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18 June 2026
Atkins Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—James Baker will spend 235 months in federal prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
On August 5, 2025, Baker, 28, of Atkins, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a 14-count Indictment on seven counts of production of CSAM and seven counts of receipt of CSAM. On March 4, 2026, Baker pleaded guilty to one count of production of CSAM. Judge Miller also sentenced Baker to five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On June 30, 2025, following a report to the child abuse hotline advising of inappropriate text messages between a 12-year-old minor female victim and a 27-year-old male, later identified as Baker, law enforcement initiated an investigation into Baker. Law enforcement discovered that Baker received numerous nude photographs and videos of the minor female victim. Officers also discovered text messages from Baker requesting the minor female victim send him sexually explicit photographs and videos.
Between July 5, 2025, and August 4, 2025, Baker conversed with a second minor female victim. The 16-year-old minor female victim and Baker discussed moving in together in a camper. Baker and the minor female victim also exchanged sexually explicit photographs. Baker, in one conversation, told the minor female victim that he would love to marry her after she turned 18. He further told the minor female victim that he lied to his friend because his friend would inform the police if he knew the minor female victim’s age.
In a meeting with his probation officer, Baker admitted that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a female he knew to be 12 years old and with another who was 16 years old. He also admitted that he sent and received nude photographs and videos. Baker further stated that he did not know why, but that he was attracted to younger girls.
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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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. Parents are encouraged to always monitor your children’s online activity.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security with assistance from the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Aquatherm. L.P. Agrees to Pay $1.35 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program LoansRead the Press Release
Wilmington, Del. – Aquatherm, L.P. (“Aquatherm”), a Delaware limited partnership based in Lindon, Utah, has agreed to pay $1,351,575.84 to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) for which it was not eligible.
PPP was an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and administered by the SBA. The program was created to support small businesses and to help them continue to pay employees and meet other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible for a PPP loan, a business was required to certify that it had no more than 300 employees, including employees of all domestic and foreign affiliates.
Aquatherm is 99% owned by Aquatherm Besitzgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, a German company, and manufactures polypropylene piping for pressurized mechanical and plumbing systems.
In March of 2021, Aquatherm applied for and received an $864,982 PPP loan after falsely certifying that it, together with its affiliates, had fewer than 300 employees. Aquatherm later sought and obtained full forgiveness of that loan from SBA. Aquatherm was ineligible for the loan, however, because together with its domestic and foreign affiliates, it had over 300 employees.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace announced the settlement. Civil Chief Dylan J. Steinberg handled the case.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party—known as a relator—can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. In this case, the relator will receive a share of the settlement.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. The settlement agreement is attached to this press release. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 25-413-CFC.
The claims resolved by the settlement are merely allegations. There has been no determination of liability.
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aquatherm_settlement_agreement_v.5.pdfAlabama Defense Contractor Agrees to Pay $507,144 to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Relating to Cybersecurity ViolationsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve its liability under the False Claims Act for knowingly failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the Department of the Navy.
“Government contractors that obtain sensitive defense information in administering their contracts must follow required cybersecurity standards,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate potential violations of these cybersecurity requirements in order to protect this critical information from external threats.”
“The protection of sensitive defense information by government contractors is critical to national security,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. for the Northern District of Alabama. “Adherence to the cybersecurity provisions of contracts with the federal government must be a priority for all contractors, and this enforcement action should serve as a reminder of that.”
“The cybersecurity provisions of federal contracts are critical to protecting sensitive information that may be transmitted in carrying out the mission of the contracts,” said Navy Vice Admiral Stephen Tedford, Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency. “DCMA will continue to ensure that contractors are fulfilling these obligations.”
The settlement resolves allegations under the False Claims Act that LOGZONE knowingly submitted false or fraudulent claims for payment on two Navy contracts for which LOGZONE had not complied with the contracts’ cybersecurity requirements. From May 2021 to March 2025, LOGZONE allegedly failed to implement certain cybersecurity controls in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 that, if not implemented, could lead to significant exploitation of the system or exfiltration of sensitive defense information. These issues were identified when the Defense Contract Management Agency assessed LOGZONE’s implementation of NIST SP 800-171 security controls, which resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170, at the low end of the possible score range of -203 to 110.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama with assistance from the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel, NCIS, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The matter was handled by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Graham D. Welch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Long for the Northern District of Alabama.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to Pay $507,144 to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Relating to Cybersecurity ViolationsRead the Press Release
Defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve its liability under the False Claims Act for knowingly failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the Department of the Navy.
“Government contractors that obtain sensitive defense information in administering their contracts must follow required cybersecurity standards,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate potential violations of these cybersecurity requirements in order to protect this critical information from external threats.”
“The protection of sensitive defense information by government contractors is critical to national security,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. for the Northern District of Alabama. “Adherence to the cybersecurity provisions of contracts with the federal government must be a priority for all contractors, and this enforcement action should serve as a reminder of that.”
“The cybersecurity provisions of federal contracts are critical to protecting sensitive information that may be transmitted in carrying out the mission of the contracts,” said Navy Vice Admiral Stephen Tedford, Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency. “DCMA will continue to ensure that contractors are fulfilling these obligations.”
The settlement resolves allegations under the False Claims Act that LOGZONE knowingly submitted false or fraudulent claims for payment on two Navy contracts for which LOGZONE had not complied with the contracts’ cybersecurity requirements. From May 2021 to March 2025, LOGZONE allegedly failed to implement certain cybersecurity controls in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 that, if not implemented, could lead to significant exploitation of the system or exfiltration of sensitive defense information. These issues were identified when the Defense Contract Management Agency assessed LOGZONE’s implementation of NIST SP 800-171 security controls, which resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170, at the low end of the possible score range of -203 to 110.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama with assistance from the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel, NCIS, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The matter was handled by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Graham D. Welch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Long for the Northern District of Alabama.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
17 June 2026
United States Attorney’s Office bids farewell to long time Federal Prosecutor David HerzogRead the Press Release
On June 12, 2026, Assistant United States Attorney David Herzog announced his departure from the Department of Justice to return to the private practice of law. During his 18 years of service, AUSA Herzog focused on child exploitation and human trafficking cases, including leading a nine-year investigation into the sexual exploitation of Cambodian girls by an American, which resulted in conviction at trial and a 70-year sentence. AUSA Herzog leaves DOJ as a nationally and internationally recognized expert in online child exploitation and sex trafficking. He has served in a number of supervisory roles in Los Angeles and Spokane, ultimately rising to Chief of Appeals in Spokane over the last several years.
A native of Spokane and graduate of the Garfield Apple program and Shaw Middle School, AUSA Herzog was co-valedictorian at Gonzaga Prep in 1993. He attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he graduated summa cum laude in English while playing Division I soccer and violin in the university orchestra. After earning a Master of Philosophy degree in English Literature at the University of Glasgow, he graduated cum laude from law school at Georgetown. He clerked for several federal judges and was an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles before joining DOJ in 2008. AUSA Herzog will be joining Clyde & Co., an international law firm based in London, where his practice will focus on commercial litigation and appeals. AUSA Herzog and his wife, Spokane County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Emily Sullivan, will continue to raise their two children in Spokane.
“It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to stand up in court on behalf of the people of the United States—particularly for children and other victims of violent crimes who cannot often stand up for themselves,” Herzog said. “My job as a federal prosecutor has never been to win cases; it has always been to seek justice.” He noted that this responsibility remains the same, regardless of politics. “I have served proudly under Presidents, Attorneys General, and United States Attorneys of both parties, and the job has never changed: do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons, every time. It is a unique responsibility held by all prosecutors, and I have done my level best to meet it.”
AUSA Herzog specifically complimented his colleagues: “The career prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington are among the most professional, excellent, and ethical lawyers anywhere. They set incredibly high standards for themselves and the office, at large, and they meet it every day, in the face of significant challenges inside and outside the courtroom. What a gift it has been to stand shoulder to shoulder with them over the years. I will miss my friends and colleagues very much, and I will look on their work with pride as they continue to serve justice every day.”
At the same time, AUSA Herzog lamented the trend of former and current government officials publicly weighing in on cases without hearing the actual evidence presented to juries: “For 250 years, our society has relied on juries to resolve conflicts. When a jury receives evidence, evaluates whether the elements of a crime are met beyond a reasonable doubt, follows a court’s instructions, and speaks with a unanimous voice, justice is served – regardless of how a particular verdict comports with anyone’s personal views or political beliefs. That is what it means to follow the rule of law.”
Pete Serrano, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, lamented losing AUSA Herzog as a prosecutor, but wished him well: “For nearly two decades, Dave Herzog has aggressively sought to protect the most vulnerable among us. He is a first class litigator and person, and the Spokane community can be proud that one of its own has dedicated so many years to keeping it safe. It would be easy to judge his success merely by the sheer number of years he has fought to protect our community. Our office will measure his service by the prosecutors he has helped train, the wisdom he has departed to his colleagues, the many, many documents he has authored or improved, and the convictions he has obtained at trial and sustained on appeal.”
Stephanie Van Marter, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, echoed those sentiments. “Our office, and I, will miss Dave very much as a colleague, but I know we will remain friends for life. Our dads went to college together at Gonzaga, we went to high school together, and we have worked closely as colleagues for years. His respect for the work of this office, for the rule of law, and for due process, are beyond reproach. If the test of leadership is leaving something better than you found it, Dave passes with flying colors—this office has been permanently enriched by his time here.”
The Spokane United States Attorney’s Offices wishes Dave Herzog the best and extends its gratitude on behalf of the Eastern District of Washington for his years of service and commitment to justice. Thank you, Dave!
U.S. Attorney’s Office Presents Hometown Hero Award to Sheriff Kevin McMahill in Recognition of His Dedication to Public ServiceRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada today presented Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with a Hometown Hero Award.
As part of Freedom 250, the Hometown Hero Award commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. It honors the enduring ideals of Liberty, Service, and Civic Responsibility. This award is dedicated in recognition of a steadfast commitment to these ideals and an embodiment of the spirit upon which our nation was founded.
“This award was presented to Sheriff McMahill in recognition of his law enforcement career, transformative leadership, and forward-looking innovations in modern policing,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “As Sheriff of one of the largest counties in the country, Sheriff McMahill has worked closely with local and federal partners to oversee numerous high-profile cases and to strengthen relationships with the community. Congratulations and thank you for your decades of service.”
Sheriff McMahill began his law enforcement career after serving in the United States Army, joining the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) in 1990 as a patrol officer. Through sustained excellence and commitment to community safety, he rose through every rank of the Department—sergeant, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, assistant sheriff, and undersheriff—before being elected Sheriff in 2022.
As Sheriff, McMahill has led the LVMPD during a period marked by measurable reductions in crime, while simultaneously implementing innovative strategies that have positioned the Department as a national leader in public safety. Notably, he established the LVMPD Wellness Bureau, demonstrating a deep commitment to officer mental health and resiliency by fostering a culture of wellness and significantly reducing officer suicides. In addition, he spearheaded the development of one of the most advanced Drone as First Responder programs in the world, leveraging technology to enhance response times, improve situational awareness, and better protect both officers and the community.
Sheriff McMahill’s leadership is further distinguished by his investment in continuous professional development. He is a graduate of the FBI’s Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Program and the National Executive Institute, as well as the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program—credentials that reflect his strategic vision and commitment to adopting best practices in law enforcement leadership.
Through a career defined by service, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to community safety, Sheriff McMahill exemplifies the qualities of a “Hometown Hero” and stands as a model for law enforcement agencies nationwide.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah presents Hometown Hero Award to Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Two Venezuelan Nationals Plead Guilty to SNAP Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals pleaded guilty on June 12, 2026 in federal court in Worcester to using fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit cards to illegally purchase food to stock a local restaurant. This criminal conduct is a part of a larger fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The stolen identities were used to create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, R.I.
Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, also a Venezuelan national, both residing in living in Leominster, Mass. have pleaded guilty to use, transfer, acquisition and possession of SNAP benefits in an Unauthorized Manner. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencings for Sept. 22, 2026. The defendants were chargedin February 2026 along with Joel Vicioso Fernandez and Raul Fernandez Vicioso.
The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense. With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is 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.
The charge of illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to five or 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service; Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit; Massachusetts State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; and the Fitchburg and Leominster Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Two Gainesville Men Indicted for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Gainesville, Florida – Cleveland Tyrone Ferguson II, 54, and Damien Charles Curtis, 46, of Gainesville, Florida, have been indicted in federal court for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine. Additionally, Ferguson has been separately indicted for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, while Curtis has been separately charged with distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and crack cocaine. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Ferguson and Curtis appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry for their initial appearance at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida. Trial is scheduled for July 22, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., in Gainesville before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.
If convicted, Ferguson faces a sentence of at least 10 years’ imprisonment and the possibility of life imprisonment for each charge. Curtis faces between 5 and 40 years’ imprisonment for each charge.
This case was investigated by the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Two Defendants, Including Former Correctional Facility Nurse, Plead Guilty to Racketeering Activity at Cambria County PrisonRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, both pleaded guilty in federal court on June 16, 2026, to charges of violating federal racketeering laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Asiah Young-Atwell, 31, of Johnstown and Monique Valencia, 30, of Phoenix each pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment during separate hearings before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around July 2023 to in and around December 2023, Young-Atwell and Valencia conducted and participated in the affairs of an enterprise through racketeering activity. Specifically, while employed as a medical staff nurse at the Cambria County Prison, Young-Atwell accepted bribes from inmates as an incentive to smuggle contraband—namely, cell phones and THC vape pens—into the prison. That contraband was then given to inmates, who sold the items to other inmates for a substantial profit. Valencia acted as a facilitator in the racketeering activities by sending and receiving payments on behalf of the inmates for the smuggled contraband.
Young-Atwell and Valencia are among 10 residents of Pennsylvania and Arizona indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025 for their alleged participation in the racketeer-influenced corruption organization (RICO) conspiracy. Read the Indictment news release here.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for both defendants for October 29, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, and the Cambria County Prison conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of the defendants.
Texas man sentenced for attempting to illegally traffic firearms and ammunition in water heaters destined for Central AmericaRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 44-year-old Port Arthur man has been ordered to federal prison for smuggling goods from the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Ismael Bernardez-Lacayo pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Bernardez-Lacayo to serve 30 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release.
The investigation revealed Bernardez-Lacayo attempted to unlawfully ship dozens of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to Honduras in violation of United States law.
On April 5, 2024, he drove to a shipping company located in Humble and dropped off two water heater boxes in a shipping container which was transported to the Port of Houston. Law enforcement ultimately discovered a total of 37 firearms, 6,654 rounds of ammunition, 54 magazines and one rifle scope were hidden inside the water heaters.
Bernardez-Lacayo did not have a license to export firearms, ammunition, magazines or scopes from the Unites States nor did he have authorization for the shipment of firearms and ammunition to Honduras as required.
The pistols, rifles and scope in the shipment were classified as a controlled commodity on the Commerce Control List and are barred from being shipped to Honduras without an appropriate license.
The investigation further revealed Bernardez-Lopez had previously attempted to ship ammunition and a firearm to Honduras in 2010 and was aware that it was illegal to do so without the appropriate license as required by federal law.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Seaport Border Enforcement Security Task force and Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keri Fuller is prosecuting the case.
Texas Woman Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Eaton Fire FEMA Money and COVID BenefitsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Texas woman was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $28,000 in federal disaster relief money by falsely claiming that she was a Pasadena resident living in a property damaged by the Eaton Fire and for fraudulently obtaining more than $54,000 in jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joyce Turner, 56, of Rosharon, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, who also ordered her to pay $82,555 in restitution.
Turner pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud.
On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire ignited and burned through a residential area in Los Angeles County, killing 18 people and destroying more than 10,000 structures. A presidential disaster declaration was issued on January 8, making emergency federal financial assistance and benefits available to individuals and families affected by the Eaton Fire and to other wildfire victims in the Los Angeles area.
Victims who suffered losses because of the Eaton Fire, including renters who lost personal property and/or the use of their rental residences could qualify for benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The benefits included money for home repair, personal property damage, transportation, medical expenses, and housing assistance.
On January 10, 2025, Turner submitted a fraudulent disaster benefits application to FEMA, falsely claiming she lived in Pasadena in a rental property that had been damaged by the Eaton Fire. In fact, Turner did not live in California and did not qualify for the benefits.
FEMA, relying on Turner’s false and fraudulent claim, sent her $28,195 in wildfire disaster relief money.
Turner further admitted in her plea agreement that in August 2020 she submitted a fraudulent claim for California unemployment insurance falsely claiming she had been working in California and lost work because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was entitled to unemployment insurance benefits.
Following this false and fraudulent claim, California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) provided Turner with $54,360 in jobless benefits to which she was not entitled – providing these benefits through a debit card mailed to Turner at an address in Los Angeles.
The United States Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement 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.
Texas Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Seven MinorsRead the Press Release
Philip Taylor Sobash, 36, of Austin, Texas, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for sexually exploiting minors.
“Philip Sobash enticed seven minors to produce and send him child sexual abuse material, and then distributed five of those minors’ sexually explicit images online,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant took advantage of teenage girls. His depravity caused them long-lasting psychological trauma. The Department will pursue cases just like this to protect children from sexual exploitation.”
“Protecting children from sexual predators is among the highest priorities of our office and the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “Holding Sobash accountable for all of his offenses against all his victims is vitally important to the safety of children in our community and across the country.”
“The FBI’s commitment to protecting children from abuse knows no bounds,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “We work relentlessly with our partners to hold perpetrators of the sexual exploitation of minors to account, and others engaging in criminal activity targeting the vulnerable should take today’s sentencing as a warning that they too will be forced to face the consequences of their actions.”
According to court documents, between October 2018 and May 2019, Sobash, then a practicing physician, engaged in an online sexually explicit relationship with Minor Victim 1, who resided in the Middle District of Tennessee. This online relationship began after they connected on a dating website that facilitates “sugar daddy” relationships. After their communications moved to text message, Minor Victim 1 informed Sobash that she was 17 years old and sent him a photo of her driver’s license, which confirmed her age.
Sobash requested that Minor Victim 1 produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself and provided her thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to entice her to do so. Over the course of more than seven months, Sobash received hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos of Minor Victim 1, most of which constituted child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
In addition to sexually exploiting Minor Victim 1, Sobash admitted to sexually exploiting six other minors, aged 16 and 17, between 2017 and 2020. At Sobash’s direction, Minor Victims 2 through 7 created CSAM, which they sent to him. Sobash distributed CSAM depicting Minor Victims 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, resulting in those victims’ images being sold online under their names.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigated the case with the assistance of FBI Nashville, Clarksville Resident Agency, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Texas Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of Seven MinorsRead the Press Release
Nashville — Philip Taylor Sobash, 36, of Austin, Texas, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for sexually exploiting minors.
“Protecting children from sexual predators is among the highest priorities of our office and the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “Holding Sobash accountable for all of his offenses against all his victims is vitally important to the safety of children in our community and across the country.”
“Philip Sobash enticed seven minors to produce and send him child sexual abuse material, and then distributed five of those minors’ sexually explicit images online,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant took advantage of teenage girls. His depravity caused them long-lasting psychological trauma. The Department will pursue cases just like this to protect children from sexual exploitation.”
“The FBI’s commitment to protecting children from abuse knows no bounds,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “We work relentlessly with our partners to hold perpetrators of the sexual exploitation of minors to account, and others engaging in criminal activity targeting the vulnerable should take today’s sentencing as a warning that they too will be forced to face the consequences of their actions.”
According to court documents, between October 2018 and May 2019, Sobash, then a practicing physician, engaged in an online sexually explicit relationship with Minor Victim 1, who resided in the Middle District of Tennessee. This online relationship began after they connected on a dating website that facilitates “sugar daddy” relationships. After their communications moved to text message, Minor Victim 1 informed Sobash that she was 17 years old and sent him a photo of her driver’s license, which confirmed her age.
Sobash requested that Minor Victim 1 produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself and provided her thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to entice her to do so. Over the course of more than seven months, Sobash received hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos of Minor Victim 1, most of which constituted child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
In addition to sexually exploiting Minor Victim 1, Sobash admitted to sexually exploiting six other minors, aged 16 and 17, between 2017 and 2020. At Sobash’s direction, Minor Victims 2 through 7 created CSAM, which they sent to him. Sobash distributed CSAM depicting Minor Victims 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, resulting in those victims’ images being sold online under their names.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigated the case with the assistance of FBI Nashville, Clarksville Resident Agency, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Tallahassee Serial Felon Indicted on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Willie Harris, III, 48, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Harris appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for July 20, 2026, at 8:30 am before United States District Court Judge Mark E. Walker in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted, Harris faces a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
St. Louis Felon Admits Being Caught with 17 Guns after Fleeing Police, StandoffRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday admitted being caught with 17 guns after fleeing from police and triggering a standoff at his home.
Demond Spruill, 51, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On March 12, 2024, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, assisted by members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team, were planning to conduct a court-approved search of Spruill’s home in the 4400 block of Lexington Avenue. Prior to serving the search warrant, law enforcement encountered Spruill and pulled his red Dodge Charger over near the 2800 block of Marcus Avenue. Spruill refused to get out of the car and instead sped off. When officers and agents arrived at Spruill’s home, he was leaving the home and walking toward his car. Spruill then ran back inside the house and refused to leave. After negotiating with law enforcement via telephone, Spruill surrendered. During a search, officers and agents found 17 firearms, including two that were stolen. They also found five bullet-resistant vests and a large quantity of assorted ammunition inside his bedroom.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
St. Louis County Felon Sentenced to 47 Months in Prison for Crime Linked to Toddler’s Accidental ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who lied about the accidental shooting of a toddler to 47 months in prison.
On March 6, 2025, Rodrick Miller and his girlfriend cleaned an Anderson Manufacturing, AM-15 semiautomatic pistol and left it unattended on a couch in the girlfriend’s Wellston home. After the girlfriend’s son was shot in the calf, she and Miller took him to the hospital. On the way, Miller hid the gun behind a tree in a wooded area. They then told North County Police Cooperative officers that the boy had been shot by a stray bullet during a gun battle between two vehicles while the girlfriend was walking home. Police later recovered the gun.
Miller, 36, of Pine Lawn, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.
The North County Police Cooperative, the St. Ann Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franks prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Springfield Man Sentenced for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Calvin Eugene Harrell, 40, who has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2025. Harrell was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 53 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
On Dec. 3, 2024, Springfield Police Department (SPD), responded to Cox Medical Center South, in reference to a four-year-old with a gunshot wound to the hand. Through investigation, officers learned the four-year-old victim accidentally shot himself in the hand with a firearm possessed by Harrell. Due to having been convicted of multiple felonies, Harrell was prohibited from possessing firearms. After the victim shot himself, Harrell had a former paramour take the child to urgent care, rather than calling 911. The child was transferred to Cox Medical Center South as the injuries were too great for urgent care to treat. Offices called Harrell and attempted to have him come to the hospital. Harrell lied to officers on the phone about his location, what had occurred, the location of the gun, and refused to come to the hospital.
SPD responded to Harrell’s residence and established a perimeter. After a several-hour stand-off, Harrell eventually exited the residence. When officers conducted a search warrant for Harrell’s apartment, they found that Harrell had been attempting to hide evidence and clean the scene, including evidence that he had attempted to mop up blood. Investigators located a shell casing hidden in a trash can, and a loaded Taurus, 9-mm pistol underneath the stove.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
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.
South Carolina Man Sentenced for Attempted Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Summerville, South Carolina, man convicted of Attempted Production of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on June 15, 2026.
Robert DiOrio, age 36, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Upon release from federal prison, DiOrio must register as a sex offender.
DiOrio was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 23, 2026.
DiOrio started a conversation on Reddit, a popular communication/posting website, with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The conversation turned sexual, and he asked the 14-year-old girl to meet up hoping to have a sexual encounter with her. DiOrio arrived at the meeting location where he was arrested by law enforcement. All along, unbeknownst to him, DiOrio had been communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer.
This case was brought as part of an undercover operation designed to identify individuals in the community who are seeking to have sex with minors. The case was also 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Tea Police Department, Rapid City Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth E. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
DiOrio was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to over 4 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 15, 2026.
Jesse Robert Buskol, 45, was sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Buskol was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026.
On July 30, 2025, law enforcement conducted a parole search of Buskol’s residence and found a semi-automatic pistol. Buskol was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of a prior felony conviction for First Degree Robbery. He was on supervised release for a prior conviction at the time of this offense.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell prosecuted the case.
Buskol was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Failing to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on June 15, 2026.
Eugene Leon Featherman, 37, was sentenced to one year and 11 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.
Featherman was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026.
Featherman was previously convicted of a federal sex offense. Because of his prior conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. Featherman was aware of his obligation to register and to keep his registration current with officials within the county in which he resided. Nonetheless, from late June through September 2025, Featherman knowingly failed to register and update his registration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.
Featherman was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
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, 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.
Sequoyah County Resident Pleads Guilty to Two Counts of Sexual Abuse of A MinorRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Samuel Alexander Sevenstar, age 33, of Roland, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that beginning in or about June 2019 and continuing until in or about April 2020, Sevenstar knowingly engaged in sexual acts with a victim who had attained the age of 12 years but had not attained the age of 16 years, and who was at least four years younger than Sevenstar.
The crimes occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sevenstar was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Senior Airman Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge Involving Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A West Virginia man pled guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes he committed as a member of the U.S. armed forces.
Jacob Michael Young, 25, of Charleston, is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While serving as an active-duty senior airman in the United States Air Force, and residing at Joint Base Andrews (JBA) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorities identified Young as a suspect in trafficking CSAM, which involved the receipt and distribution of CSAM.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office.
As detailed in his plea agreement, the FBI received four CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCEMC) from Kik, a software company. Between November 2024 and January 2025, Kik reported that approximately 56 suspected CSAM files were uploaded by four different Kik accounts on Kik Messenger.
Kik Messenger is a messenger application that allows users to send texts, videos, and other files within the Kik app. All four CyberTips listed a specific IP address associated with the Kik accounts. Law enforcement traced the IP address to Young’s residence at JBA.
Then law enforcement executed a search warrant at Young’s residence and seized multiple devices. During questioning, Young admitted messaging with other Kik users about exchanging CSAM. Young stated he sometimes paid for CSAM using gift cards or money sent via CashApp, as confirmed by subpoenaed records. A forensic analysis of Young’s devices revealed more than 200 CSAM files.
Young and the government reached an agreement that, if the court accepts the plea agreement, he faces 3.5 to 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scheduled sentencing for Tuesday, September 8, at 10 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation, along with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan McKoy who is prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md.
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San Diego Resident Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to HamasRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of a five-count complaint charging Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, of San Diego, California, with terrorism, sanctions-evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statement charges in connection with his efforts to divert funds raised through purported charitable campaigns to Hamas and for personal use. Sabassi was arrested in San Diego yesterday and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in the Southern District of California.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant exploited the barbaric acts of terror perpetrated on October 7, 2023, to attract donors to his fraudulent ‘humanitarian’ causes,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “He allegedly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through this scheme, which he then funneled to Hamas to help finance that group’s terror and violence and to line his own pockets. As demonstrated by today’s charges, NSD will investigate and prosecute those who fund terrorism.”
“From within the United States, Reda Sabassi is alleged to have solicited and diverted funds to the known foreign terrorist organization, Hamas, which committed the brutal October 7, 2023, massacre” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Hamas promotes attacks against the U.S. and has murdered dozens of Americans through acts of terror. Our arrest of Reda Sabassi demonstrates our whole-of-government commitment to prosecute those who provide financial support to a malign terrorist regime that hates America.”
“The defendant allegedly claimed to be raising money for charity but was actually funding the terrorist organization Hamas and also lining his own pockets,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI will use all our authorities to put a stop to those who seek to support the violent actions carried out by organizations like Hamas. Today’s announcement should serve as a stark reminder that the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces will remain vigilant in our effort to prevent terrorism as well as hold terrorists, and those who provide support to terrorist organizations, accountable for their actions.”
“As alleged, Reda Sabassi raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the death and tragedy Hamas seeks to carry out,” said Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI New York Field Office. “Alongside our federal partners, the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force continues to aggressively eradicate fundraisers financing terrorist organizations, and hold accountable those behind the campaign.”
According to the allegations contained in the complaint, Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya, commonly known as Hamas, is a terrorist organization that was founded in 1987, and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States since 1997. From its inception, Hamas’s stated purpose has been to create an Islamic Palestinian state throughout Israel by eliminating the State of Israel through violent holy war, or jihad. Hamas also promotes attacks against the United States and its citizens, and over more than two decades, Hamas has murdered and injured dozens of Americans as part of its campaign of violence and terror. On Oct. 7, Hamas committed its most violent, large-scale terrorist attack to date (the “October 7 Hamas Massacres”) when Hamas sent more than 2,000 armed fighters into farms and towns in southern Israel, where they carried out the massacres of over a thousand people and the kidnappings of more than 200 others.
Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi has publicly supported Hamas online and has raised money for Hamas using online donation platforms. For example, Sabassi created an hour-long propaganda video of the October 7 Hamas Massacres and then posted that video to at least two of his social media accounts, including a few months after the October 7 Hamas Massacres and again on the two-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Since at least in or about 2022, Sabassi has used his social media accounts, crowdfunding websites, and his putative charity called Ikram — The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. (Ikram) to solicit donations from around the world, including from individuals in the United States and New York. In his online fundraising campaigns, Sabassi claimed to be raising funds to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza; however, Sabassi was actually raising funds for Hamas. Sabassi and a co-conspirator joked privately that they should name the fundraiser after Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, before agreeing to use Sabassi’s Ikram. Sabassi worked with the Hamas fundraising organization Gaza Now and other co-conspirators to operate these online fundraisers and to send funds to Hamas.*** Between in or about December 2023 and in or about February 2024, Sabassi raised a total of approximately $600,000 through online fundraising campaigns, from which Sabassi sent approximately $116,000 to a Hamas member and attempted to convert approximately $382,000 of the cash he raised into cryptocurrency to send to Hamas through Gaza Now.
Sabassi is charged with (i) conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iv) conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (v) false statements, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by a judge.
U.S. Attorney Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Clayton also thanked the FBI’s San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force; the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for their assistance with this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit and the National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer N. Ong, Ben Arad, Sarah L. Kushner, and Juliana N. Murray for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Andrew Briggs of the Counterterrorism Section and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
***
On March 27, 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated Gaza Now and two of SABASSI’s co-conspirators as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (“SDGTs”) pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for being key financial facilitators involved in fundraising for Hamas.
San Diego Resident Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to HamasRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the Counterterrorism Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Donald Holstead, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced the unsealing of a five-count Complaint charging REDA MAZEN RIDA SABASSI with terrorism, sanctions-evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statement charges in connection with his efforts to divert funds raised through purported charitable campaigns to Hamas and for personal use. SABASSI was arrested in San Diego yesterday and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in the Southern District of California.
“From within the United States, Reda Sabassi is alleged to have solicited and diverted funds to the known foreign terrorist organization, Hamas, which committed the brutal October 7, 2023, massacre,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Hamas promotes attacks against the U.S. and has murdered dozens of Americans through acts of terror. Our arrest of Reda Sabassi demonstrates our whole-of-government commitment to prosecute those who provide financial support to a malign terrorist regime that hates America.”
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant exploited the barbaric acts of terror perpetrated on October 7, 2023, to attract donors to his fraudulent ‘humanitarian’ causes,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “He allegedly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through this scheme, which he then funneled to Hamas to help finance that group’s terror and violence and to line his own pockets. As demonstrated by today’s charges, NSD will investigate and prosecute those who fund terrorism.”
“The defendant allegedly claimed to be raising money for charity but was actually funding the terrorist organization Hamas and also lining his own pockets,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI will use all our authorities to put a stop to those who seek to support the violent actions carried out by organizations like Hamas. Today’s announcement should serve as a stark reminder that the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces will remain vigilant in our effort to prevent terrorism as well as hold terrorists, and those who provide support to terrorist organizations, accountable for their actions.”
“As alleged, Reda Sabassi raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the death and tragedy Hamas seeks to carry out,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Alongside our federal partners, the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force continues to aggressively eradicate fundraisers financing terrorist organizations, and hold accountable those behind the campaign.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:(1)
Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya, commonly known as Hamas, is a terrorist organization that was founded in 1987, and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization (“FTO”) by the United States since 1997. From its inception, Hamas’s stated purpose has been to create an Islamic Palestinian state throughout Israel by eliminating the State of Israel through violent holy war, or jihad. Hamas also promotes attacks against the United States and its citizens, and over more than two decades, Hamas has murdered and injured dozens of Americans as part of its campaign of violence and terror. On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed its most violent, large-scale terrorist attack to date (the “October 7 Hamas Massacres”) when Hamas sent more than 2,000 armed fighters into farms and towns in southern Israel, where they carried out the massacres of over a thousand people and the kidnappings of more than 200 others.
REDA MAZEN RIDA SABASSI has publicly supported Hamas online and has raised money for Hamas using online donation platforms. For example, SABASSI created an hour-long propaganda video of the October 7 Hamas Massacres and then posted that video to at least two of his social media accounts, including a few months after the October 7 Hamas Massacres and again on the two-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Since at least in or about 2022, SABASSI has used his social media accounts, crowdfunding websites, and his putative charity called Ikram – The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. (“Ikram”) to solicit donations from around the world, including from individuals in the United States and New York. In his online fundraising campaigns, SABASSI claimed to be raising funds to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza; however, SABASSI was actually raising funds for Hamas. SABASSI and a co-conspirator joked privately that they should name the fundraiser after Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, before agreeing to use SABASSI’s Ikram. SABASSI worked with the Hamas fundraising organization Gaza Now and other co-conspirators to operate these online fundraisers and to send funds to Hamas.(2) Between in or about December 2023 and in or about February 2024, SABASSI raised a total of approximately $600,000 through online fundraising campaigns, from which SABASSI sent approximately $116,000 to a Hamas member and attempted to convert approximately $382,000 of the cash he raised into cryptocurrency to send to Hamas through Gaza Now.
* * *
SABASSI, 38, of San Diego, California, is charged with (i) conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iv) conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (v) false statements, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Clayton also thanked the FBI’s San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force; the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for their assistance with this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit and the National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer N. Ong, Ben Arad, Sarah L. Kushner, and Juliana N. Murray are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Andrew Briggs of the Counterterrorism Section and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
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On March 27, 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated Gaza Now and two of SABASSI’s co-conspirators as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (“SDGTs”) pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for being key financial facilitators involved in fundraising for Hamas.
Rockland County Man Charged with Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging CARLOS NOEL with receiving and distributing child pornography, as well as possessing child pornography. NOEL was arrested yesterday and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court.
“As alleged, Carlos Noel exchanged approximately 100 videos of child pornography online, many involving infants and prepubescent minors, and discussed sexually abusing another individual’s one-year-old niece,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Every New Yorker and every American loathes the exploitation of children. Together with our partners, we will deploy every resource to relentlessly get sexual predators off our streets and bring to justice those who prey on our children. If you have information to report about this or any other matter of child sexual abuse, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.”
“Carlos Noel allegedly exchanged sexually explicit images and videos, often featuring infants, with other online users as if they were nothing more than trading cards,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI Safe Street's Task Force is dedicated to eliminating sexual predators who abuse those who can't protect themselves.”
As alleged in the Complaint:
NOEL used the online messaging applications Twitter and Telegram to trade videos of child pornography, many involving infants and prepubescent minors. NOEL went by the Twitter name “XavierThotAli” and the Telegram name “xavierthotal1 (X Games).” Among other individuals, NOEL traded child pornography with the Telegram user “L33YA1,” who filmed herself sexually abusing her one-year-old niece. During their exchange of messages, NOEL and L33YA1 discussed their mutual interest in sexually explicit images of minors and further sexually abusing L33YA1’s one-year-old niece.
If you are a victim of NOEL or have any information concerning NOEL, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or you can report a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. A photo of the defendant is below.
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NOEL, 35, of New City, New York, is charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and thanked FBI Philadelphia for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaun E. Werbelow is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Repeat offender charged with being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 39-year-old Everson, Washington resident was charged federally late today with being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Nathaniel A. Muniz-Spry was taken into custody at a Whatcom County hospital following an early morning shooting yesterday June 16, 2026, near the U.S. /Canada border in Blaine.
According to records filed in the case, U.S. Border Patrol agents were sent to the area near the U.S./Canada border after a surveillance camera showed someone walking in an area that is a frequent location for illegal border crossings and smuggling activity. Agents encountered Muniz-Spry and worked to confirm his identity. During the encounter, agents learned that there was an “approach with caution” alert in his NCIC records stemming from a prior contact with law enforcement. When officers searched Muniz-Spry an officer felt a gun at his waistband. Muniz-Spry resisted and ultimately broke away as the agent secured the gun. Muniz-Spry attempted to flee, and was shot in the leg. He was taken to the hospital for medical care and was released later in the day to law enforcement.
Muniz-Spry is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his criminal convictions: Unlawful possession of a firearm (Skagit County 2018); Unlawful possession of a short barreled shotgun or rifle (Skagit County 2018); Possession of a stolen vehicle (Skagit County 2018); Bail jumping (Whatcom County 2018); Unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree (Whatcom County 2018); Burglary in the second degree (Whatcom County 2014); Bail jumping (Whatcom County 2014); Felony violation of a no contact order (Whatcom County 2011); and Residential burglary (Whatcom County 2009).
The Case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from Blaine Police Department, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Woods with assistance from the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than Two Decades in Prison for Sexually Exploiting ChildRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A recidivist sex offender received a federal-prison term for committing several child sex abuse crimes.
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Patrick Daniel McKernan, 45, of Pasadena, Maryland, to 27 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexually exploiting a child.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Amal E. Awad, Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACOPD).
According to court documents, McKernan exploited the minor child for the purpose of producing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct. In November 2023, and again prior to June 2025, McKernan produced sexually explicit images of the minor and distributed them on the internet. The images were found on the dark web, operated by the Tor Network, in a group messaging app related to child sexual abuse material. In 2016, McKernan was convicted of possession of child sexual abuse material in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and AACOPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn 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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Raleigh Man Arrested for Threatening the Life of the PresidentRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A U.S. Magistrate Judge signed a Federal criminal complaint yesterday which accuses Christopher Carnes, 33, of knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States. Carnes is charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 871(a) and faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison if convicted.
During May of 2026, Carnes posted several videos on Facebook where he made statements to include “Donald J. Trump, I’m going to kill you” and advised viewers to alert the “Secret Service in Washington, DC.” Investigators established that Carnes was located in Raleigh when he posted the threatening Facebook videos. On June 6, 2026, Carnes posted an additional Facebook video where he referenced his prior threatening videos while talking about having pipe bombs. After displaying a self-described “PVC blaster” in the trunk of his car, Carnes stated “This here…I’ve told you Donald Trump, I’m not a person for bluff calling…now that the Government knows I have a live bomb in my car…Well you f*** around and you come find out.”
On June 10, 2026, investigators met with Carnes at the Raleigh Police Department (RPD). Carnes arrived in the same car from his Facebook videos. After a canine alerted to the potential presence of explosive materials in the car, RPD officers searched his car and found PVC pipe and a metal pin.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The USSS and RPD are investigating the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:26-MJ-1912-BM.
Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 32+ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – A Stark County man, and previously convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to federal prison for child sexual abuse offenses.
Daniel Dobies, 57, of Canton, Ohio, was sentenced to 390 months (32.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, after pleading guilty in February to the following charges in the indictment:
- Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
- Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM)
He was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims identified in the CSAM that Dobies possessed and distributed.
According to court documents, agents were conducting investigations into suspected CSAM activity on social media platforms and identified Dobies in 2025. During a search warrant execution at his residence, which he shared with co-defendant Shane Stouffer, 46, investigators found electronic devices belonging to Dobies that contained approximately 150 videos and 309 images of CSAM. The files included depictions of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Investigators also learned that Dobies had previous convictions for Gross Sexual Imposition in 1991, and Attempted Rape in 1993, both involving minor victims, out of Lake County, Ohio.
Stouffer is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of receipt and possession of CSAM.
The investigation was led by the FBI Canton Resident Agency and the Canton Police Department with assistance from the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Stark County Sex Offender Registry.
Assistant United States Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.
To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced After Fleeing Police and Tossing Ghost Gun into Residential YardRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Willie Speaks, 23, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 22 months in prison in connection with the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition while he was on probation in two separate prior cases, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Speaks pleaded guilty on March 17, 2026, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 22-month prison term, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ordered Speaks to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 24 months.
According to court papers, shortly before 2 a.m. on July 20, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in the 600 block of Q Street NW observed two men peering into unoccupied vehicles. When officers attempted to make contact, both men fled on foot. Speaks ran westbound on Q Street NW and turned southbound onto the 1500 block of 7th Street NW, where he was stopped by police within about a minute.
Officers who were canvassing Speaks’s flight path recovered a handgun in the front yard of a residence in the 600 block of Q Street NW. Home surveillance video captured Speaks reaching into a cross-body bag that he was wearing and tossing the firearm into the yard as he ran past.
The recovered firearm was a .45-caliber P80 ghost gun with no serial number, loaded with a round in the chamber and nine rounds in the magazine. Because it bore no serial number, the firearm could not be registered in the District of Columbia. Speaks did not have a valid license to carry a pistol or possess ammunition in the District.
At the time of the offense, Speaks was on supervised probation in two separate cases in two respective jurisdictions, including a prior conviction for a loaded handgun offense in Prince George’s County.
This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative.
Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump’s Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
The investigation was conducted by Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Office.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Levy.
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Phoenix Man Who Served as Enforcer for Transnational Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 35 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Phoenix, Arizona, has been sentenced in federal court to 420 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws in relation to a transnational criminal organization (TCO) as part of a Homeland Security Task Force prosecution, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The defendant was among 35 individuals charged through a Second Superseding Indictment unsealed in January 2024 for their participation in a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy involving substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine (read the Second Superseding Indictment news release here).
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Carlos Zamora, 30. Zamora was one of two defendants convicted by a jury in the case following a two-and-a-half-week trial in September 2025 (read the verdict news release here), with the other defendant—Bryce Hill of Seattle, Washington—having been sentenced in February 2026 to 35 years in prison. Zamora is the 33rd defendant sentenced in the case.
Evidence presented during the trial established that Zamora was a significant and longstanding participant in the Phoenix-based Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization—a transnational criminal organization responsible for the distribution of millions of fentanyl pills, hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, and dozens of kilograms of cocaine from August 2021 to June 2023. The Monarrez TCO provided the drugs to a network of subordinate dealers who redistributed the narcotics throughout the country, including into western Pennsylvania. Zamora was intercepted over a federal wiretap obtaining hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and kilograms of fentanyl powder for redistribution.
Additional evidence presented at trial included testimony regarding the execution of a search warrant on January 11, 2023, during which law enforcement seized 27 kilograms of fentanyl pills, multiple firearms, and $387,000 cash from Hill’s apartment; an intercepted call from January 9, 2023, in which Zamora discussed with one of the organization’s leaders a drive-by shooting he had carried out the previous day in Phoenix; and the seizure of 28 kilograms of fentanyl pills, 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of cocaine, 48 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 20 firearms (pictured below) from a short-term rental property in Scottsdale, Arizona, on December 25, 2022.
Jurors learned that Zamora fired more than three dozen gunshots at a man (later discovered to be a different individual from the one Zamora was targeting) during the January 8, 2023, drive-by shooting in Phoenix. Shell casings test-fired from a Glock switch-equipped semiautomatic rifle seized from Zamora’s residence a few days later matched the shells recovered from the scene of the shooting. In addition to his enforcer or “muscle” role for the criminal organization, Zamora was also responsible for distributing substantial quantities of drugs, including 29 kilograms of fentanyl and 82.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Zamora had previously served prison sentences on convictions of armed robbery and aggravated assault on a correctional employee, and is one of 10 individuals indicted in July 2025 for their alleged participation in a racketeer-influenced corruption organization conspiracy related to the bribery of prison employees to smuggle contraband into the Cambria County Prison (read the Indictment news release here).
Assistant United States Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution was 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 that 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 Western District of Pennsylvania is part of the Philadelphia HSTF, which comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the United States Department of State–Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and state and local law enforcement partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Pharmacist on the Run for Nearly 12 Years Pleads Guilty to Role in Defrauding the IRSRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – An Ohio pharmacist who was indicted more than a decade ago and was a fugitive on the run, has pleaded guilty to his role in defrauding the IRS. He was located and arrested overseas earlier this year.
Sbeih Sbeih, 57, previously of North Olmstead, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS. In February, he was arrested in the country of Georgia after being a fugitive for 11 years.
According to allegations in court documents filed in 2014, Sbeih a was a registered pharmacist licensed by the Ohio Pharmacy Board. Together with codefendant Osama Salouha, 54, previously of Strongsville, the men conspired to divert proceeds from Salouha’s businesses, Southside Pharmacy in Lorain and Medicine Center Pharmacy in Elyria, into personal, non-business bank accounts to otherwise conceal income from their accountant and the IRS.
Osama Salouha was additionally charged for his role in illicitly selling opioids and opiates. Salouha remains a fugitive. His wife, Samah Salouha, 48, also previously of Strongsville, pleaded guilty in 2015 for her role in the conspiracy for making false statements and structuring bank deposits to avoid triggering bank reports to the IRS. She was sentenced to three years of probation.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Akron Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Drug Task Force, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Drug Task Force, Strongsville Police Department, MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Cleveland Heights Police Department. The USAO would like to acknowledge the country of Georgia and their Prosecutor General’s Office for their valuable assistance to coordinate the extradition of the defendant to the United States.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Collyer.
Parmelee Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on June 15, 2026.
Freyane Charley, age 48, was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Charley was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 19, 2026.
On November 1, 2024, Charley was staying at a friend’s house in Sicangu Village, within the exterior boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. During the night, Charley began assaulting one of the occupants, who was sleeping. Charley broke the orbital around the victim’s right eye and knocked out two teeth.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.
This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted the case.
Charley was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Olean man going to prison for 15 years for distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Philip Young, 31, of Olean, NY, who was convicted of distribution of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
On June 22, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline Report that an image of a naked prepubescent girl was uploaded to the internet. The image was later traced back to Young. Investigators executed a search warrant at Young’s residence, seizing, among other items, a cellular telephone. The investigation determined that Young used the Telegram application on his phone and the internet to seek out, receive, and distribute child pornography. A forensic review of Young’s cell phone recovered a video constituting child pornography.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright. The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford.
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Oklahoma City Man Faces Federal Charges Following Deadly Shootout with Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal superseding indictment has been filed, charging BENJAMIN HARRISON PLANK, 38, of Oklahoma City, with multiple federal offenses arising from a deadly shootout and high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to carry out their duties and serve our community,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “Any attack on them will not be tolerated, and the Justice Department will work tirelessly with its partners to hold the individual accountable to the fullest extent.”
According to a federal criminal complaint and supporting affidavit, on August 22, 2022, three deputies with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office went to an Oklahoma County residence to evict Plank pursuant to a court order. When they arrived, Plank refused to exit the residence and the deputies prepared to make a lawful forced entry. Before they could enter, Plank fired multiple rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from inside the residence, killing one deputy at the scene. Plank then exited the residence and shot another deputy multiple times. That deputy survived the injuries. Plank also exchanged gunfire with the third deputy.
Court records further reflect that following the initial shootout, Plank loaded a backpack containing firearms and drug paraphernalia into a boat mounted on a trailer attached to his truck and fled the scene. A dangerous high-speed pursuit ensued, during which Plank continued to fire at law enforcement officers, including officers assisting the United States Marshals Service. The pursuit ended outside Tinker Air Force Base after Plank was observed throwing the rifle from the driver’s-side window of the truck. He was arrested shortly thereafter.
On June 16, 2026, a federal grand jury returned a seven-count superseding indictment charging Plank with two counts of prohibited person in possession of firearms, two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon, two counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of attempted murder of certain officers.
If convicted of all charges, Plank faces no less than ten years and up to life in federal prison and fines of up to $1,750,000.
The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations, and that Plank is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Hutzell is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Roderick Tyrone Boyd, 30, of Vandalia, Ohio, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl and aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 26, 2025, Boyd aided and abetted another individual in the sale of fentanyl and distributed a quantity of fentanyl on April 26, 2025. Both transactions occurred in Cross Lanes, West Virginia.
Boyd has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for drug offenses, burglary, and attempted domestic violence.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum 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. 2:25-cr-165.
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Nurse Practitioner Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for $12M Medicare FraudRead the Press Release
A Louisiana nurse practitioner was sentenced today to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release for causing over $12 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests. She was also ordered to pay $1,508,868.25 in restitution.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Scharmaine Lawson Baker, 59, of Fulshear, Texas, a licensed nurse practitioner and Medicare provider, received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in exchange for ordering expensive cancer genetic tests. Lawson Baker held herself out as an expert in Medicare regulations — authoring books on medical necessity and patient-provider relationships — while actively violating those very standards.
From October 2018 to October 2019, Lawson Baker worked as an independent contractor for a company that claimed to provide telehealth services. In her role, Lawson Baker signed hundreds of orders for medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests after brief phone calls with the patients, typically lasting less than 30 seconds, and without examining the patients. In a recorded call admitted at trial, a telehealth company’s phone operator told Lawson Baker that she would be “rolling in money” by signing the orders, and Lawson Baker responded with “Honey, I am not complaining.” The evidence at trial also showed that Lawson Baker ordered ovarian and cervical cancer tests for male patients, demonstrating that she was acting as a rubber stamp to get paid instead of providing real medical care. Lawson Baker never reviewed the results of any of the tests she ordered, including when the results showed that patients actually had variants predisposing them to certain cancers.
In total, Lawson Baker caused over $12.1 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, and the laboratories involved in the scheme received over $1.5 million in reimbursements from Medicare for the unnecessary testing Lawson Baker ordered. In exchange for signing these orders, Lawson Baker accepted kickbacks and bribes from the telehealth company — payments she later failed to disclose in her bankruptcy petition.
After a three-day jury trial in July 2025, a federal jury found Lawson Baker guilty of six counts of health care fraud.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Samantha E. Usher and Gary A. Crosby II of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section assisted in the prosecution.
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.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.New Jersey Man Sentenced to More Than 29 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material on the Dark WebRead the Press Release
A New Jersey man was sentenced today to 350 months in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a dark web site dedicated to discussing and trafficking in CSAM.
“The court’s sentence today holds Drew Holzlein accountable for his role in helping run a community on the dark web dedicated to trafficking in visual depictions of minors being subjected to horrific acts of sexual abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Those who engage in this disgusting conduct will be investigated and prosecuted. The clear message in this case and others just like it is that Holzlein and his co-conspirators will not skate by because of the anonymity afforded by the dark web. We will still find you.”
“By serving as a moderator on a dark web forum devoted to the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, the defendant did not merely enable exploitation — he curated and sustained a marketplace of depravity,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “This sentence marks a critical measure of accountability and affirms my Office’s unwavering commitment to vindicating the rights and dignity of the most vulnerable. We will persist in our efforts to expose and dismantle these clandestine networks, wherever they operate.”
“This offender provided access to a platform where multiple perpetrators conspired to create and share CSAM,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The arrest of this moderator led FBI Newark and the FBI Child Exploitation Operational Unit to investigate and disrupt the activities of additional child exploitation offenders and abusers. The FBI will continue to track down these criminals, ensure that they are held accountable for their crimes, and secure justice for their victims.”
According to court documents, Drew Holzlein, 57, of Manchester, New Jersey, was a member and moderator of a website on the dark web that was dedicated to the proliferation of CSAM. From approximately 2019 until his arrest in January 2024, Holzlein was an active participant on this site and shared thousands of sexually explicit images of nude, prepubescent minors with the site’s many users. A search of Holzlein’s home in January 2024 recovered multiple electronic devices containing images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of prepubescent children. Holzlein was interviewed during the search and admitted to law enforcement that he was an active member on this dark web site for years and served as a moderator on the site. Holzlein was previously convicted in New Jersey of two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Newark Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Belgiovine for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case.
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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
New Boston man pleads guilty to attempting to blackmail childRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Michael David Bulanda, 37, of New Boston, Michigan, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2026. Bulanda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a possible sentence of life imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit field office.
In December 2025, the FBI Philadelphia office arrested a man for the production of child pornography. The FBI found a chat where Bulanda sent a nude image of MV-1 to that man asking him to blackmail MV-1 to obtain “more nudes.” Bulanda provided the man with personal information about MV-1 to facilitate the blackmail, including information about MV-1’s siblings and friends. The man and Bulanda discussed posting the minor’s picture on a public forum to make her “feel fear,” as a tactic that has worked in the past to break “many stubborn” girls.
“This pervert tried to blackmail a child by making her ‘feel fear’ so that he could abuse her even more. Now, he will feel justice,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.
“Using fear, manipulation, and blackmail to exploit a child is among the most reprehensible crimes we investigate. This guilty plea ensures this predator will be held accountable,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I am especially grateful for the outstanding work of our Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes task force (SEMTEC), whose dedication was instrumental in securing this guilty plea, in addition to the support provided by the FBI Philadelphia Field Office during this investigation.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Zurek
National Security Division Announces First Declination Under the Department-wide Corporate Enforcement PolicyRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has declined the prosecution of Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch), thereby resolving its investigation into an alleged scheme to send products and software manufactured with equipment that was the direct product of U.S. software or technology to an Entity-listed company in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This decision was reached pursuant to Part I of the Department-wide Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (CEP), after also considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations. Bosch promptly disclosed the misconduct to the National Security Division (NSD), fully cooperated, and timely and appropriately remediated — which qualified them for a declination under the CEP, given that aggravating circumstances were absent Bosch has agreed to disgorge the $11,430,098 in profits it made as a result of the transactions at issue — a portion of which will be credited towards the $36,184,680 fine paid in a parallel civil action by the Department of Commerce.
As announced by NSD on March 30, enforcing export control and sanctions laws is a top priority and furthers NSD’s mission to protect and defend the United States against the full range of national security threats. Moreover, the Justice Manual (JM) assigns violations of the U.S. government’s primary export control and sanctions regimes, among other criminal laws affecting, involving or relating to the national security, to NSD. JM 9-90.020. This is the first time that NSD has declined the prosecution of a company under the CEP.
“This declination reflects the clear benefits for companies that promptly disclose potential violations and fully assist in our investigations,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Bosch’s cooperation and timely remediation met the high standards set by the Corporate Enforcement Policy, supporting a fair and efficient resolution. This first-of-its-kind decision by NSD highlights the important role of transparency in safeguarding U.S. technology and national security.”
“This settlement agreement underscores BIS’s commitment to strong enforcement as well as incentivizing voluntary disclosures of past violations,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement David Peters.
Between September 2020 to September 2024, Bosch, through two of its non-U.S. based subsidiaries, exported over $70 million worth of foreign-produced Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems sensor products and foreign-produced software to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and its affiliates on the Entity List, including Huawei Tech. Investment Co. Ltd. Hong Kong (collectively, Huawei) without the required license or authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), 15 C.F.R. Parts 730-744. The two implicated subsidiaries are Bosch Sensortec GmbH (BST) and ETAS GmbH (ETAS). In particular, BST and ETAS provided to Huawei foreign-produced items that were subject to the EAR pursuant to the Entity List Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for entities designated with “Footnote 1.” The investigation further revealed that Bosch’s trade compliance personnel were ill-equipped to provide accurate guidance on the FDPR, which led to several years of FDPR violations. In addition, the investigation identified ongoing sales in violation of the FDPR despite several missed opportunities where third-party companies identified potential applications of the FDPR to their products or equipment used in the provision of their services. As a result, Bosch made approximately $11,430,098 in pre-tax profits.
Bosch voluntarily self-disclosed the misconduct to NSD. Bosch cooperated with NSD’s investigation, including by preserving and proactively disclosing relevant facts, information, and documents about the conduct and promptly responding to NSD’s subsequent requests. Bosch also timely and appropriately remediated the misconduct by making organizational changes, imposing disciplinary action, adding employees to its trade compliance organization, expanding its U.S. trade compliance resources, and updating its internal policies and procedures. Given all of the above and the lack of aggravating circumstances, the Department is declining to prosecute Bosch, and Bosch has agreed to a disgorgement of the $11,430,098 in profits.
Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case with investigative assistance provided by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.
Mishicot Teacher and Track Coach Sentenced for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 16, 2026, United States District Judge Byron B. Conway sentenced former Mishicot Middle/High School teacher and track coach Ryan S. Schroeder (age 39), to 336 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for Production of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).
According to court documents and arguments presented in court, Schroeder sexually assaulted a minor student for approximately two years, beginning when the girl was in the eighth grade. Schroeder then abused a second student, then 13-years-old, who informed the school district of Schroeder’s sexual abuse towards her. Law enforcement searched Schroeder’s cell phone and discovered that he had been sending images to both of the minors. Ultimately, he pled guilty to creating a video involving one of the minors which contained sexually explicit conduct with the child.
Judge Conway described the defendant’s crime as a serious criminal offense involving “so much more than the production of child pornography.” He condemned Schroeder’s “deviant behavior” and described him as a “family man who was living a fraud” and a “mentor who became a predator.” Judge Conway determined that 28 years (336 months) of imprisonment was an appropriate sentence noting that his abuse of trust was higher given that his dual role of teacher and track coach gave him extended access to the victims. Following his release from prison, Schroeder will spend the remainder of his life on supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
“This defendant stole the innocence of these children and deserved the very lengthy prison sentence he received,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel. “He abused the position of trust given him by the school, parents and society as a whole. The team from the investigators to the prosecutors did an outstanding job bringing this defendant to justice.”
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed and the lasting impact they have had on the victims and their families. I want to commend the outstanding work of Detective Nate Steber, whose dedication and pursuit of the truth helped bring this case to a successful conclusion. Investigations involving the exploitation of children are among the most difficult cases law enforcement encounters,” stated Manitowoc County Sheriff Daniel Hartwig.
“While no sentence can erase the trauma these victims endured, it is our hope that today’s outcome provides a measure of closure and an opportunity for healing as they move forward. The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting children and holding those who abuse positions of trust fully accountable for their actions.”
Mishicot Police Chief Paul Granger stated, “This investigation began within our community and serves as a reminder that child exploitation can occur anywhere, even in places where families expect their children to be safest. From the moment these allegations were brought forward, the Mishicot Police Department, led by Detective James Brooks' diligent investigative efforts, took immediate action to ensure the allegations were thoroughly investigated and that the victims received the support and protection they deserved.”
“I am proud of the work performed by our officers and our law enforcement partners throughout this investigation. Today's sentence sends a clear message that individuals who use positions of trust and authority to exploit children will be identified, investigated, and held fully accountable. While no sentence can undo the harm caused to these victims, we hope this outcome provides a measure of justice and allows them to continue their healing journey. The Mishicot Police Department remains unwavering in its commitment to protecting children and pursuing those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our community.'"This case was investigated by the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, the Mishicot Police Department and with the assistance of the Manitowoc County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel R. Humble and Timothy W. Funnell.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Milwaukee Woman Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig sentenced Jasmeika Simon to one year and one day in federal prison for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(2). Simon operated a tax preparation business that filed hundreds of false and fraudulent returns on behalf of clients in exchange for fees.
According to court records, Simon worked as an independent contractor and tax preparer for “Unlimited Taxes and More,” a Georgia‑based tax preparation company with affiliates nationwide. From 2022 through 2024, she submitted more than 300 individual income tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) containing false information designed to inflate clients’ tax refunds. Simon repeatedly used fabricated items—including business expenses, Sick and Family Leave Credits, Fuel Credits, and ordinary dividends—to artificially increase refund amounts. She recruited clients through word‑of‑mouth and Facebook advertising, often preparing returns with minimal input from the taxpayers.
“Tax fraud steals from all honest Americans who work hard and pay their taxes honestly,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel. “This defendant committed tax fraud hundreds of times and rightly received a sentence to the federal penitentiary.”
In imposing the sentence, Judge Ludwig emphasized the seriousness of Simon’s conduct, the need for just punishment, and the importance of deterring others from engaging in similar fraud. Judge Ludwig also ordered Simon to pay more than $250,000 in restitution and to serve one year of supervised release following her prison term.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smyczek.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is 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.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Milwaukee Man Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 15, 2026, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig sentenced Cameron Summers to one year and one day in prison for two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(2). Summers claimed on his clients’ tax returns false expenses, credits, and refunds to which they were not entitled.
According to court records, Summers worked at a tax preparation business in Milwaukee beginning in 2018. From 2020 through 2022, he filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over 400 individual income tax returns for clients, using his name, preparer tax identification number, and business name. Summers repeatedly used false items on clients’ tax returns to inflate refund amounts, including false business expenses, Sick and Family Leave Credits, Fuel Credits, and Educational Tax Credits. Summers made notations stating that he had “boosted” the refund amount on some returns, and told the IRS, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), in an interview that he did everything he could to get a big refund, such as using whatever numbers were available and maximizing the credits.
During the hearing, Judge Ludwig noted several factors affecting the sentence, including the very serious nature of Summers’ criminal conduct, the loss to the IRS of over $1.1 million, and the need to provide adequate deterrence to others who might engage in such conduct. Judge Ludwig also ordered Summers to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution, and to serve one year of supervised release.
“When someone commits tax fraud, they are stealing from all Americans who work hard and pay their taxes honestly,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel. “Anyone who commits fraud should expect to be sent to the federal penitentiary, like this defendant.”
In addition, on April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is 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.
IRS-CI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Scully prosecuted.
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Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Miami Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge Connected to Cryptocurrency Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Florida man pled guilty in federal court in connection with a $1.8-billion cryptocurrency fraud scheme.
Rodney “Bitcoin Rodney,” Burton, 56, of Miami, who also has a residence in Prince George’s County, Maryland, pled guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business stemming from his role as a promoter of the cryptocurrency scam.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – New York.
According to the plea agreement, from June 2020 to January 2022, Burton conspired to provide unlicensed money transmitting services to promote HyperFund and used investors’ funds to enrich himself. HyperFund, which purported as a legitimate cryptocurrency investment platform, but in truth, was a global wire-fraud scheme that obtained $1.8 billion from victim-investors worldwide.
HyperFund’s promotional materials made various false claims, including that investors who purchased HyperFund “memberships” would receive between 0.5 and 1 percent daily in passive rewards until the company either doubled or tripled the investor’s initial investment. Additionally, HyperFund attempted to convince investors that it could generate such high rates of return by claiming that it would disburse payments, in part, from its revenues from large-scale crypto-mining operations. But HyperFund did not have such operations. Beginning in 2021, HyperFund began blocking investor withdrawals.
As part of the scheme, Burton controlled several companies that purported to offer consulting services but were in fact unlicensed money transmitting businesses. He personally received at least $7,851,711 in proceeds from the operation of the unlicensed money transmitting business, including from HyperFund victim-investors located in Maryland.
Burton faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, at 11 a.m., in front of U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the IRS-CI and HSI for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina A. Hoffman who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Mexican national sentenced to eight months after illegally reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Mexican national living in Bozeman who had illegally reentered the country was sentenced today to eight months incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Antonio Alfaro-Ramirez, 41, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of illegal reentry to the United States after removal.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Ramirez, after having been removed from the country three times previously, had again illegally reentered the U.S.
During an execution of a search warrant by the Missouri River Drug Task Force at a Bozeman apartment on Dec. 23, 2025, law enforcement officers found Ramirez. Accompanying the taskforce was a Border Patrol agent, who interviewed Ramirez as part of an immigration inspection. Ramirez confirmed his identity and acknowledged he had returned to the U.S. without proper documentation.
Ramirez was twice apprehended in Laredo, Texas, for illegally crossing into the U.S., first in 2006 and again in 2009. He was then apprehended in Eagle Pass, Texas, and deported again to Mexico in March 2020. December marked his fourth arrest for illegally entering the U.S.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
Mexican national sentenced to 12 years in prison for cocaine trafficking following Homeland Security Task Force investigationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was among 26 fugitives that the United States took into custody from Mexico on Aug. 12, 2025. The Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the transfers.
According to court documents, David Fernando Vasquez Bejarano, aka Acelerado, 49, was a Mexico-based source of supply for a drug trafficking organization responsible for importing kilogram quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl across the southern border into the United States and the repatriation of narcotics proceeds back into Mexico. Large quantities of the narcotics Vasquez Bejarano supplied were imported into the greater Washington, D.C., area by co-conspirators, including by truck and U.S. mail.
Vasquez Bejarano’s narcotics trafficking generated enormous proceeds. During a six-month period, Vasquez Bejarano supplied co-conspirators with narcotics for which he was paid over $6 million. In total, Vasquez Bejarano and his co-conspirators trafficked over 450 kilograms of cocaine and other narcotics.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin S. Starr and Edgardo J. Rodriguez and prosecuted 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 United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:22-cr-27.
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into United StatesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national was sentenced in federal court today by United States District Judge Stephen R. Bough to three months in federal prison without parole for illegal reentry by an alien previously convicted of a felony.
Genaro Torres-Rizo, 48, a citizen of Mexico living in Chillicothe, Mo., was arrested Feb. 22, 2025, in Chillicothe, Mo. Torres-Rizo has been removed five times from the United States and was convicted in the District of New Mexico of illegal reentry by a removed alien in 2013.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Mahoney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nichols. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Operation Take Back America
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.
Mercer County Woman Pleads Guilty to $175,731.31 Fraud Scheme Targeting Federal Veterans Health Care BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Karen Shea Radford, 47, of Princeton, pleaded guilty today to theft of government money. Radford admitted to stealing $175,731.31 from a United States Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits program through a false billing scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from June 29, 2017, through on or about August 14, 2023, Radford executed the fraud scheme while an owner of Healthcare Therapy Services LLC (HCTS), doing business as Medical Massage Therapy in Princeton. Radford submitted false bills to the Civilian Health and Medical Program of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) during the time period for medical services not rendered.
As part of her guilty plea, Radford admitted that HCTS provided massage services to two CHAMPVA beneficiaries once a week between June 29, 2017, and August 14, 2023, but billed the program $83,619.67 for one of these beneficiaries and $81,323.16 for the other by falsely claiming they received massages multiple days per week including weekends. Radford further admitted that she falsely billed CHAMPVA $10,695.29 for a third beneficiary between May 21, 2018, and May 16, 2022, and $93.19 for a fourth beneficiary between October 4, 2017, and October 11, 2017, all for services never performed.
Radford is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Radford also owes $175,731.31 in restitution.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, 2026, 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.
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. 1:26-cr-55.
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Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
There will be a press conference held on June 18, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the offices of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa located at the Ho-Chunk Building, Suite 670, 600 4th Street, Sioux City, Iowa. United States Attorney Leif Olson will announce charges related to the death of McKenna Wendell. Mr. Olson will be joined by:
- Ron Parsons, the United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota;
- Jon Thum, the Chief of Police of the Sioux Falls Police Department; and
- Mike Hockett, Special Agent in Charge of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
A press release will be available.
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McLaughlin Woman Sentenced to 13 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota woman convicted of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on June 8, 2026.
Tiauna Mirage Crow Ghost, age 29, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Crow Ghost was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025. She pleaded guilty on January 28, 2026.
On September 9, 2025, in McLaughlin, South Dakota, a Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer pulled Crow Ghost over because she was driving a vehicle reported stolen. The officer handcuffed Crow Ghost and placed her in the back seat of his squad car. Crow Ghost became upset and spat on the officer.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Crow Ghost was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve her federal sentence.