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4 June 2026
Rochester man going to prison on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Chad Burgess, 40, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute five grams of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 88 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
On March 26, 2025, the Niagara County Drug Taskforce executed a search warrant at a Locust Street residence for suspected narcotics trafficking. During the search, officers recovered approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 45 grams of crack cocaine. Burgess admitted that the methamphetamine and crack cocaine belonged to him, purchasing the drugs approximately 1-2 days prior.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Taskforce, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.
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Repeat Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Gainesville, Florida – Robert Anthony Yancy, Jr., 25, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Convicted felons are legally prohibited from possessing firearms because they have demonstrated through their criminality that they pose a danger to the law-abiding citizens of our community. Keeping our citizens safe from the predations of serial felons, like this defendant, remains a top priority for my office, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to deliver the safe streets our citizens deserve.”
Court documents reflect that on the evening of January 2, 2026, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the defendant’s vehicle. During the stop, law enforcement detected the odor of marijuana and saw evidence of marijuana inside, which led to a search of the vehicle. In addition to locating marijuana and a scale with residue, law enforcement found a handgun in the vehicle. The defendant cannot possess a handgun because he is a six-time prior convicted felon.
Yancy faces a maximum term of fifteen years’ imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.
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 available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Reno Man Indicted for Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
RENO – A Reno man made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday for allegedly sexually abusing a child on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, in Reno.
As alleged in the indictment, on December 1, 2025, Bruce Sanchez engaged in sexual contact with a nine-year-old child who is an enrolled member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony.
Sanchez was charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse within Indian Country and three counts of abusive sexual contact within Indian Country. United States Magistrate Judge Carla Baldwin set a trial to begin on August 4, 2026, before United States District Judge Anne R. Traum.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI Reno Resident Agency and Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Penelope Brady is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Reno Man Indicted for Second Degree Murder of a WomanRead the Press Release
RENO – A Reno man was charged in an indictment and made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Reno on Wednesday for allegedly murdering a woman in February 2022.
According to allegations in the indictment and statements made in court, on or about February 2, 2022, Delshay Astor participated in the murder of Anna Scott on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. Anna Scott was shot and killed, then her body was put into her car and set on fire. The victim was a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
“This indictment reflects my Office’s continued commitment to ensure that no victim is left behind, no matter how much time has passed,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “It is my hope that our pursuit of justice and accountability for Anna’s gruesome death will bring some comfort to Anna’s family, friends and community.”
“FBI Las Vegas has a strong, long-standing commitment to investigating violent crime on tribal lands alongside our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “We do not forget. We do not give up. And we will hold violent offenders accountable, no matter how long it takes.”
“While the arraignment of Mr. Astor on Wednesday does not bring Anna back, it serves as an important step in finally delivering justice to her family, friends, and community,” Sheriff Darin Balaam said. “While this complex investigation took over four years, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement partners did not forget, and we did not give up. Indicting Mr. Astor would not have been possible without the partnership of the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to holding those responsible accountable in a court of law.”
If convicted, Astor faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and Sheriff Darin Balaam for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
The FBI and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The United States Marshals Service also assisted with operational support. Assistant United States Attorney Penelope Brady is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Puerto Rico Pharmacies Agree to Pay $4.6 Million to Federal Authorities in Medicare and Medicaid Fraud CasesRead the Press Release
San Juan, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico has recovered over $4.1 million from four Puerto Rico pharmacies and their owners during the period from February 26 to May 28, 2026.
The pharmacies and owners have agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegation of Medicare and Medicaid fraud between January 2021 and January 2024, for billing for diverted prescriptions sold to unsuspecting patients which had been misrepresented as properly sourced, despite unverifiable origins. Officials warn that such practices threaten patient safety and the integrity of federal health programs, which require medications to come from approved distributors. Diverted drugs may be improperly stored or handled, affecting their safety and effectiveness. The below-listed pharmacies and their owners agreed to pay and have paid the civil penalties outlined below:
Pharmacy
Owner(s)
Amount of Penalties
Amount of Penalties Collected to Date
Farmacia Unity (Aibonito)
Raúl Morera
Enid Rivera
$600,000
$165,000
Farmacia La Rampla (Yabucoa)
Edwin Gómez
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
Farmacia Monte Verde (Bayamón)
María T. Rivera
Valerie Cintrón
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
Farmacia Santa Olaya (Bayamón)
Jaime Figueroa
$2,000,000
$2,000,000
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, with support from other federal and local agencies.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rafael López Rivera investigated and prosecuted the cases.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Previously Removed Illegal Alien from Mexico Charged for Drug an Immigration Crimes in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a previously removed illegal alien from Mexico with drug and immigration crimes after law enforcement seized drugs from a residence in Salt Lake County.
Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Diaz, 40, residing illegally in West Jordan, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on May 19, 2026.
According to allegations in court documents, on May 14, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in West Jordan. Prior to the execution of the search warrant, Gonzalez-Diaz, the target of the investigation, was located by law enforcement in his vehicle. During the search of Gonzalez-Diaz’s residence, law enforcement located and seized 471 grams of fentanyl pills, 120 grams of heroin, and 303 grams of methamphetamine. All the drugs field-tested positive. According to immigration officials, Gonzalez-Diaz is not a citizen of the United States and has been removed from the United States on at least one prior occasion.
Gonzalez-Diaz is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and reentry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Pete Reichman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Plymouth Man Indicted on Production of Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 2, 2026, Christopher L. Rentmeester (age 45, of Plymouth) was federally indicted for the production of child pornography. The indictment charges Rentmeester with two counts of production of child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and 2251(e). The criminal conduct is alleged to have occurred between 2022 and 2024.
Rentmeester faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, on each count if convicted.
The Plymouth Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick.
An indictment contains allegations only and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Use of Stolen Identities and Credit Card Information in Rental Car Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 54 months of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal identity theft laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on William Knight, 32, on June 3, 2026.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around October 2022 to in and around February 2023, Knight and other conspirators used personal identification information and credit card numbers of individuals that the conspirators had purchased through the dark web to rent vehicles from a rental car company. An employee of the rental car company was also part of the conspiracy. The conspirators then rented the vehicles to others in the community, many of whom were involved in drug trafficking and other illegal conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Secret Service and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Knight.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms Stolen During Gun Store RobberyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on June 3, 2026, to possessing stolen firearms, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Jaemir Beard, 19, of the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on March 17, 2025, Beard and two juvenile males were found in possession of six firearms that had been stolen from a firearms store in Mars, Pennsylvania, through a burglary earlier that day. Beard and one of the juveniles were attempting to sell the firearms through social media and text messages. At the time of his arrest, Beard also was in possession of a key to the stolen vehicle used in the commission of the burglary.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 1, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 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 defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Barbara K. Doolittle is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Northern Regional Police Department, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Beard.
Philadelphia Man Charged with Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Preston Serrano, aka “Jared,” “naggotfiggas,” and “6_____#0,” 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with three counts of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct, three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession and attempted possession of child pornography.
The defendant has been detained in federal custody since May 6, following his arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant.
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, from approximately April 2022 to October 2025, Serrano used online platforms to sexually exploit several minor girls, persuading these minors to self-produce sexually explicit images or videos of themselves and send these images to him. The indictment also alleges that he received and possessed child pornography.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Philadelphia, with assistance from HSI Norfolk, the Newport News (Va.) Police Department, the Chatham County (Ga.) Police Department, and the Thunder Bay Police Department in Ontario, Canada, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Morgan.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Make and Distribute Animal Crush Videos Involving MonkeysRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati today to conspiring to create and distribute “animal crush” videos through his active participation in certain online groups. The videos depicted extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
According to court documents, Hugh T. Campbell conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against monkeys. Making and sharing such videos violates the federal anti-animal crush law.
Campbell and his co-conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to carry out requested acts of torture on camera. As stated in a court document, Campbell sent chats commenting on torture videos including “That video was awesome. Nice and gruesome,” and “It’s just so unsatisfying to see a live monkey at the end.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gercace II for the Southern District of Ohio, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie for the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the FBI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.
Pair Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl, Meth, and Cocaine and from FloridaRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of men from Southwest Virginia, who regularly drove to Florida and brought fentanyl, cocaine, and kilograms of methamphetamine back into the Commonwealth for redistribution, were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Terry Brandon Watson, 41, of Atkins, Virginia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Marcus Hunter Moran, 30, of Marion, Virginia, was previously sentenced to five years in federal prison. Both men previously pled guilty to charges related to that conduct.
“This office will aggressively pursue those who target our citizens with fentanyl, methamphetamine and other narcotics,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I applaud the work of the FBI and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office in helping ensure accountability in this case.”
According to court documents, in February 2025 the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Watson and Moran were regularly traveling from Smyth County, Virginia to Florida to pick up controlled substances to sell in the Western District of Virginia.
Beginning on March 15, 2025, law enforcement began tracking Watson and Moran’s car as the pair traveled to Florida to pick up a load of illegal drugs. The following day, law enforcement stopped Moran and Watson as they returned from Florida. Moran was driving and Watson was in the passenger seat. Officers found two pounds of methamphetamine in the passenger compartment, along with two ounces of fentanyl and an ounce of powdered cocaine.
The investigation showed that Moran and Watson had traveled from the Western District to Florida at least four times to pick up methamphetamine and other drugs. Each time, Moran drove the vehicle for Watson. On other occasions, Watson used other drivers to make the trip.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.
Oregon Man Indicted for Bomb Threats Made to Ohio SchoolsRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – As a result of ongoing investigations into several bomb threats made to schools in northern Ohio, an 18-year-old man from Oregon has now been indicted.
On June 3, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Nathan Hayes, 18, of Sweet Home, Oregon, with six counts of making Threatening Communications Involving Explosives.
Allegations in the indictment indicate that the threats were made on or about March 4 to the following schools located in the Northern District of Ohio:
- Ottawa Hills High School, Lucas County, Ohio
- Bowling Green High School, Wood County, Ohio
- Shaker Heights High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Rocky River High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Auburn Career Center, Lake County, Ohio
- Cardinal High School, Geauga County, Ohio
According to a criminal complaint filed May 21, law enforcement began investigating bomb threats earlier this year that were made to at least 17 high schools in Ohio. The threats resulted in multiple schools being placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for bombs or other signs of terrorism. However, the threats were found to be swatting, or hoax, calls originating from out of state. Following an investigation, federal agents identified Hayes as the caller. As alleged in the criminal complaint and affidavit, he used multiple aliases to threaten schools and organizations, offered swatting services for sale, and doxed at least one person in Illinois. Doxing is the act of publicly revealing someone's private, personally identifying information online without their consent. He also monitored media coverage to see public reaction to his swatting calls. Hayes is set for an initial appearance in federal court on June 12.
If convicted Hayes faces up to 10 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorney Dexter L. Phillips is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
One of Atlanta Police Department's Top 5 Most Wanted Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Marcus Lydell Molden, Jr, who was recently listed on the Atlanta Police Department’s top five fugitives list, has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the federal charges, Molden also faces charges in Fulton County for various violent crimes and gang-related offenses.
“A convicted felon several times over, Marcus Molden was strictly prohibited from possessing any firearm, let alone an illegally converted machinegun with an extended magazine,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thankfully, shortly after Molden secured a position on the Atlanta Police Department’s ignoble ‘most wanted’ list, federal and local law enforcement captured him, seized his ultra-dangerous weapon, and made our community safer.”
“Violent offenders must understand there are serious consequences for the illegal possession of firearms. ATF and our law enforcement partners will dedicate all necessary time and resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.
“Getting Marcus Molden off the streets was a priority for the Atlanta Police Department because of the danger he posed to our community,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “I am proud of the officers and investigators whose relentless work led to his arrest, and I am grateful for the strong partnership with our federal law enforcement partners that helped bring this case to a successful outcome. This guilty plea reflects the impact of coordinated enforcement efforts and our shared commitment to holding violent offenders accountable. Most importantly, it means a dangerous offender has been removed from our streets, making Atlanta safer for the residents, businesses, and visitors we serve every day.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In the summer of 2025, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) classified Molden, a convicted felon, as one of APD’s most wanted fugitives. In July 2025, officers and detectives with APD’s gangs and automobile crimes units, along with federal law enforcement partners, observed Molden enter the passenger seat of a vehicle with a firearm tucked in his waistband.
After stopping the vehicle, officers found a black Glock pistol under the passenger seat. The magazine was designed to hold up to 22 rounds of ammunition, and a machinegun conversion device, which allowed the gun to function as a fully automatic firearm, was attached to the pistol.
Sentencing for Marcus Lydell Molden, Jr, a/k/a Meat, 25, is scheduled for September 15, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Members of the public are reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent of the pending Fulton County charges, and it will be the State’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The federal case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Atlanta Police Department.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve A. Hsieh 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justin Antonio Jones, 40, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to six years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 29, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in Mingo County, West Virginia. During the traffic stop, officers heard what they believed was the sound of a slide moving on a semi-automatic firearm coming from the area of another vehicle parked nearby. Officers investigated the sound and encountered Jones standing by the other vehicle. Jones ignored officers when they directed him to show his hands and began walking away. Officers saw Jones place an object beneath the passenger side front tire of that vehicle and recovered a Keltec model PF-9 9mm pistol from that spot.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Jones knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance on October 27, 2008, and on May 22, 2012, both in Mingo County Circuit Court.
Jones has a criminal history that includes four additional felony convictions, also for drug offenses, and was serving a term of probation imposed in Kentucky at the time of his current offense.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-191.
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Oahu Man Indicted for Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Fletcher Bailey Kop, 41, of Oahu, Hawaii, was indicted on June 4, 2026 for receiving and possessing child pornography. Kop was previously charged by criminal complaint on April 21, 2026 and has been detained since his arrest.
According to court records, Kop was identified as a potential witness to a burglary in December 2025. As part of the investigation, Kop consented to a search of his cellphone, which uncovered over 100 images of child pornography, including of girls aged 10-12 years old engaged in sexual acts with adult men. Federal investigators obtained a warrant to continue searching Kop’s phone and uncovered over 60 videos constituting child pornography. Some of the videos were of girls potentially as young as 5 years old.
If convicted, Kop faces up to 20 years in prison, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, and fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker is prosecuting 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Norfolk woman sentenced to over a year in prison for embezzling from her employer to pay gambling debtsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to a year and six months in prison for wire fraud relating to her embezzlement of over $123,000.
According to court documents, Katherine Louise Henderson, 55, was employed as the treasurer for a manufacturer of brake products in Norfolk and had access to the company’s financial records and accounts, including the ability to approve payroll. To cover losses incurred through online gambling and to support her shopping habit, Henderson embezzled funds from the company by issuing herself unauthorized payroll funds above her salary. She also created a payroll account for her husband despite the fact he never worked for the company and was unaware that Henderson had created a payroll account for him.
Henderson intercepted vendor payments and diverted them to her personal accounts, then changed the company’s records to make it appear the payments had been successfully deposited into company accounts. Henderson’s fraud was discovered in August 2023 while she was on vacation. During her absence, a company employee requested payment from a vendor. The vendor provided proof that the payment had already been made and an investigation revealed that the payment had been diverted to Henderson’s account.
In total, Henderson embezzled $123,104.42 from her employer.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-14.
New York City Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Gerry Lasain Hardy, age 43, of New York City, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for failing to register as a sex offender after relocating to New York City.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that from June 2024 and continuing to March 2026, despite being required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), upon relocating to New York, Hardy failed to register his address as required by SORNA.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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New River Couple Sentenced for $12 Million AHCCCS Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Thvoughn Lynden Curry, 34, and Alexis Daneen Curry, 34, both of New River, Arizona, were sentenced Monday by Senior U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow for their role in a scheme to defraud the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid Agency, of over $12 million.
Both defendants were previously convicted at trial of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, three counts of Health Care Fraud, and eight counts of Transactional Money Laundering following a four-day bench trial earlier this year. Thvoughn Curry was sentenced to 88 months in prison, and Alexis Curry was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Both were also ordered to three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of over $12 million to AHCCCS.
“The President tasked us to eliminate fraud and recoup every taxpayer dollar possible, and we’ve delivered in this case, bringing the Currys to justice for stealing millions from the government,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Beyond their own fraud, the Currys also preyed upon Arizonans fighting deadly addictions, placing them in imminent danger, with some victims overdosing on illicit drugs under 1 Family Clinic’s care. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use every legal means available to track down and prosecute fraudsters and protect vulnerable citizens.”
“Healthcare fraud is a direct attack on our community’s safety net,” said IRS-CI Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “The Currys diverted millions from Arizona’s Medicaid program to line their own pockets, depleting vital resources from those who depend on these services. These sentences reflect the seriousness of that harm and reinforce IRS-CI commitment to protecting the integrity of taxpayer funded healthcare programs. Those who abuse these systems and violate the public’s trust can expect to be held accountable.”
"Fraud on this scale is not just a financial crime, it directly harms the vulnerable populations AHCCCS exists to serve,” said Roberta Harrison, Interim Director of AHCCCS. “This sentencing reflects the strength of our partnerships with law enforcement and underscores our commitment to aggressively pursuing those who attempt to misuse public funds.”
“The successful conviction and six-year prison sentence in this case are the direct result of outstanding collaboration between our law enforcement partners," said Mesa Police Chief Dan Butler. "Complex investigations often extend beyond the jurisdiction of a single agency, and this case highlights the importance of sharing resources, information, and expertise. We appreciate the efforts of every investigator, prosecutor, and agency involved in bringing this case to a successful conclusion and ensuring justice was served.”
The Currys defrauded AHCCCS through “1 Family Clinic, LLC,” their purported outpatient behavioral health clinic in Mesa, Arizona. They first defrauded AHCCCS by submitting a fraudulent application to enroll as an AHCCCS provider, falsely claiming that Alexis Curry was the sole owner and manager. In the application, the Currys did not disclose Thvoughn Curry’s role in the business, even though they were required to do so because he was an owner and managing employee. At the time, Thvoughn Curry had an active, outstanding warrant for state felony fraud charges.
Once approved by AHCCCS based on the fraudulent application, the Currys engaged in fraudulent billing practices. Between approximately Feb. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2023, the Currys routinely billed AHCCCS in a uniform, nearly identical pattern for services that were not actually provided. The Currys targeted AHCCCS’s American Indian Health Plan for fraudulent billing. Throughout the course of the scheme, 1 Family billed an average of more than 12 hours of service per member per day. The clinic, however, was open for far fewer hours than that, and even when the clinic was open, 1 Family failed to provide the licensed substance abuse therapy they billed to AHCCCS.
Prosectors further argued in court documents that the Curry’s conduct preyed on vulnerable, low-income Arizonans with real treatment and rehabilitation needs. According to medical records, residents were often left unsupervised, with several overdosing and experiencing life threatening health emergencies.
As a result of their fraudulent billings, AHCCCS paid 1 Family Clinic more than $12 million—funds that were intended to be used for legitimate healthcare services for low-income individuals.
The evidence at trial showed that the Currys spent much of the money they received from AHCCCS on themselves. They purchased properties and luxury vehicles, including a 2019 Lamborghini Urus for more than $300,000.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this case and received substantial assistance from the Mesa Police Department and AHCCCS-Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Corbet and Lindsay Short, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-1293
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-091_Curry
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Controlled Substances Act and Federal Gun Control Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On May 27, 2026, REUBEN WEBB (“WEBB”), age 33, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to two counts of a four-count indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and the Federal Gun Control Acts, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. In Count 2, WEBB is charged with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). In Count 3, WEBB is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry will sentence WEBB on September 2, 2026.
According to court documents, beginning in August 2024, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, (ATF) conducted a joint criminal investigation within the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans. On September 9, 2024, NOPD conducted surveillance from the Real Time Crime Center, focusing on the 8800 block of Fig Street. While conducting surveillance, detectives observed a known individual standing on the front porch of a residence, in possession of a firearm. Minutes later, WEBB arrived at the same residence, driving a gray Jaguar F-Pace with no license plate. WEBB exited the driver’s seat while possessing a firearm. Shortly after, WEBB walked to a nearby store. Uniformed officers entered the store and attempted to apprehend WEBB, but he fled the store. Officers detained WEBB shortly thereafter. When the officers searched WEBB’s waistband area, they discovered a Glock Model 29 Gen 4, 10-millimeter pistol, bearing serial number BYWN588. The firearm was equipped with a magazine containing fifteen (15) live rounds of 10mm ammunition with one live round in the chamber.
After WEBB’s September 2024 arrest, members of law enforcement continued to investigate him. After learning that he continued to illegally possess firearms and engage in drug trafficking, despite being on bond from his earlier arrest, NOPD detectives obtained a search warrant for WEBB’s Instagram account. This search revealed pictures of WEBB in possession of firearms and Tapentadol. The search also revealed messages regarding the sale of controlled substances between WEBB and others. In response, detectives obtained court authorization to monitor WEBB’s location.
On May 15, 2025, NOPD detectives located WEBB in the same 2019 Jaguar F-Pace car as before and detained him. A narcotics-trained canine was deployed to conduct an open-air sniff investigation upon WEBB’s vehicle. The canine alerted to the right and left door handles of the vehicle. As a result, after obtaining a search warrant for WEBB’s vehicle, officers located yet another Glock Model 29, Gen 4, 10-millimeter pistol, bearing serial number BNTG133, inside of the glove box.
A search warrant was also obtained for WEBB’s residence in the 2400 block of General Ogden Street. During the search, detectives recovered items/paraphernalia used by drug traffickers for distributing controlled substances, including packaging materials, two digital scales, a vacuum sealer, as well as 180 tablets of Tapentadol.
Additionally, officers recovered a stolen, Kel-Tec Model PLR-16, AR-15 pistol, bearing serial number PD468, one (1) live round of 10mm caliber ammunition, two (2) boxes of .223 live rounds of ammunition, one (1) live round of .40 caliber ammunition, one black magazine containing thirty-eight (38) live rounds of 2.23x56 caliber ammunition, and one Magpul 60 round drum magazine.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Mexico Man Gets Life in Federal Prison for 2023 Carjacking MurderRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A New Mexico man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to life in prison for the carjacking, kidnapping and murder of a Las Cruces man, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in December 2023, Brayden Matthew Alvarado, 23, of Vado, New Mexico, carjacked a man before driving him onto Fort Bliss desert property and fatally shooting him in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun.
On Dec. 13, 2023, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division conducted a crime scene investigation and collected the body of a deceased individual. Two days later, an autopsy identified the individual as Abel Patrick Tarin, who had previously been reported missing by the Las Cruces Police Department and Dona Ana Sheriff’s Office.
Tarin’s vehicle was subsequently located, having been towed and impounded in El Paso. A search of the vehicle resulted in blood evidence and the discovery of a gunshot hole on the interior, as well as several fingerprints belonging to Alvarado. Further investigation led to Alvarado’s arrest on Dec. 22, 2023.
Alvarado was indicted on Jan. 17, 2024. On Aug. 14, 2025, a federal jury found him guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking resulting in death. The kidnapping conviction carries a mandatory life in prison penalty.
The FBI, Army CID, El Paso Police Department, and Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Rasmussen, Lori Hughes and Patricia Acosta prosecuted the case.
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New Hampshire Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Robbing Five Massachusetts BanksRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for committing a string of five bank robberies across Northern Massachusetts.
Reinaldo Ortiz, 47, of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 57 months in prison, to be followed three years of supervised release, with six months in home confinement. In November 2025, Ortiz pleaded guilty to five counts of bank robbery. Ortiz was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in January 2023 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.
Between March 9 and March 24, 2022, Ortiz drove from New Hampshire to Massachusetts and robbed a string of banks in Fitchburg, Lowell, Chelmsford, Wilmington and Lexington, obtaining approximately $21,709. Ortiz entered each of the banks disguised in a mask and demanded cash from the teller’s drawer. When the tellers complied, Ortiz made off with several thousand dollars in cash and fled the scene of the robbery. A subsequent investigation found Ortiz’s fingerprints on a glove discarded outside one of the robbed banks and that his cellphone movement was consistent with the robbery route.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Tolkoff and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Healthcare Fraud Unit Secures Six Trial Convictions Involving over $1.1 Billion in Fraud in Under Three Weeks: Convictions Span five Federal Districts & six Distinct Categories of Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division today announced that its Health Care Fraud Unit, one of the most active white-collar litigating components across the Department, secured federal jury trial convictions in six trials in just under three weeks. The convictions in six trials between May 13 and June 1 spanned federal courtrooms across the United States, including in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York and Nashville.
Six trial convictions in under three weeks ties the Health Care Fraud Unit record for number of trials to result in a conviction in a single month period. The cases behind these recent convictions, however, represent a greater level of sophistication and complexity: more than $1.1 billion in fraud losses across six distinct schemes, including a digital health platform that industrialized Medicare fraud at national scale, a proactive data-driven prosecution of a physician who out-billed every other Medicare provider in the country for Botox, and prosecutions requiring simultaneous command of health care data analytics, financial forensics, sophisticated digital evidence, and expert testimony. These results reflect not merely the volume of trials but the caliber of the Fraud Division’s trial practice that carried each one of them to conviction. The Health Care Fraud Unit has completed nine trials to date in 2026 (all of which have resulted in convictions) and 17 trials in 2025, maintaining an extraordinary pace of white-collar trial activity.
The Health Care Fraud Unit operates through an integrated team model, pairing specialized trial-ready prosecutors with data analysts, investigators, and paralegals who work together from the opening of an investigation through the return of a verdict. Leadership reinforces this specialization and emphasis on trial preparation: specialized Assistant Chiefs for Trials oversee and support trial teams across the country, facilitating trial preparedness and institutional knowledge. The results demonstrated over this period reflect a team of trial lawyers who are prepared to take cases to trial and hold accountable those who defraud our nation’s health care programs and steal from the American taxpayer.
“What sets the Fraud Division apart is not only our ability to proactively detect, investigate and dismantle fraud schemes before they cause further harm, but the depth and skill of the trial lawyers who carry those cases across the finish line. The American people should rest assured that we are prepared to seek accountability at trial for health care fraudsters, whether for a $1 million fraud in Michigan or a $1 billion fraud in South Florida,” said Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Fraud Division is providing full-spectrum accountability to any fraudster who seeks to use Americans’ hard-earned savings as their personal piggy-bank.”
United States v. Blackman Trial Conviction (Industrial-Scale Telehealth Platform Fraud, $1 Billion):
Brett Blackman was the founder and CEO of HealthSplash, which owned DMERx, an internet platform that did not facilitate legitimate medicine but instead industrialized fraud. Foreign call centers blasted spam mailers targeting hundreds of thousands of Medicare’s most vulnerable patients, pressuring elderly beneficiaries into accepting medically unnecessary orthotic braces. When patients agreed, DMERx connected the leads to telemedicine companies that took illegal kickbacks in exchange for signing bogus physicians’ orders, orders that falsely certified a doctor had personally examined the patient, when in many cases the doctor never spoke with them at all. The government’s undercover agent posed as a Medicare beneficiary and documented the scheme in real time: a foreign call center pushed the agent into multiple braces, and a DMERx doctor then signed orders claiming to have conducted in-person tests that are physically impossible to perform remotely. To conceal the conspiracy, Blackman and his co-conspirators manipulated physicians’ orders to evade Medicare audits and used sham contracts to disguise kickback flows. All told, the scheme generated more than $1 billion in false billings, of which Medicare paid more than $450 million. Blackman was convicted of health care fraud conspiracy, kickback conspiracy, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. His co-defendant Gary Cox, convicted at a prior trial, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (Southern District of Florida)
United States v. Mailyan Trial Conviction (Proactive Data Driven Lead for Botox Billing Fraud: Obstruction, Fabricated Records, $45 Million):
This prosecution began not with a witness or a complaint, but with a data anomaly. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team identified Dr. Violetta Mailyan as a statistical extreme: she had been paid more by Medicare for Botox injections than any other physician in the United States, collecting more than $24 million over four years, roughly six times the next-highest provider group, all neurologists. What the data predicted, the trial evidence confirmed. Mailyan billed for thousands of Botox injections that were never administered, including while she was on vacation in Cabo, Mexico; Maui, Hawaii; Las Vegas; Pennsylvania; and New York. She billed for a patient who was federally incarcerated at the time of the purported injection. She submitted more than $19 million in claims on days when her clinic was closed. She back-dated claims to bill for injections purportedly provided before patients had even contacted her clinic to request an appointment. When federal investigators closed in and a grand jury subpoena arrived, Mailyan fabricated and back-dated patient consent forms and medical records and delivered the altered documents to agents, adding obstruction charges to the fraud counts. Post-verdict, the jury found a Tesla Model X, a Tesla Cybertruck, brokerage accounts valued at over $7.3 million, and four California properties subject to forfeiture as proceeds of the fraud. (Central District of California)
United States v. Scott Trial Conviction (Home Health Kickback Network: Hospital Nurse Bribed via CashApp, Stolen Patient Identities):
Ruby Scott, a licensed nurse and owner of Delta Home Health Care LLC in Michigan, built her patient pipeline by corrupting a hospital discharge nurse, a relationship she had first cultivated at a prior employer and then carried with her when she launched Delta. The nurse used her hospital access to identify Medicare patients and fax their confidential records to Delta without their knowledge or consent. Scott transmitted over $130,000 in illegal kickbacks to the nurse through CashApp, PayPal, check, and cash. Scott then used those stolen patient profiles to bill Medicare for home health services, falsely certifying that physicians had evaluated and cleared the patients as homebound, when in fact no physician had ever seen them for that purpose. Scott went further, appropriating the identities of real doctors to fabricate the existence of physician certifications those doctors never performed. A witness testified that one patient for whom Delta collected thousands of dollars in payments had never received any services from the company at all. Delta failed to maintain records for over one-third of its billed patients, patients for whom Medicare paid more than $1.2 million. Total losses exceeded $1.6 million. Scott was convicted of five counts of health care fraud, conspiracy, and four counts of paying illegal kickbacks. (Eastern District of Michigan)
United States v. Brown-Arkah Trial Conviction (Substance Abuse Clinic as Narcotics Hub: Narcotics Diversion, Undercover Video, $52 Million):
Tony Brown-Arkah owned American Medical Centers, a Brooklyn clinic nominally offering substance abuse treatment that functioned in practice as a vehicle for drug diversion, kickbacks, and large-scale fraud against Medicare and Medicaid. The clinic lured patients by prescribing Suboxone, a Schedule III narcotic used to treat opioid use disorder that, as a trial witness testified, is commonly abused by prison inmates by boiling the medication and administering it as eye drops, then directed patients who did not want their prescriptions to a van parked on the clinic steps where they could sell them for cash. Prescriptions were signed by a nurse practitioner who lived in Florida and never saw or spoke with patients. Laboratory results showing the absence of Suboxone in patients’ systems, a significant clinical red flag for diversion, were ignored. Brown-Arkah billed Medicare and Medicaid for office visits where he, a non-clinician, was the only person who met with the patient, and for services that were never provided at all. He paid patients cash kickbacks to recruit additional patients and received thousands of dollars monthly from a laboratory in exchange for referring patients to unnecessary testing, concealing those payments through a shell company and sham contracts, and then lying to law enforcement about them. A confidential source captured Brown-Arkah on undercover video offering an illegal cash kickback, during which he described competitors who engage in the same conduct and observed, apparently without self-awareness: “that’s why they go to jail.” Total fraud losses exceeded $52 million across Medicare and Medicaid. (Eastern District of New York)
United States v. Popovych Trial Conviction (Physical Therapy Clinic Kickback Ring: Ambulette Drivers, Coded Texts, Falsified Records)
Olga Popovych managed a network of Brooklyn physical therapy clinics whose patient referral pipeline ran not through physician referrals but through cash payments to ambulette drivers, the operators who transported Medicare patients from their homes to therapy appointments. Popovych was personally involved in distributing the kickbacks and communicated about them with co-conspirators through coded text messages, having suspected law enforcement was watching the clinics. To conceal who was actually providing care, Popovych falsified medical records to indicate that licensed physical therapists had treated patients on days those therapists were not present at the clinic. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid the clinics more than $8 million on the strength of those fabricated records. Evidence at trial also showed Popovych took steps to conceal the scheme when she suspected surveillance, communicating in code with co-conspirators about the payment of kickbacks. After a one-week trial, the jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements, four counts of health care fraud, and three counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. (Eastern District of New York)
United States v. Marks Trial Conviction (Nurse Prescribed Nearly 1 Million Highly Addictive Opioid Pills to Tennessee Community)
Heather Marks was an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner who was licensed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to distribute controlled substances. Marks prescribed controlled substances to patients seeking pain treatment at Lifeforce Pain and Wellness (Lifeforce), a pain clinic located in Carthage, Tennessee. Lifeforce was a small, rural clinic that purported to provide pain treatment. Marks and others overprescribed highly addictive opioids, including oxycodone and oxymorphone, to Lifeforce patients from September 2016 through May 2018. Marks herself prescribed nearly a million opioid pills to almost 1,000 Lifeforce patients over the course of the conspiracy. These patients were often addicted to illegal drugs and the opioids Marks and others prescribed to them at Lifeforce. Marks ignored obvious signs of Lifeforce patients taking illegal drugs at the time she prescribed them opioids, which put these patients in danger of overdosing. Marks further prescribed opioids to Lifeforce patients who she knew were likely selling the opioids on the street. Lifeforce patients would often travel hundreds of miles to obtain opioid prescriptions at Lifeforce because they knew Marks would prescribe the opioids they needed to either abuse or sell on the street. The jury convicted Marks of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and eight counts of illegally distributing controlled substances. (Middle District of Tennessee)
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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.
Since March 2007, the National Fraud Division’s Health Care Strike Force program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, 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.
NYPD, ATF, and SDNY Bring Relief to Sotomayor Houses Residents—Charge 10 Members and Associates of Violent Bronx Street GangRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), Bryan DiGirolamo, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging 10 defendants with participating in a years-long racketeering conspiracy as members of the violent Bronxdale/YDS gang that included multiple attempted murders, assaults, armed robberies, and other crimes between 2020 and May 2026. Two defendants, EDWIN POZO, a/k/a “Swerv,” and SETH COLON, were arrested yesterday, and soon both will have been presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Stein, COLON yesterday and POZO today. The eight remaining defendants, MODOU TOURAY, a/k/a “LDOT,” JEREMIAH MARTINEZ, a/k/a “JJ,” JERIMIAH MORGAN, a/k/a “Goon,” TYSHAWN MORRIS, a/k/a “YaYa,” DAMION ELLIOT, a/k/a “Upit,” DAVON BEST KELLY, a/k/a “Benz,” NYJAH WYNTER, a/k/a “Glizzy,” and RAEKWON KING, a/k/a “Buzzin,” are in custody in other jurisdictions and will be transferred to the Southern District of New York. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
“As alleged, the Bronxdale/YDS gang wreaked havoc on the residents of the Sotomayor Houses for years,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “With this indictment, the NYPD, ATF, and SDNY bring some measure of relief to the Sotomayor Houses residents, and the members and associates of the Bronxdale/YDS gang will face justice for their alleged crimes. New York public housing cannot be a haven for gang activity, and the women and men of our Office are fighting every day to rid New York public housing of gun-toting, drug-dealing, violent gangs.”
“For too long, these ten defendants, members of the Bronxdale/YDS gang, treated our communities as their own violent playground,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “They shot a victim in the chest, slashed a rival in the neck, conspired to commit armed robberies of drug dealers, and terrorized the residents at the Sotomayor Houses. Their criminality had no limits as they committed wire fraud and other illegal activities across New York City. Thanks to the hard work of our NYPD investigators, alongside our partners at the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, we are ensuring violent criminals are held accountable and keeping New Yorkers safe.”
“Violent street gangs thrive on fear, intimidation, and the reckless use of firearms, but these charges send a clear message: those who endanger our communities will be identified, investigated, and held accountable,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo. “The success of this year-long investigation is a testament to the exceptional collaboration between the ATF-NYPD Crime Gun Enforcement Team and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Together, we are leveraging intelligence, technology, and relentless investigative work to disrupt violent criminal networks and protect the people of New York. ATF remains steadfast in its mission to combat violent gun crime and support our law enforcement partners in pursuing justice.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:
From at least in or about 2020 through at least in or about May 2026, TOURAY, MARTINEZ, MORGAN, COLON, MORRIS, POZO, ELLIOT, KELLY, WYNTER, KING, and others known and unknown were members and associates of Bronxdale/YDS (short for “Youngest” or “Youngins” “Doin Shit”), a street gang and organization that operated principally in the Sotomayor Houses, a public housing development of the New York City Housing Authority (previously named the Bronxdale Houses) in the Bronx, New York. Members and associates of Bronxdale/YDS engaged in, among other activities, acts involving murder, assault, robbery, the distribution of controlled substances, and wire and bank fraud in and around the greater metropolitan area of New York City, including in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, in New York counties north of New York City, and in parts of New Jersey. In addition to being charged with participation in the alleged racketeering conspiracy, several of the defendants are charged with additional offenses, including:
On or about May 24, 2021, MORRIS and POZO slashed a man believed to be a rival gang member with a knife, causing a large laceration on his neck.
On or about May 13, 2022, MORRIS struck a rival gang member in the head with a metal rod, causing a laceration to that rival gang member’s head.
On or about September 29, 2023, TOURAY and MORGAN used a firearm to shoot an individual, striking that individual in the chest.
From at least in or about 2020 through at least in or about 2024, TOURAY, MARTINEZ, MORGAN, ELLIOT, WYNTER, POZO, and MORRIS conspired to commit armed robberies of drug dealers in the Bronx and elsewhere.
On or about October 2, 2024, TOURAY and KELLY committed a gunpoint robbery of a rideshare driver in the Bronx.
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A chart containing the names, charges, and minimum and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.
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 defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and the ATF. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bergen County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations & Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon D. Harper and Jared D. Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
ChargeDefendantsMinimum and Maximum PenaltiesCount One
Racketeering Conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
MODOU TOURAY
TYSHAWN MORRIS
JEREMIAH MARTINEZ
JERIMIAH MORGAN
NYJAH WYNTER
DAMION ELLIOT
DAVON BEST KELLY
SETH COLON
EDWIN POZO
RAEKWON KING
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Two
Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and (a)(5), and 2
TYSHAWN MORRIS
EDWIN POZO
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Three
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and 2
TYSHAWN MORRISMaximum: 20 years in prisonCount Four
Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and (a)(5), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Five
Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery
MODOU TOURAY
JEREMIAH MARTINEZ
JERIMIAH MORGAN
DAMION ELLIOT
NYJAH WYNTER
EDWIN POZO
TYSHAWN MORRIS
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Six
Hobbs Act Robbery
18 U.S.C. § 1951 and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Seven
Firearms Offense
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (ii), and (iii), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: Life in prison
Minimum: 10 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed
Count Eight
Hobbs Act Robbery
18 U.S.C. § 1951 and 2
MODOU TOURAY
DAVON BEST KELLY
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Nine
Firearms Offense
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), and (ii), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
DAVON BEST KELLY
Maximum: Life in prison
Minimum: 10 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed
Count Ten
Possession of Ammunition after Felony Conviction
18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)
JERIMIAH MORGANMaximum: 15 years in prison^
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Mustang Man Charged with Distributing Synthetic Opioid Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal indictment has been unsealed, charging SHANE MICHAEL BURGESS, 24, of Mustang, Oklahoma, with distributing a controlled substance analogue resulting in death, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to the Indictment, on December 12, 2025, Burgess distributed a substance containing N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, a synthetic opioid known as cychlorphine, to another individual. The Indictment further alleges that the recipient died as a result of using the cychlorphine distributed by Burgess.
On June 2, 2026, a federal grand jury charged Burgess with distribution of a controlled substance analogue resulting in death.
If found guilty, Burgess faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison, as well as a fine of up to $1,000,000.
The public is reminded that this charge is merely an allegation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Mother in 13-Month-Old’s Death Arrested and ChargedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Valencia Duke, 25, of the District of Columbia, was arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree felony murder and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children for the January 18 death of her thirteen-month-old daughter and near death of her thirteen-month-old son in Southeast, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Duke made her initial appearance June 4 before Superior Court Judge Heidi Hermann. Judge Hermann found probable cause that Duke committed the offenses and ordered her to be held without bond pending trial.
According to court documents, between January 14 and January 18, 2026, Duke left her two thirteen-month-old children alone in her residence. On January 18, 2026, officers responded to the 4700 block of Southern Avenue Southeast and located the female child deceased and decomposing and the male child dehydrated and malnourished. The male child was transported to the hospital where he stayed for several days. An autopsy was done on the female child where it was determined that her cause of death was dehydration.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Special Victims Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma McArthur.
Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mexican National Arrested After Indictment for Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficking and Money Laundering Following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An eight-count indictment was unsealed today charging Hugo Alberto Herrera Rodriguez, 41, a Mexican national residing unlawfully in California, with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, distributing methamphetamine and heroin, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
The indictment was returned on June 13, 2024, and was unsealed following Herrera Rodriguez’s arrest on Tuesday in Grass Valley.
According to court documents, between June 2019 and October 2019, Herrera Rodriguez was the Mexico-based leader and organizer of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and heroin throughout northern California. Herrera Rodriguez conspired with others in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Placer, Nevada, and Stanislaus Counties to transfer the drug trafficking proceeds from the United States to Mexico in a manner designed to conceal the source and ownership of the money.
If convicted of the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, or the distribution of methamphetamine counts, Herrera Rogriguez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. For the distribution of heroin counts, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million for each of the counts and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. For the conspiracy to commit money laundering count, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, the Sacramento Area Intelligence and Narcotics Team (SAINT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Nevada City Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura are prosecuting the case.
Member of local drug trafficking organization sentenced to 10 years for distributing drugs in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to 10.8 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to traffic deadly drugs to Alaska and into the Anchorage community.
According to court documents, Andrew Akulaw, 42, conspired with co-defendant, Rodney Godwin, 52, the leader of the drug trafficking organization. From April to December 2023, Godwin organized and operated a drug trafficking organization while under indictment for a separate drug trafficking crime. Godwin’s organization imported and distributed over 3.8 kilograms of fentanyl, 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.6 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of heroin within Alaska.
Court documents detail that Akulaw’s role in the conspiracy was to receive large shipments of drugs in the mail and through air cargo, as well as collect outstanding drug proceeds. Law enforcement learned of Akulaw’s involvement in the drug trafficking organization on Sept. 5, 2023, when Akulaw got into a car accident. At the scene of the accident, first responders discovered a firearm in Akulaw’s pocket, a fanny pack with a large amount of drug proceeds, and an Arizona driver’s license for another individual. Law enforcement had to use a fingerprint scanner to identify Akulaw. In doing so, law enforcement learned that Akulaw had two active State of Alaska arrest warrants.
At the hospital after the accident, Akulaw directed his fanny pack be given to a co-conspirator. Officers seized the fanny pack and through a search warrant, found almost thirty thousand dollars.
Throughout the investigation, law enforcement attributed over 3.7 kilograms of drugs directly to Akulaw.
On May 23, 2024, Akulaw and seven co-defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in this matter. On Nov. 18, 2025, Akulaw pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and also pleaded guilty to a felon in possession of a firearm in a separate federal case.
“Mr. Akulaw has spent decades committing violent crimes and violating supervision, ultimately turning to distributing deadly drugs in his own community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Poisonous drugs have no place in our state, and we will not stop fighting the threat illegal narcotics pose to Alaskan communities. Working with our law enforcement partners to find those who traffic them and dismantle their operations remains a top priority for my office and the U.S. Department of Justice.”
“Akulaw not only facilitated the flow of deadly drugs into and throughout Alaska, but also the collection and enforcement of drug debts to sustain its operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Thanks to the tenacious work by the investigative team, another dangerous member of this drug trafficking organization has been brought to justice. The FBI will continue working with our partners, at every level, to ensure drug traffickers are held accountable and removed from our streets.”
Co-defendants in this case include:
- Rodney Godwin, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a continue criminal enterprise on May 10, 2025, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Nov. 24, 2025, which will run consecutively to a previous 20-year federal drug trafficking sentence.
- Calvin Oktollik, 39, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 28, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2026.
- Miles Apatiki, 39, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy on Jan. 6, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2026
- Jennifer Godwin, 41, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 11, 2025, and was sentenced to three years in prison on May 6, 2026.
- Reigna Archuleta, 40, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of carrying firearms during a drug trafficking crime on Dec. 19, 2025, and will be sentenced at a later date.
- David Henry, 52, of Palmer, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Dec. 4, 2025, and was sentenced to 6.6 years in prison on April 16, 2026.
- Page Peak, 27, of Sterling, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 30, 2025, and was sentenced to five years’ probation on March 3, 2026.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile, IRS Criminal Investigation, Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Beausang and Mandy Mackenzie prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
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Maryland Man Indicted for Assaulting TSA Security Officers at Baltimore/Washington International AirportRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Charles County, Maryland, man faces indictment in connection with an attack on two federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport.
Cornelius Lionell Queen, 32, is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers and interfering with security screening personnel at the airport.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; Jason Wimer, Acting Assistant Administrator for Investigations, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Colonel Joseph Scott, Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police.
According to the indictment, on April 2, 2026, Queen forcibly assaulted two TSA lead transportation security officers at a security screening checkpoint at BWI Airport. Queen also interfered with the federal officers’ ability to perform their security duties. Additionally, according to surveillance video shown in court, prior to his alleged assault on the TSA officers, Queen also allegedly attacked a bystander and his two children. Queen also attempted to attack another bystander.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
If convicted, Queen faces a maximum of 18 years in federal prison for assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers and interfering with security screening personnel.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, TSA, and MDTA Police for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ty Pittinger who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Maryland Man Convicted of Defrauding Private Jet Customers for $15MRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury delivered a verdict that is sending a Maryland man to prison stemming from a wire-fraud scam.
The jury found Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis, guilty of six counts of wire fraud in connection with a private-jet service scheme. Britton-Harr, who owned and operated a company that offered charter flights on private jets, defrauded customers by making false promises about how he planned to use their money.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty verdict with Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, Justice Department, Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Greg Thompson, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG).
“This conviction sends a strong message that if you scam and defraud others, we’re coming after you with the full weight of the law,” Hayes said. “We will always seek justice for victims. Through his greed and deceitful actions, Mr. Britton-Harr showed a total disregard for the law and others. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law-enforcement partners, is committed to holding accountable individuals who prey on and take advantage of unsuspecting people.”
“Patrick Britton-Harr stole millions of dollars from his customers by lying to them about how he would use and protect their money,” Duva said. “He used his business as a front to fraudulently induce his clients to make down payments for services never provided. Meanwhile he bought yachts, expensive jewelry, and lined his own pockets. The prosecutors and agents who brought this case vindicated the victims. If you prey on, trick, and defraud people, you will be investigated and prosecuted.”
“This conviction holds Patrick Britton-Harr accountable for the lies he told and the millions of dollars he stole from customers to bankroll his extravagant lifestyle,” Paul said. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to protect victims from fraudsters and will go after anyone who takes advantage of investors for personal gain.”
“Consumers who invest in aviation services deserve honesty and transparency, not deception. Patrick Britton-Harr abused his customers’ trust by misrepresenting how their money would be used and then enriching himself at their expense,” Thompson said. “This verdict reflects the commitment of DOT-OIG and our law enforcement partners to holding accountable those who engage in fraud and threaten the integrity of the transportation industry.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Britton-Harr owned and controlled AeroVanti, Inc. and its affiliated entities. Through AeroVanti, a private air club offering members access to private jets, Britton-Harr set up a limited-time opportunity that invited “Top Gun” members to pay $150,000 upfront to help the company buy a plane in exchange for a block of discounted flight hours. He promised to use their money to purchase specific aircraft, and he pledged to protect their money by delivering the aircraft titles to escrow. The Top Gun members collectively paid approximately $15 million in upfront payments to purchase five aircraft.
But instead of buying the aircraft, Britton-Harr misappropriated members’ money for his own personal benefit. This included purchasing yachts and jewelry, paying for his living expenses, and renting a $10,000 per month home near Tampa, Florida. Evidence at trial further established that Britton-Harr then attempted to conceal his fraud by obtaining a $1.5 million loan to purchase one of the aircraft he already claimed that he purchased with Top Gun member funds by withholding material information from the lender to obtain the loan.
Britton-Harr faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison per count. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Additionally, in May 2025, a federal jury separately indicted Britton-Harr on multiple counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering related to his participation in a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare for expensive respiratory tests. The health care fraud trial is slated for October 2026.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and DOT-OIG for their work in investigating these cases. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari D. Evans and Fraud Section Attorney Ariel Glasner who prosecuted this federal case, along with Fraud Section Trial Attorney Tara Shinnick who provided significant assistance.
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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Maryland Man Convicted of Defrauding Private Jet Customers for $15MRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the District of Maryland convicted a Maryland man yesterday who owned and operated a company which offered charter flights on private jets. He defrauded his victims of approximately $15 million by falsely promising to use their upfront $150,000 payments to help the company buy a plane in exchange for a block of discounted flight hours and a promise that their money would be protected.
“Patrick Britton-Harr stole millions of dollars from his customers by lying to them about how he would use and protect their money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He used his business as a front to fraudulently induce his clients to make down payments for services never provided. Meanwhile, he bought yachts, expensive jewelry, and lined his own pockets. The prosecutors and agents who brought this case vindicated the victims. If you prey on, trick, and defraud people, you will be investigated and prosecuted.”
“This conviction sends a strong message that if you scam and defraud others, we’re coming after you with the full weight of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “We will always seek justice for victims. Through his greed and deceitful actions, Mr. Britton-Harr showed a total disregard for the law and others. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law-enforcement partners, is committed to holding accountable individuals who prey on and take advantage of unsuspecting people.”
“This conviction holds Patrick Britton-Harr accountable for the lies he told and the millions of dollars he stole from customers to bankroll his extravagant lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to protect victims from fraudsters and will go after anyone who takes advantage of investors for personal gain.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis, Maryland, owned and controlled AeroVanti and its affiliated entities. AeroVanti was a private air club that offered members access to flights on private jets. Britton-Harr set up a “one-time membership opportunity” that invited “Top Gun” members to pay $150,000 upfront to help the company buy a plane in exchange for a block of discounted flight hours. Britton-Harr promised to use their money to purchase specific aircraft, and he promised to protect their money by delivering the titles of the aircraft to escrow.
The Top Gun members collectively paid approximately $15 million in upfront payments to purchase five aircraft. But instead of buying those aircraft, Britton-Harr misappropriated members’ money for his own personal benefit, including to purchase yachts and jewelry, to pay his living expenses, and to rent a $10,000 per month home near Tampa, Florida. The evidence at trial further established that Britton-Harr then attempted to conceal his fraud by obtaining a $1.5 million loan to purchase one of the aircraft he had already claimed to have purchased with Top Gun member funds by withholding material information from the lender to obtain the loan.
The jury convicted Britton-Harr of six counts of wire fraud. A sentencing date has not been set. Britton-Harr faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In May 2025, Britton-Harr was separately indicted with multiple counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering related to his participation in a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare for expensive respiratory tests. He is scheduled to begin trial on that indictment in October 2026.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office and Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Evans for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case. Fraud Section Trial Attorney Tara Shinnick provided significant assistance.
Maryland Man Admits to Trafficking Firearms into New JerseyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Maryland man admitted to the transportation of a stolen firearm in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
“Trafficking illegal firearms poses a direct threat to the safety of our communities. Vargas admitted to selling firearms, including a handgun stolen out of Texas, for his own profit. This Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who bring illegal weapons into New Jersey.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
Luiz Vargas, a/k/a, “El Biggie,” 26, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner to a one-count Information charging him with transportation of a stolen firearm.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in January 2025, law enforcement investigated Vargas for trafficking firearms into New Jersey from, among other places, Texas and Maryland. Using a confidential source acting at the direction and supervision of law enforcement, officers conducted four controlled purchases of firearms, which yielded a total of eight firearms: two semiautomatic rifles and six handguns. Two of the handguns were reported stolen out of Texas and Colorado, respectively, and the two semiautomatic rifles had no serial numbers or other identifiable markings on them. On at least one occasion, Vargas provided cocaine to the confidential source after being unable to follow through with a promised sale of firearms. Vargas has never held a federal license to deal or manufacture firearms.
The transportation of a stolen firearm charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2026.
United States Attorney Frazer credited special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Arthur J. Wilson Jr., the Howell Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police John Storrow, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Police Director John B. Hayes, the Freehold Borough Police Department, under the Direction of Chief of Police Chris Colaner, the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Gregory H. Meyer, the Little Silver Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Paul Halpin, the Marlboro Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Peter Pezzullo, the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police R. Craig Weber, the Monroe Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Griffin N. Banos, and the Wall Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Sean O’Halloran, for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Andrea Aldana, Esq., Federal Public Defenders.
vargas.information.pdfManchester Man Indicted for Receiving and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material and for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Manchester Man Indicted for Receiving and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material and for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender
CONCORD – A Manchester man was indicted this week for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and for failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Michael McBride, age 53, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on multiple counts of receiving and attempting to receive CSAM, as well as counts of CSAM possession and failure to register as a sex offender. He will appear in federal court in Concord on a later date.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, McBride was previously convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and state law for crimes related to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual conduct involving a minor. Due to his prior federal conviction, McBride was required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Thereafter, in September in October 2025, McBride received and possessed CSAM. During this time, from at least September 2023 and continuing until at least October 2025, McBride failed to register as a sex offender in the State of New Hampshire as required by SORNA.
The charging statutes provides a minimum sentence of 15 years for receipt and attempted receipt of CSAM and a minimum sentence of 10 years for possession of CSAM. The SORNA charge provides a maximum sentence of 10 years. 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Department of Homeland Security and the United States Marshal’s Service are investigating this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brentwood and Kingston Police Departments and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S Attorney Matthew T. Hunter is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Man and Woman Sentenced for Child Neglect on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that a man and woman were recently sentenced after convictions for child neglect on the Menominee Indian Reservation. On May 15, 2026, Louis Tucker (age 24) of Neopit, Wisconsin, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for child neglect, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1153(a) and Wisconsin Statutes §§ 948.21(2) and 948.21(3)(b)(1). Tucker entered a guilty plea on February 19, 2026. Following his term of imprisonment, Tucker will spend three years on supervised release.
On May 29, 2026, Nyomi L.D. Acosta (age 21) of Neopit was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for the same offense. Acosta entered her guilty plea to child neglect on February 26, 2026. Following her term of imprisonment, Acosta will also spend three years on supervised release.
According to court records, tribal social services and tribal law enforcement received a report of possible child abuse of a then 8-month-old child. The child suffered a burn, broken bones, and bruising to the head and body. Tucker and Acosta were responsible for the child’s welfare and did not seek medical attention for the child after the child was abused.
Senior United States District Court Judge William C. Griesbach noted the serious nature of the offense and the harm to the child. He also remarked that, while Tucker and Acosta had distinct rehabilitative needs, the offense deserved punishment and the sentence of each of them had to promote deterrence to others.
“It is heartbreaking that this very little child suffered so greatly due to neglect by people who were supposed to care for and protect them,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “Acts that result in serious harm to a child deserve prison, and thankfully the court saw it that way.”
"Louis Tucker and Nyomi L.D. Acosta abused an innocent child causing significant bodily harm. Their actions were reprehensible, and these sentencings ensure they will be held to account," said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr. "The FBI remains committed to working with our Tribal partners to combat violent crime on Tribal lands."
The Menominee Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.
For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Man Who Stole Cedar Falls ATM and Led Officers on High-Speed Chase Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
A man who stole an ATM and then led officers on a high-speed chase for approximately 40 minutes pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
John Fitzgerald Bennett, age 56, from Gilbertville, Iowa, was convicted of one count of credit union larceny.
In a plea agreement, Bennett admitted that on May 3, 2025, he stole a pickup truck from a home in Waterloo. He then drove the truck to a parking lot in Cedar Falls. Bennett walked down the street and stole a forklift from a construction site. He drove the forklift to a credit union in Cedar Falls and attempted to use the forklift to lift an interactive teller machine off the ground. The machine tipped over and Bennett could not maneuver the forklift to successfully steal the machine. Bennett then drove the forklift further down the street to a second credit union. There, he successfully used the forklift to steal an ATM. Bennett drove the forklift with the ATM back to the parking lot where he had stashed the stolen pickup truck. Bennett used the forklift to move the ATM into the back of the pickup truck and drove away.
Law enforcement officers responded to alarms from both credit unions and found Bennett in the stolen pickup truck. Bennett fled and led officers on a high‑speed chase, including on Interstate 380, for approximately 40 minutes and a total of 46 miles. He reached speeds of 100 miles per hour in a 65 mile-per-hour zone. Ultimately, Bennett drove over multiple sets of “stop sticks,” which deflated most of the truck’s tires. Finally, the truck was so damaged that it stopped moving. When the truck stopped, the tires were gone and the tire rims and running boards were resting on the ground. The stolen ATM from the second credit union was in the back of the truck.
Bennett has a prior federal conviction for one count of credit union burglary and aiding and abetting, and one count of credit union larceny and aiding and abetting.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Bennett remains in custody of the United States Marshal. Bennett faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Cedar Falls Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-2068.
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Madison Man Sentenced to Almost 8 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearms and Ammunition While on Federal SupervisionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Marvin Coates, 39, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 71 months in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. Coates pleaded guilty to this charge on March 18, 2026. Judge Peterson also sentenced Coats to an additional 24 months in federal prison for violating the terms of his supervised release.
On August 28, 2025, Madison police responded to a 911 call where the reporting party said that Coates had threatened an individual and followed that individual home. Police responded to the apartment complex and saw Coates getting into a car. Police stopped Coates and searched the surrounding area. Across the street, police found two firearms, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun with nine rounds in the magazine and an SCCY 9mm handgun with an extended magazine holding 28 rounds. The firearms were wrapped in a t-shirt sitting on the rear wheel of a parked pickup truck.
Police obtained video surveillance from the apartment complex. The video showed Coates walking down the sidewalk toward his car carrying the t-shirt. As the Madison police squad car approached, Coates stopped near the rear of the pickup before crossing the street to head toward his car. The Wisconsin State Crime Lab later recovered Coates’s DNA on the firearms.
Coates is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition because of prior felony convictions including a 2020 federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon. In that case, Coates fired a handgun into the air during a disturbance. He was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was still on supervised release when he committed this offense.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson stressed that a goal of sentencing was to protect the community. Judge Peterson said that Coates failed to follow his rules of federal supervision, had a bad temper, was impulsive, and “demonstrated a resolute disrespect for every manifestation of the law.”
The charge against Coates was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF as well as state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Justice Department Expands Admissions Investigations into 15 Additional Medical SchoolsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it opened fifteen new investigations into potential race discrimination in medical school admissions. The Division recently announced its findings that the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Yale University both illegally used race in medical school admissions.
“Many of America’s top medical schools appear more concerned about the demographics of their incoming classes than training students to succeed in the profession,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under this Justice Department, we will continue to protect American students from discriminatory and illegal preferences in admissions — especially in professions as critical as medicine, where quality of training should be the top priority.”
The Division opened the investigations to enforce compliance with federal law and ensure the students become doctors based on their merit, not their race. Each of the fifteen schools under investigation receives millions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding. The investigations will examine whether these medical schools follow Title VI of the Civil Rights Act as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College.
The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations.
Jury Convicts Springfield Man of Receiving Child Pornography and Using AI to Produce Obscene ImagesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo. man, who was caught with multiple images of child pornography and used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce obscene images of children, was convicted by a federal jury.
Jeremy Koppenhaver, 46, was found guilty on June 2, 2026, of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of production of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.
On June 22, 2024, the Springfield, Missouri Police Department responded to a coffee shop in downtown Springfield, after another customer reported that Koppenhaver, who was also at the coffee shop using their internet, was attempting to use AI to produce child pornography. The responding officers seized Koppenhaver’s laptop. Investigators conducted a forensic examination of the laptop and found multiple images of child pornography and multiple obscene images of children created by AI. All the images of child pornography depicted real children.
The computer data from the obscene images showed that Koppenhaver was using an AI image generation website to depict female celebrities as minors who were being subjected to sexual abuse. Investigators also located images in which Koppenhaver used photo editing software to edit nude images of Koppenhaver into photographs that depicted nude girls. Data on the computer also demonstrated that Koppenhaver had multiple web searches looking for child pornography.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the United States District Court in Springfield deliberated for approximately 50 minutes before returning guilty verdicts to United States District Court Judge Megan Blair Benton, ending a trial that began on June 1, 2026.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and Randall Eggert. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Springfield, Missouri Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Jury Convicts Armed Career Criminal of Multiple Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – A federal jury has found Anthony Joseph Brulewicz, a/k/a “Tony Montana” (54, Port Orange) guilty of four counts of distribution or possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of use, carry or possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Brulewicz was charged as an Armed Career Criminal and now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, up to 205 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 31, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Brulewicz was indicted on December 17, 2025
According to testimony or evidence presented at trial, Brulewicz sold a total of six firearms and approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant over five law enforcement-controlled purchases. The firearms included three pistols, two shotguns and a rifle, all sold from the defendant’s residence. During one of the drug trafficking offenses, the defendant used, carried or possessed a firearm in furtherance of that crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Port Orange Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Alexa McNeff.
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.
June Federal Grand Jury 2026-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the June Federal Grand Jury 2026-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Elmer Jeovanni Argueta Alejo. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Argueta Alejo, 43, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Osborn is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-216
James Casey Bell. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Bell, 29, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case.
26-CR-209Wilman Caballero Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Caballero Ramirez, 36, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in 2011, 2019, and 2020. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-206
Abel Guerra Morataya. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Guerra Morataya, 45, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in 2005, 2006, and 2015. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kelly is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-217
James Dale Hall, Jr. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Hall, 41, of Tulsa, is an individual who is knowingly required to register as a sex offender. He is charged with failing to register as a sex offender from February 2026 through the date of the Indictment. The U.S. Marshal Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Osborn is prosecuting the case.
26-CR-219Socorro Magallanes Medrano; Marco Flores Sanchez. Distribution of Cocaine (Counts 1 through 6); Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Count 7); Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 8 through 20). Magallanes Medrano, 58, and Flores Sanchez, 39, both Mexican nationals, are charged with knowingly distributing cocaine and possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. They are additionally charged with using a cellphone to discuss drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nasar is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-210
Marty Lee Martin. Production of Child Pornography. Martin, 55, of Glenpool, is charged with using a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of child sexual abuse material. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-218
Enderbeth Jose Martinez. False Statement to Acquire a Firearm. Martinez, 31, a Venezuelan national, is charged with attempting to purchase a firearm and claiming that he was not an alien or unlawfully in the United States when he was unlawfully in the United States. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-208
Ariel Gustavo Mejia Perez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Mejia Perez, 50, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in 2007 and 2012. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augusta Forster is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-207
Deoyonte Moore. Illegal Possession of a Machinegun; Possession of an Unregistered Weapon Made from a Rifle with an Overall Length of Less Than 26 Inches; Robbery in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence (superseding). Moore, 24, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing a handgun fitted with a machinegun conversion device. He is charged with possessing an unregistered 9mm rifle modified to be less than 26 inches. Additionally, Moore is charged with taking property of value from the victim by force and possessing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-083
Geovanny Alexander Pineda Cubias. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crimes (superseding). Pineda Cubias, 25, an El Salvadoran national, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. He knowingly possessed cocaine with intent to distribute and knowingly maintained a residence for drug distribution. Lastly, Pineda Cubias possessed firearms while trafficking drugs. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Tulsa Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 26-CR-075
Junction City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Junction City, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Trevor Alan Slocum-Lammers, 31, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in August 2023 a cloud storage account associated with Slocum-Lammers uploaded CSAM. On July 30, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant and interviewed Slocum-Lammers, who admitted to possessing CSAM.
On Sept. 19, 2024, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned an indictment charging Slocum-Lammers with possession of child pornography. On Oct. 9, 2025, Slocum-Lammers pleaded guilty.
The FBI investigated this case in collaboration with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and Oregon State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This case was brought in collaboration with 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 www.justice.gov/psc.
Jamestown man going to prison on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ruben Medina, 20, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
On September 11, 2024, Medina was pulled over by a Jamestown Police officer because of an outstanding probation warrant. Initially, he refused to exit the vehicle but later complied and was taken into custody. A search of Medina recovered approximately 109 grams of methamphetamine. Previously, on June 25, 2024, a search warrant was executed at a Newland Avenue residence associated with Medina. Investigators seized cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, suboxone strips, $200 cash, a digital scale, and a firearm.
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 Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Emergency Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Forster.
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Indiana Man Sentenced for Assaulting Two Minors on an AircraftRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: An Indiana man was sentenced on June 3 in U.S. District Court in Portland for assaulting two minor females who were passengers on an aircraft while it was in flight.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Aidan J. Carter, 27, to 30 days in jail to be followed by five years of probation involving strict conditions, including completing a sex offender evaluation and any recommended treatment. Carter pleaded guilty on December 10, 2025.
According to court records, in December 2024, Carter was a passenger on a crowded aircraft flying to Portland. After take-off, he touched the thigh of a then 17-year-old female passenger seated next to him without her consent. After the 17-year-old victim pushed his hand away, Carter repeatedly reached across the aisle to grab and squeeze the upper thigh of a then 16-year-old female passenger whom he awoke from her sleep. Carter also reached in the direction of the 16-year-old female’s genitals.
The FBI and the Portland Police Department investigated the case.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Illegal aliens from Mexico sentenced to prison for distributing counterfeit Adderall pills in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two illegal aliens from Mexico have been sentenced to prison for distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a counterfeit Adderall conspiracy investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Washington, D.C., and HSTF Dallas.
According to court documents, Venancio Martinez Antero, 35, and Cesar Adan Rojo-Ortiz, 35, participated in a conspiracy that began at least as early as April 2019 and used darknet marketplaces to advertise and distribute counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine. Once orders were placed, co-conspirators sent customer names, shipping addresses, and drugs to redistributors such as Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz who manufactured and packaged drugs for shipment and distribution nationwide.
Law enforcement seized over five kilograms of counterfeit Adderall pills (approximately 13,692 pills) associated with the conspiracy. Between September 2019 and July 2025, law enforcement made 47 controlled purchases from the conspirators’ darknet vendor accounts and accounts on encrypted messaging applications for up to 3,000 counterfeit Adderall pills at a time.
Law enforcement searched a garage that was controlled by Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz and seized, among other items, $2,900, a blender, 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, an additional 12.5 kilograms of binding material, and an industrial pill press fitted with attachments to manufacture counterfeit Adderall pills.
USAO EDVAMartinez Antero was sentenced on May 21 to 11 years and three months in prison. Rojo-Ortiz was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Lauren E. Hahn prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the 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 is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; HSI; ATF; DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; USMS; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney 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. 1:25-CR-331 (Rojo-Ortiz) and 1:25-CR-312 (Martinez Antero).
Illegal Alien Found with More Than a Kilogram of Cocaine and a Firearm Sentenced to Serve Nine Years in Federal Prison as Part of Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – RAMON ZUNIGA-MAGDELANO, 48, a Mexican alien residing in Oklahoma City illegally, has been sentenced to serve 108 months in federal prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on December 19, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department conducted a traffic stop and arrested Zuniga-Magdelano on an outstanding warrant. During the arrest, officers recovered cocaine from Zuniga-Magdelano’s person and later executed a search warrant at his Oklahoma City residence. During the search, law enforcement recovered more than 1,100 grams of cocaine and a firearm.
On July 30, 2025, Zuniga-Magdelano was charged by superseding information with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Zuniga-Magdelano pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025, and admitted he was unlawfully present in the United States, possessed more than 500 grams of cocaine intended for distribution, and possessed a firearm despite his status as an illegal alien.
At a sentencing hearing on May 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Zuniga-Magdelano to serve 108 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Wyrick specifically noted a lack of respect for the law demonstrated by Mr. Zuniga, who illegally entered the country to sell drugs. Upon his release from prison, Zuniga-Magdelano will be deported.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Bagwell prosecuted the case.
This operation 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. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Oklahoma City comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshals Service.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Illegal Alien Venezuelan Child Molester Charged with Immigration FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – On June 2, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging an illegal alien born in Venezuela, Francisco Javier Chacoa-Pineda, 50, with immigration fraud. The indictment alleges that Chacoa lied about his criminal history on his application to obtain Temporary Protected Status in the United States.
According to the indictment and previously issued court documents, Chacoa allegedly knowingly made materially false statements under penalty of perjury on his application to obtain Temporary Protected Status when he submitted it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) on April 24, 2024. In response to the questions “Have you EVER been convicted of or have you EVER committed acts which constitute the essential elements of…[a] crime (other than a purely political offense)?” and “Have you EVER ordered, incited, called for, committed, assisted, helped with, or otherwise participated in any of the following:…[e]ngaging in any kind of sexual conduct or relations with any person who was being forced or threatened?” he answered “No.”
On November 18, 2024, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Wake County, a grand jury returned two separate indictments against Chacoa. The first indictment charged him with three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child on January 1, 2024. The second indictment charged him with three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation against a minor on April 21, 2024. On March 18, 2026, a North Carolina State jury convicted Chacoa of one count of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. The State Judge sentenced him to a term of imprisonment of up to 11.5 years in State prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Chacoa confessed to committing those crimes against a 13-year-old victim in January and April 2024.
If convicted, Chacoa faces a maximum penalty of more than 10 years in prison. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. ICE ERO officers are investigating the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to target child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtain immigration benefits. Additional information about ICE and DOJ’s partnership to aggressively combat benefit fraud is available at ICE.GOV/FalseHaven. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:26-cr-00099-FL-RN.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Leads to the Sentencing of Illegal Alien from Mexico Operating as Local Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization with Ties to CJNG CartelRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Elian Rene Fabian Valladolid, 26, an illegal alien from Mexico and leader of the local cell of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with ties to the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), was sentenced to 262 months in prison yesterday for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Valladolid will be removed from the United States after he completes his prison sentence.
“This case is one example of many that our emphasis on the cartels and their related drug-trafficking organizations is working,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We are infiltrating these organizations and toppling them from the top.”
“Drug trafficking organizations exploit vulnerabilities in our communities, placing dangerous narcotics on our streets and fueling crime that threatens the safety of families and neighborhoods,” said Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina. “This investigation demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Homeland Security Task Force and our law enforcement partners to identifying and dismantling criminal networks that unlawfully operate within our communities.”
At the sentencing hearing, the government argued for and received a sentencing enhancement for Valladolid’s leadership role within the drug trafficking organization (DTO).
According to filed documents and court proceedings, federal, state, and local law enforcement began an investigation into the drug smuggling and trafficking operations of a poly-drug DTO based in Mexico with ties to the CJNG cartel. The DTO was organized into local cells that coordinated the sale and distribution of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin. Between 2022 and 2023, Valladolid was the leader of the DTO’s local cell, in charge of overseeing drug distribution activities and was involved in recruiting other members to work for the DTO.
During the investigation, law enforcement identified local stash houses used by members of the DTO to store drugs, including a storage unit. Law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant at one storage unit seizing several bags, luggage, and boxes that contained drugs and a variety of contraband. Investigators also recovered packaging materials consistent with drug distribution, four digital scales, a drug press, and a cutting agent used to “cut” drugs to increase the quantity of the drug product for resale. They also found kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl.
In total, the drug conspiracy involved 9.6 kilograms of “actual” methamphetamine; 5.9 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine; 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl; 1.9 kilograms of heroin; and 648.11 grams of cocaine.
Valladolid will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) is an initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF CORE 23 (Charlotte) is comprised of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), United States Customers and Border Protection (CBP), United States ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the Naval Criminal investigative Service (NCIS), the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FIDC) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the North Carolina Insurance Bureau, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Raleigh Police Department, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, the Cary Police Department, the Nash Count Sheriff’s Office, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the Halifax County Sheriff’s office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, the Brunswick Count Sheriff’s Office, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department, the Nags Head Police Department, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS), the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), the Kannapolis Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Waxhaw Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, the Gastonia Police Department, the Huntersville Police Department, the Cornelius Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Pineville Police Department, the Stallings Police Department, the Kings Mountain Police Department, the Greensville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) International Airport Police Department, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the Anderson City Police Department, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston County Airport Police Department, the Charleston Police Department, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Summerville Police Department, the Greensboro Police Department, the Winston-Salem Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Alamance County Sheriff’s office, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, the Eden Police Department, the Piedmont Triad Internal Airport Police Department, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Districts of North and South Carolina.
Guam Prison Inmate Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking; Co-Conspirators Receive Federal SentencesRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that the following defendants were sentenced in the District Court of Guam:
Edward Glen Demapan, age 54, from Guam, was found guilty after a jury trial on November 19, 2025. He was sentenced on June 3, 2026, in the U.S. District Court of Guam to life imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine and Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also imposed five years of supervised release and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
Allan Dale Bernal, age 53, of Dededo, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 4, 2026, to 108 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Zerxes Jabidando Viva, age 47, of Dededo, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 10, 2026, to 63 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Liana Joelene Cabrera, age 43, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 2, 2026, to 180 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1), and Unlawful Use of the Mail to Distribute the Proceeds of Drug Trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952(a)(1). She was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
Federal court documents describe how Demapan—already serving a life sentence for aggravated murder in local court—built and directed a sophisticated methamphetamine trafficking network from inside the Guam Department of Corrections. Working with Texas‑based co‑conspirator Cabrera and multiple Guam‑based associates, Demapan coordinated the shipment of methamphetamine to Guam and the return of drug proceeds to Texas. As part of the investigation, federal law enforcement seized a mail parcel containing $80,160 in cash and several additional parcels containing over fourteen pounds of methamphetamine.
Investigators discovered that, while incarcerated, Demapan obtained cell phones, chargers, controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia. Outside the prison, he maintained a network of individuals and addresses to receive drug parcels and carry out his instructions. Testimony revealed that Demapan enforced his authority through intimidation; co‑conspirator Viva stated he feared for his own safety and that of his family.
Despite spending nearly 30 years in prison, Demapan continued to engage in criminal activity. Authorities recovered a substantial cache of contraband from his cell—evidence of long‑term illicit operations—and additional items even after he was moved to a more secure housing unit. The three intercepted drug parcels represent only a portion of the broader trafficking scheme involving Cabrera and other associates.
“This case ends Demapan’s lengthy history of drug trafficking,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Federal and territorial agencies are now working to transfer him off island to a federal facility, far away from our communities and his drug den at Guam DOC. We expect prisons to be drug free. Where reality is otherwise, we will take aggressive enforcement action.”
“This hardened drug criminal was intent on continuing a life of crime, even while behind bars. Despite prior convictions, Edward Demapan instinctively relapsed,” said, Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Guam. “With the help of co-conspirators, he managed to run a sophisticated drug trafficking operation from inside prison. But today’s sentencing should serve as a reminder that you can’t outsmart the justice system. You will be held accountable for your crimes, irrespective of location or jurisdiction.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service protects our communities by keeping illegal drugs out of the mail and bringing traffickers to justice,” said Stephen Sherwood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the San Francisco Division. “I want to thank the members of the Guam Interdictions Anti‑Narcotics Trafficking Task Force (GIANT TF)—including the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, the Guam Police Department, and the Guam Army National Guard Counterdrug Program. I also extend my appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Guam and our federal law‑enforcement partners for their invaluable teamwork in this case.”
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Guam Resident Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and assistance from the Guam Police Department Special Investigations Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin K. Petersburg prosecuted these cases in the District of Guam.
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.
Gregory M. Gilmore Is Sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of IllinoisRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gregory M. Gilmore was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois by United States Magistrate Judge Douglas J. Quivey on June 1, 2026, at the federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois.
U.S. Attorney Gilmore was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 13, 2026, and confirmed by the United States Senate on May 18, 2026. President Trump signed Gilmore’s commission on May 27, 2026. Gilmore is the thirty-third U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. The first was William J. Allen in 1855; Allen served in what was then known as the Southern District prior to District reorganizations within Illinois.
“As a longtime federal prosecutor, it is my honor to serve as the United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois,” Gilmore said. “Our Office’s mission is to do justice, ensure community safety, and safeguard the rights of victims. I consider myself fortunate to lead excellent attorneys and support staff across our District as we work with our law enforcement partners to achieve these goals, and I know I have benefited from observing and learning from those who led the Office before me. The Central District of Illinois is a wonderful place to live and work; we will always work to improve to better serve our fellow citizens.”
Gilmore previously served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, where he has worked since 1994. He has held various leadership positions in the Office, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney (2021 to 2025); Criminal Chief (2018 to 2021); Civil Chief (2013 to 2015); and Criminal Supervisor of the Springfield Division (2007 to 2010). As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gilmore represented the government in a wide variety of criminal prosecutions and tried over 25 cases to jury verdict.
Prior to attending law school, Gilmore worked as a Certified Public Accountant at a big four accounting firm and for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Before joining the Office, Gilmore clerked for a state appellate court judge. Gilmore obtained his law degree from DePaul University where he was a member of the Law Review. He obtained his undergraduate degree from DePaul as well. Gilmore has lived in Central Illinois with his wife, Kelly, for more than thirty years, where they raised their three children.
Germantown man charged with illegally possessing firearm, destructive devicesRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Tony Houston, 40, of Germantown, has been arrested and charged federally with possessing unregistered firearms.
According to charging documents, in May 2026, Germantown police officers responded to the Windcliff Apartments because Houston allegedly threatened two individuals with a sawed-off shotgun. Subsequent investigation led investigators to obtain a search warrants for Houston’s residence.
On June 3, FBI agents and the FBI’s hostage rescue team executed the search warrants at Houston’s home and recovered a sawed-off shotgun, as well as at least eight apparent destructive devices, including pipe bombs. Houston was not registered to possess the short-barreled shotgun or the destructive devices.
Houston appeared in federal court in Dayton today.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division and Germantown Police Chief Matt Burns announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter is representing the United States in this case. The Dayton Police Department's bomb squad and FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force are also coordinating on the investigation.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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