by Doe’s family on February 1, 2025.
Barney is charged with second-degree murder. He will remain in federal custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of this charge, Barney faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Moline Man Sent Back to Federal Prison for Third Federal Drug ConvictionRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Moline man was sentenced on June 16, 2026, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine, and two additional years in federal prison for violating his terms of supervised release.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Donell Jamar Hines, 37, distributed approximately three and a half ounces of crack cocaine between March and April 2025. At Hines’ Moline residence, law enforcement found distribution quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana. Lab testing showed that some of the crack cocaine attributed to Hines contained fentanyl.
Hines has two prior drug convictions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In 2016, Hines was convicted possessing distribution quantities of crack cocaine and heroin and distributing heroin and sentenced to four years in federal prison. Hines was released from prison in December 2018. In September 2019, Hines was arrested in possession of distribution quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, and heroin. In 2021, Hines was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. Hines was released from prison in July 2024. Hines was on federal supervised release when he was arrested in 2025. The Court sentenced Hines to a 24-month consecutive sentence.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Hines will be required to serve an eight-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated the case.
Mexican National Sentenced to 21 months in Prison for Immigration OffenseRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Rodolfo Perez, 40 years old, of Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to felony reentry of removed alien with a prior felony conviction, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Rodolfo Perez was sentenced to 21 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release, and a $100 Special Assessment. The supervised release term would go into effect should the Defendant remain in, or return to, the United States within that period following expected removal proceedings.
“Violating a nation’s borders is violating that nation’s laws and defying its sovereignty. The Defendant was an illegal alien with a long history of violating our nation’s laws, borders, and sovereignty, and did it again. He had previously been removed and sent home to Mexico. At the time of his arrest in this case, Perez was displaying erratic behavior and was in possession of cocaine. Further, his criminal history includes felony convictions for attempted burglary, aggravated DUI, and burglary, and misdemeanor convictions for criminal trespass to a vehicle and battery causing bodily harm. Thanks to the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Hammond Police Department, and AUSA Emily Morgan, the Defendant has been prosecuted and sentenced,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Hammond Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan.
Mexican National Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Meet a 13-Year-Old to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Cain Matias Godinez (42, Mexico) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. A federal jury found Matias Godinez guilty on March 5, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in May 2025, the Ocala Police Department hosted an undercover operation aimed at apprehending individuals using the internet to exploit children. During the operation, a detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (UC) posed online as a 13-year-old prostitute. Matias Godinez messaged the UC and, after learning the UC’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. During the conversation, Matias Godinez described the sexual activity in which he wanted to engage and discussed ways to ensure that he and the UC would not get caught. On May 27, 2025, Matias Godinez traveled from Gainesville to Marion County to meet the UC to engage in sexual activity. Matias Godinez was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office when he arrived at the meeting location.
This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Metairie Man Indicted for Possessing Materials Involving Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MICHAEL DUHE, JR. (“DUHE”), age 21, of Metairie, Louisiana was charged on June 18, 2026, in a two count indictment for Transportation of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(1), (b)(1), and Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B), (b)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. If convicted, DUHE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than five (5) years and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, a term of supervised release of not less than five (5) years and up to life, after his release from prison. He also faces payment of a mandatory $200 special assessment fee.
According to the indictment, beginning on or about December 4, 2024, DUHE did knowingly transport, and attempt to transport, in interstate and foreign commerce, a visual depiction involving the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Also, beginning at an unknown time, and continuing until or about January 16, 2026, DUHE knowingly possessed images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of minors.
Through a partnership between state and federal authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office adopted the state charges and is now prosecuting DUHE in federal court.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
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Memphis Man Sentenced to Almost 3 Years in Prison for Attempted Assault on Memphis Safe Task Force OfficerRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Courtney Richardson, 36, was sentenced to 34 months in prison for attempting to hit a federal agent with his vehicle. D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 5, 2025, law enforcement officers and agents on the Memphis Safe Task Force attempted to execute an arrest warrant on Richardson at the Waterford Place Apartments in Memphis when Richardson got into his vehicle and drove toward the exit of the apartment complex. Multiple officers and agents in marked and unmarked units with lights and sirens activated attempted to block Richardson’s exit. Richardson drove through the parking lot, refusing to stop for law enforcement.
Richardson drove his vehicle up onto the curb and drove through the lawn between the road and buildings where an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) pursued Richardson on foot. Richardson then accelerated his vehicle towards the ATF agent, causing the agent to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by Richardson’s vehicle. The agent did not sustain any injuries. Richardson continued to drive through the parking lot and crashed into multiple vehicles before he was ultimately arrested.
Richardson was charged with one count of violating 18 U.S.C. § 111, which provides that, “Whoever forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated as an officer or employee of the United States while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties,” commits a federal offense.
On June 24, 2026, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Richardson to 34 months of federal imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "We take all threats against law enforcement very seriously and will impose real consequences for any violence against those who are working to protect us every day. During the MSTF Operation and every day, we urge anyone who encounters a law enforcement officer to comply first, and, if warranted, complain later. If you threaten, endanger, or assault any law enforcement officer, we will come after you."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Assistant United States Attorney Regina Brittenum prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States government.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Memphis Man Charged with Violating U.S. Coast Guard Boating OrderRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Marico Washington, 55, of Memphis, has been charged with operating a boat for commercial gain in violation of a Captain of the Port Order. United States Attorney, D. Michael Dunavant, announced the charges today.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury earlier this month, a Captain of the Port Order was hand-delivered to Washington on September 16, 2023. The order directed Washington “to cease all commercial operations until he was fully compliant with applicable laws for carrying passengers for hire.”
The indictment alleges that on September 27, 2025, Washington violated the terms of the order by operating his boat, “Bottoms Up”, on the Mississippi River while carrying commercial passengers for hire without possessing the appropriate license required by Coast Guard regulations. The indictment also alleges that Washington made two false statements to the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
The maximum penalty for violating the Captain of the Port Order is six years' imprisonment. The maximum penalty for making false statements is five years' imprisonment. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000, a supervised release period of up to three years, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “We are a full-service office and will charge all violations of federal law wherever they occur in the Western District of Tennessee to promote public safety and uphold the rule of law. We are proud to partner with the CGIS and MPD and commend their outstanding investigation in this case.”
“This case demonstrates our commitment to working with law enforcement partners to enforce safety regulations and pursue illegal charter operators who put the public at risk,” said Capt. Daniel Kilcullen, Sector Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River. “We will continue to collaborate with federal, state, and local officials and take decisive action to stop this type of illegal operation on the Mississippi River and protect the public from unsafe and unlawful practices.”
"This investigation reflects the strength of our law-enforcement partnerships, and our shared commitment to public safety on our nation’s waterways. CGIS is proud to work alongside USCG Sector Lower Mississippi, Memphis Police Department Harbor patrol unit and the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure individuals who knowingly violate federal maritime laws are held accountable," said Special Agent in Charge Damon J. Youmans, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.
Deputy Chief Samuel Hines, of the Memphis Police Department, stated, "Public safety extends beyond our streets and into our waterways. Through the investigative work of the Memphis Police Department’s Harbor Patrol Unit, with assistance from the Organized Crime Unit and in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, critical evidence was developed that supported this federal indictment. Our commitment to addressing dangerous and reckless behavior on the Mississippi River is part of our ongoing work to build a Stronger, Safer Memphis and protect everyone utilizing our waterways."
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) Harbor Patrol Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carroll L. André III on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates
Member of Vast International Alien Smuggling Organization Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
A Mexican man extradited from Mexico pleaded guilty today for conspiring to smuggle thousands of aliens from multiple countries into the United States for financial gain.
According to court documents, beginning in November 2020 and continuing through September 2023, Efrain Zuniga-Garcia, 38, of Mexico, and others were part of a vast international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that illegally brought thousands of aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States across the border with Mexico. The ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico and Piedras Negras, Mexico. A Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil originally contracted with aliens to enter the smuggling venture. In turn, this Brazilian-based smuggler worked with a San Antonio, Texas, based smuggler and an illegal alien from Honduras, Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga, to facilitate travel of the aliens from South America to the United States. Mejia-Zuniga directed operations, as well as paid armed foot guides (“coyotes”), load drivers, and stash house operators, including Zuniga-Garcia. According to court documents, Mejia-Zuniga admitted that the ASO smuggled between 2,500 to 3,000 aliens into the United States in just two years. Mejia-Zuniga stated the organization charged between $6,500 to $12,000 per alien, totaling approximately $16 to $30 million in financial gain. Mejia-Zuniga was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2025. Co-defendant Monica Hernandez-Palma, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced to 41 months in prison in May 2026.
Zuniga-Garcia operated the stash house in Monterrey and coordinated with other members of the ASO to transport aliens to the stash house and then illegally into the United States. Zuniga-Garcia worked with others to house aliens for a period, after which the aliens would be turned over to the “coyotes,” who led them across the U.S.-Mexico border by crossing the Rio Grande River.
Zuniga-Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, and aiding and abetting. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Zuniga Garcia faces a mandatory minimum penalty of three years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas; and Acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio made the announcement.
HSI Del Rio led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force and U.S. Border Patrol (BP). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Zuniga-Garcia.
Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Meat Distributor Required to Pay $120,500 Civil Penalty for Violating Food Safety Consent DecreeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA-FSIS”)’s Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit, William Griffin, announced today that U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos has imposed civil penalties on defendants FIRST GOLD COAST CORPORATION d/b/a GOLD COAST TRADING COMPANY (“First Gold”), KWABENA ASAMOAH ADJEI, CHRISTOPHER AHENKORA, and MICHAEL AHENKORA for violating a previously entered judicial consent decree requiring the defendants to comply with food safety laws at their meat and poultry business. The order imposes a $120,500 civil penalty on the defendants for continuing to sell uninspected and misbranded poultry products and for failing to complete mandatory food safety training.
“This Office has no tolerance for parties who continue in their unlawful ways after they commit to come into compliance,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This conduct is all the worse where, as here, it endangers the safety of the food that families put on their tables. The imposed financial penalty should serve as notice to all parties that they must live up to their legal commitments and comply with the law.”
“As the USDA agency responsible for ensuring that America’s meat, poultry, and egg products remain the safest in the world, FSIS is committed to taking swift action to protect consumers and carry out our public health mission,” said FSIS Assistant Administrator for the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit William Griffin. “The work of our inspection personnel and investigators to enforce Federal regulations, along with our partnerships with state and local governments, will continue to ensure the safety of our food supply.”
The Federal Meat Inspection Act (“FMIA”) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (“PPIA”) protect public health by ensuring the nation’s commercial supply of meat and poultry is safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled and packaged. These requirements allow consumers to have confidence in the safety of their meat and poultry products and permit public health officials to trace problems to their source.
This Office first sued First Gold and its then-owner, Daniel Ahenkora, in October 2015, alleging that they had violated the FMIA and the PPIA by selling uninspected and misbranded meat and poultry products. The Court promptly entered a consent decree enjoining First Gold, Daniel Ahenkora, and affiliated parties from further violations. In December 2024, First Gold and three of Daniel Ahenkora’s sons—KWABENA ASAMOAH ADJEI, CHRISTOPHER AHENKORA, and MICHAEL AHENKORA, who had taken over the business around May 2023—signed an amended consent decree, which was approved by the Court on December 3, 2024. Among other things, the amended consent decree prohibited the defendants from selling, offering for sale, or receiving in commerce any uninspected or misbranded meat or poultry and required them to complete mandatory training on the FMIA and PPIA.
The defendants, however, proceeded to violate the amended consent decree. Specifically, on or about June 26, 2025, First Gold sold approximately 120 pounds of uninspected, misbranded poultry products—namely, 30 pounds of smoked turkey drums, 30 pounds of smoked turkey wings, 30 pounds of fresh turkey wings, and 30 pounds of fresh turkey drums—to a New Jersey retailer. First Gold used a bandsaw in the store to slice the turkey products without the benefit of federal inspection and then misbranded the products by repackaging them into the original manufacturer boxes that bore the marks of federal inspection, in violation of the amended consent decree. The defendants also failed to complete the training required by the amended consent decree.
The Court’s June 26, 2026, order requires the defendants to pay a total civil penalty of $120,500—comprising $60,000 for the sale of 120 pounds of misbranded, uninspected turkey products and $60,500 for the defendants’ failure to complete the amended consent decree’s training requirements. The order also requires the defendants to present a plan for coming into compliance with the amended consent decree's training requirements.
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Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the USDA.
This case is being handled by the Environmental Protection Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Osmond is in charge of the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Making Online ThreatsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man learned his fate in federal court, today, for making online threats.
U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced Raymond Pumphrey, 47, of Brooklyn, to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making threats transmitted by interstate communication in connection with the cybercrime.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Brian McDonough, U.S. Secret Service (USSS) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to the guilty plea, Pumphrey made a series of threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube, and other social media sites, to spread hateful rhetoric – particularly toward Black and Muslim communities. Commenting primarily on news stories, he advocated for and threatened to participate in the killing of black people in multiple large cities throughout the country. He further threatened to kill multiple politicians and members of their families.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and USSS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky who prosecuted 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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Malibu Woman Pleads Guilty to Helping Her Fraudster Boyfriend Escape Incarceration and Sentencing in His U.S. Criminal CaseRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Malibu woman pleaded guilty today to helping her convicted fraudster boyfriend hide from federal law enforcement, hide out in Mexico, and then later flee to his native Germany to avoid incarceration and sentencing in his U.S. criminal case.
Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, a.k.a. “Lucy Weist,” pleaded guilty to one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.
According to her plea agreement, in April 2025, a federal jury found Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64, then of Malibu, guilty of one count of wire fraud.
From 2014 to 2017, Fritsch defrauded investors out of more than $20 million by lying to them about his technology company’s financial performance related to a software application designed to help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements, according to evidence presented at a nine-day trial.
Manera was present in the courtroom when the guilty verdict against Fritsch was read. Fritsch was free on bond at the time. A hearing related to Fritsch’s potential remand into federal custody was scheduled for June 2, 2025, and he was to be sentenced at a later date.
On June 2, 2025, Fritsch fled the United States by car and crossed the international border into Mexico to avoid being taken into custody at the June 2 hearing and avoid serving any prison sentence related to his fraud conviction.
From June 2025 to September 2025, Manera assisted Fritsch with the purpose of hindering and preventing Fritsch’s apprehension and punishment, including by lying to FBI special agents that she hadn’t spoken to Fritsch within a day of his scheduled June 2 hearing.
Manera also made at least 10 payments from June 2025 to September 2025 totaling approximately $7,475 to a third party, knowing that Fritsch was hiding out at that third party’s home. She also authorized a $534 charge to her bank account for Fritsch to stay at a hotel in Mexico.
In September 2025, she searched the internet on Fritsch’s behalf for information on how he could leave Mexico and travel to his native Germany. Germany generally prohibits the extradition of its citizens.
In October 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution. In April 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Fritsch’s appeal due to his fugitive status, because a fugitive criminal defendant is generally not entitled to a decision on the merits of his claims. If Fritsch surrenders to authorities by August 21, 2026, he may move to reinstate the appeal.
United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer scheduled an October 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Manera will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Monica E. Tait of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Los Angeles Director and Writer Sentenced to Prison for $11 Million Production FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that CARL ERIK RINSCH, a Los Angeles-based director and writer, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to 30 months in prison for fraudulently stealing $11 million from a subscription video-on-demand streaming service (“Streaming Company-1”) in connection with a planned science-fiction television show called “White Horse,” and then laundering that money. RINSCH was convicted following a week-long trial in December 2025 before Judge Rakoff.
“Carl Erik Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by seeking $11 million from a subscription streaming service, falsely claiming that money would be used to finance a television show that he was creating,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Instead of using the money to make the show, Rinsch made risky bets on highly speculative stock options and cryptocurrency, and spent millions of dollars on luxury goods for himself. Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message: fraud will not be tolerated.”
As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
RINSCH is a film and television writer and director who partially completed a science-fiction television show called “White Horse.” In 2018, RINSCH reached an agreement with Streaming Company-1 in which Streaming Company-1 would both pay RINSCH for the existing episodes of White Horse and also fund completion of the rest of the show. Between 2018 and 2019, Streaming Company-1 paid approximately $44 million for White Horse.
Between late 2019 and early 2020, RINSCH demanded even more money from Streaming Company-1 to complete White Horse. Streaming Company-1 ultimately agreed to pay another $11 million, and transferred those funds to a company RINSCH controlled on or about March 6, 2020. The entirety of those funds was to be spent on the completion of White Horse.
But RINSCH did not use those funds to make the show. Instead, within days, RINSCH began transferring the funds through numerous bank accounts before consolidating them in a personal brokerage account. RINSCH then used those funds to speculate on stock options. His trading was unsuccessful, and in less than two months after receiving $11 million from Streaming Company-1, RINSCH had lost more than half of that money.
Even after losing most of the $11 million, RINSCH still did not spend the remaining funds he had stolen on White Horse. Instead, he used the money to speculate on cryptocurrency, and on personal expenses and luxury items, including at least $1.7 million on credit card bills; at least $3.3 million on furniture, antiques, and mattresses; at least $387,000 on a Swiss watch; and at least $2.4 million on five Rolls Royces and a red Ferrari.
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In addition to the prison term, RINSCH, 48, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, $11 million in forfeiture, and $700 in mandatory special assessments.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy V. Capozzi, Jackie Delligatti, David A. Markewitz, Kevin Mead, and Adam Sowlati are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Maria Larracuente and William Coleman.
Kentucky Man Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Assets of a Labor UnionRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – James Burke, 56, of Greenup, Kentucky, was sentenced today to three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $40,011.46 in restitution for embezzlement of assets of a labor union.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about July 2022 through in or about October 2023, Burke was the financial secretary of a labor organization located in Huntington. Burke admitted that he issued nine unauthorized or altered checks payable to himself and improperly withheld portions of checks payable to the labor organization as cash when he deposited them. Burke also admitted that he diverted six dues checks payable to the labor organization for his personal use. The total amount of money stolen by Burke from the labor organization was $40,011.46.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Department of Labor-Office of Labor-Management Standards.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:26-cr-5.
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Justice Department to Rename Division as Energy and Natural Resources DivisionRead the Press Release
The Justice Department will rename one of its divisions the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). The announcement was originally made yesterday by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of ENRD in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
“Energy security is national security. Iran’s recent stranglehold on the global oil market shows that domestic energy production is critical to preserving our way of life and securing our prosperity,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gustafson of ENRD. “Over the past two decades, the division has played a central role in the responsible production and use of energy, driven by technological advances from the shale revolution to AI. To recognize this evolution, we will now rename it the Energy and Natural Resources Division.”
ENRD’s recent victories in support of domestic energy include the successful defense of President Trump’s executive orders on unleashing American energy, reinvigorating the clean coal industry, and declaring an energy emergency. ENRD also recently won dismissal of a lawsuit that threatened oil production in the Gulf of America.
ENRD continues to defend several key Administration priorities aimed at domestic energy production, including:
- Emergency orders by the Energy Department that have kept power plants running;
- The Energy Department order restarting the Sable pipeline in California pursuant to Defense Production Act; and
- The temporary power source for an artificial intelligence platform with critical military applications.
ENRD’s efforts to unleash American energy also include affirmative litigation against state anti-energy policies that are preempted by federal law, including:
- Climate superfund acts passed by New York and Vermont to expropriate billions of dollars from global energy producers;
- Climate tort suits by Hawaii, Michigan, and Minnesota against energy producers;
- California’s SB 1137, which prohibits oil and gas production within certain zones, even on federal leased land; and
- Hawaii’s “Green Fee” climate tax on cruise ships.
ENRD’s work to unleash American energy does not diminish its defense of the environment, which Gustafson called “our nation’s greatest natural resource.” ENRD’s environmental enforcement protects public health and ensures a level playing field for companies that play by the rules. The Division’s recent enforcement actions include:
- Major civil settlements with a “forever chemical” manufacturer for water pollution, a grocery chain for coolant leaks, and a steel mill for hazardous waste;
- A $100 million air pollution penalty won at trial against a coke plant near Detroit;
- An 18-month prison sentence for biofuel fraud;
- A $500,000 criminal penalty for asbestos violations;
- Guilty pleas to environmental crimes by waste water pretreatment managers, a yacht manufacturer, a wood product importer, and a builder; and
- Indictments of a commercial incinerator, a wildlife trafficker, and the companies whose ship crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge.