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2 June 2026
Illegal Alien, Co-Leader of nationwide drug trafficking ring, who plotted to kill Centralia, Washington Police Officer, sentenced to 15 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle –A 35-year-old Mexican national who was illegally residing in California was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison for her leadership role of a massive drug distribution ring, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Iris Adrianna Amador-Garcia of Bellflower, California, arranged for the distribution of pound quantities of methamphetamine, hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and large quantities of heroin. She also laundered drug proceeds, possessed firearms, and distributed drugs as far away as New York, southeastern states, and Fiji. After one large load of drugs was seized during a traffic stop, Amador-Garcia hatched a plan to locate and kill the Centralia police officer who made the stop.
In ordering the 15-year sentence, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, “Threats against law enforcement is a line in the sand that is completely unacceptable.”
“This criminal organization was well-organized, well-sourced, and well-connected. This defendant was prepared to take drastic measures to protect what she had built. She and her criminal associates were intercepted openly discussing killing an officer after a large shipment of drugs was seized,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Floyd. “I am grateful for the diligent work of law enforcement to keep that officer safe, and to take these dangerous traffickers off the street and shut down their pipeline of devastating narcotics.”
“This sentence sends a clear message that those who traffic fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs into our communities, and those who threaten violence against law enforcement, will be held accountable,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Amador-Garcia led a far-reaching criminal organization that distributed dangerous narcotics across the country while sourcing drugs from Mexico and seeking to retaliate against an officer who disrupted the operation. Through DEA’s Fentanyl Free America, we are working every day to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain, reduce the availability of these deadly drugs, and save American lives.”
According to records filed in the case, law enforcement identified the leaders of the drug trafficking ring as early as February 2020. Indictments were returned in the fall of 2021. The drug ring, headed by Amador-Garcia and Jose Alfredo Maldonado-Ramirez, distributed drugs widely: in Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 9 pounds of methamphetamine in a traffic stop on May 16, 2020. Another 30 pounds of meth were seized in a stop on April 2, 2021, and 57 pounds of methamphetamine and 20,000 fentanyl pills were seized in a traffic stop on
September 28, 2021. Additionally, on August 17, 2021, law enforcement seized 19 pounds of methamphetamine that conspirators attempted to mail to Fiji.
During a search of the residence where Iris Amador-Garcia was living with her brother and two co-conspirators, agents seized a kilogram of fentanyl, 80,000 fentanyl pills, and 2 firearms. Eight additional firearms were seized at other search locations in Washington and California.
In asking for a 15-year sentence for Amador-Garcia, prosecutors noted that she was an equal leader of the ring along with Maldonado-Ramirez. “The nation-wide reach of this Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), led by Iris AMADOR-GARCIA and MALDONADO-RAMIREZ, sets it apart from most organizations prosecuted in this District. This DTO distributed dangerous drugs to all corners of the United States…. they distributed to several large redistributors in Washington, as well as others in the northeast (New York and Massachusetts), the southeast (Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas), and the Midwest (Illinois and Ohio). In addition, the DTO even expanded to distributing drugs internationally to Fiji. The majority of drugs they were selling, both in Washington and elsewhere, were coming from Iris AMADOR-GARCIA’s family in Mexico.”
“Ms. Amador-Garcia and her organization distributed incredibly large amounts of deadly drugs to all corners of the country. Not only did she deal drugs, she also inflicted violence on our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners are committed to making our streets safer as we continue to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations like Ms. Amador-Garcia’s.”
This investigation 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 Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Field Division (SFD) Tacoma Resident Office (TRO) and Bremerton Police Department (BPD), with assistance from Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement (TNET); the Seattle, Puyallup, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Bonney Lake, Tacoma, and Lakewood Police Departments; the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Washington State Department of Corrections; Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET): Centralia and Chehalis Police Departments; Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team (VNET); and Washington State Patrol; Thurston Narcotics Team (TNT), Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, and Mason County Sheriff’s Office; United States Postal Inspections Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) with support from Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas ( HIDTA).
Illegal Alien from Honduras Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Federal Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Pablo Dominguez, also known as “Pablo Dominguez Dominguez,” 40, a Honduran national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty today to reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to time served. Dominguez will be subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for his transfer to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 16, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro and encountered Dominguez working there. ICE agents confirmed that Dominguez is a citizen of Honduras in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States on August 25, 2017, after he was found in Dunbar, West Virginia, on July 18, 2017. Dominguez had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States. Dominguez never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means.
Dominguez is among six illegal aliens indicted following the execution of the January 16, 2026, search warrant, each on charges alleging they were working at the restaurant without legal status. Four of the other defendants pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and were sentenced to time served with ICE immigration detainers pending.
Restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and his son, manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, 43, both of Nitro, were indicted on charges alleging each harbored aliens, while aiding and abetting each other, and aided and abetted fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. The indictments against Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., Miguel Angel Aguirre, and the remaining illegal alien defendant are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
These cases are the result of Operation Country Roads. The operation was conducted by ICE with state and local law enforcement partners. According to ICE, the January 2026 immigration enforcement operation yielded over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), the Nitro Police Department, and the St. Albans Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon 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. 2:26-cr-13.
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Identity thief sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Florida woman guilty of identity theft was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $118,000 in restitution to compensate her victim.
According to court documents, Marlo Y. Quinones, 57, of Port Richey, Florida, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Twice in February 2022, Quinones used the identity of another person to petition the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas to issue her unclaimed funds belonging to the victim. The victim didn’t give Quinones consent to make these filings.
“When criminals use personal information to falsely impersonate you, they often steal not only your money, but also your peace of mind by turning your life upside down. Many victims spend years dealing with the havoc left in the aftermath of identity theft,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “We want people to know the federal government is actively working to prevent identity theft and to prosecute offenders when it happens.”
“The bankruptcy system in this country was meant to help people get back on their feet and not to exploit it. The defendant deliberately and willfully took money for personal gain through fraud and deception,” said FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod. “This sentencing should serve as a reminder that the FBI will relentlessly pursue those who design schemes to defraud our government.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Trustee Program investigated the case.
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Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Meet a Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Ismael Osbaldo Pedro Tomas (24, Guatemala) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Pedro Tomas faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement, between July 22 and August 11, 2025, Pedro Tomas communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old child. That individual, however, was an undercover detective with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. During the conversation, Pedro Tomas discussed the sexual activity in which he wanted to engage with the minor, discussed exchanging money for the sexual activity, and ultimately traveled to a predetermined meeting location in Marion County to meet the minor for that purpose. Pedro Tomas was arrested by law enforcement when he arrived at the meeting location.
This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Government Contractors Agree to Pay over $3.6 Million to Settle False Claims Act and Contract Disputes Act LiabilityRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Officium Global LLC and Loyal Source Government Services LLC have agreed to pay a total of over $3.6 million resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and Contract Disputes Act, respectively.
According to the settlement agreement, Officium Global allegedly submitted false or fraudulent claims for payment related to service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside contracts that were awarded between May 2017 and June 2018. During that period, Officium Global was allegedly awarded seven set-aside contracts to which it was not entitled because its management and daily business operations were not controlled by a service-disabled veteran. As stated in the settlement agreement, Officium Global submitted, or caused to be submitted, false certifications and statements representing it met all requirements to be a service-disabled veteran-owned small business when it did not. Officium Global will pay over $1.8 million as part of the settlement.
Relatedly, Loyal Source Government Services allegedly violated the Contract Disputes Act by causing breaches of the seven contracts awarded to Officium Global, related to Officium Global’s representations that it met all requirements to be a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, when it did not. Loyal Source Government Services will pay over $1.8 million as part of the settlement.
“Protecting the integrity of government contracts is a primary priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “This civil settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting service-disabled veteran and small-business grant programs.”
“The favorable settlement in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by President Trump’s Small Business Administration, working with the Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement partners, to uncover misconduct in SBA’s contracting assistance programs and hold wrongdoers to account,” said SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis.
“This case demonstrates the VA OIG’s commitment to safeguarding programs designed to support legitimate service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Wentz with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Southeast Field Office. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue those who exploit VA programs and services.”
The settlement concludes a lawsuit originally filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Relator Jeremy Lavin. Mr. Lavin sued under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act permitting private citizens to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in the recovery. The Act also allows the United States to intervene and prosecute the action. The Relator will receive over $680,000.00 of the proceeds from the settlement with the Defendants.
This settlement resulted from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy R. Bloor led the investigation.
The government’s action in this matter illustrates the emphasis on combating government contracting fraud, and one of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG Hotline, at 1-800-488-8244.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Lavin v. Loyal Source Government Services, LLC et al., Case No. 6:19-cv-958-ORL-41LRH. The settlement resolves the United States’ claims in that case. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Gallup Man Charged for 2024 AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man is facing federal charges for an assault that allegedly occurred in 2024.
According to court documents, on November 9, 2024, Russell Lee Saunders, Sr., 45, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted and seriously injured John Doe.
Saunders is charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will remain in third party custody pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Saunders faces up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Teleky 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.
Former Staff Member Charged with Smuggling Contraband into Juvenile Detention Center in Exchange for BribesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), Nadia I. Shihata, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOSHUA SMITH with conspiracy to commit bribery. SMITH was arrested today and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Stein.
“For years, the defendant allegedly engaged in a scheme to smuggle contraband into a juvenile detention facility in the Bronx in exchange for cash bribes,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Rehabilitation of juvenile offenders is a challenge. It is only made more difficult when corrupt staff members supply contraband. This callous and hypocritical disregard for the rehabilitation mission calls for swift justice, including a message of deterrence.”
“Joshua Smith allegedly exploited his position of employment by the Administration of Children’s Services to traffic contraband through the Horizon Juvenile Center,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to apprehend those who undermine the law to enrich themselves while putting the youth community at risk.”
“The duty of this City Youth Development Specialist at Horizon Juvenile Center was to safeguard the young people in his care,” said DOI Commissioner Nadia I. Shihata. “Instead, he allegedly used his access to traffic marijuana, pills, and other contraband to the young residents in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes, according to the criminal complaint. Let me be clear, any City employee who misuses their position, exploits those in their care, or undercuts safety will be called to account. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the New York Field Office of the FBI for their continued commitment and partnership in exposing wrongdoing that endangers juveniles and corrupts New York City.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
SMITH was employed by the Administration for Children’s Services (“ACS”) as a “youth development specialist” at Horizon Juvenile Center (“Horizon”) in the Bronx, New York. Horizon is a secure detention facility (also known as a juvenile detention facility) for youth who are alleged or adjudicated juvenile delinquents, juvenile offenders, or adolescent offenders, and have been remanded to secure detention. From at least in or about April 2023 through at least in or about July 2025, SMITH received money in exchange for smuggling contraband into Horizon. As part of this course of conduct, SMITH met associates of Horizon residents in the Bronx, among other places, received contraband—including, but not limited to, marijuana, tobacco, and pills—from those associates, and then transported such contraband into Horizon and delivered it to Horizon residents. On at least some of these occasions, the Horizon residents or their associates provided SMITH with monetary bribes in exchange for SMITH agreeing to introduce contraband into Horizon.
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SMITH, 34, of Yonkers, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and DOI.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Phillips and Stephanie Simon are in charge of the prosecution.
The charge contained in the Complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former Shelton Resident Pleads Guilty to Fraud Offense Stemming from Computer Intrusion SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that BILLIE CONLEY JR., 46, formerly of Shelton, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a fraud offense stemming from a computer intrusion scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Conley owned and operated Ridgefield Tech, LLC, through which he offered information technology consulting services. In approximately September 2023, the owner (“Individual-A”) of a funeral services business (“Company-A”) hired Conley to assist her with setting up a computer network and video surveillance system for Company-A. When Conley installed Company-A’s computer network, he also installed, without authorization, software that permitted him to remotely access the network.
Shortly after Conley installed the computer network, Company-A began experiencing a variety of service issues that required Individual-A to contract with Conley to resolve for a fee. Conley offered Individual-A an “IT Service Agreement” that would allow Ridgefield Tech to provide computer services to Company-A on a monthly basis beginning in February 2024 in lieu of a “pay per service call” type of service, but Individual-A declined the service contract. Between January and September 2024, Conley remotely disabled Company-A’s computer network on 21 separate days, which resulted in Company-A being unable to conduct business on those days.
In August 2024, Individual-A hired another company (“Company-B”) to resolve Company-A’s computer network issues. Company-B was unable to regain control over much of the network infrastructure that Conley had installed, and Individual-A paid Company-B for labor and replacement equipment to recover the computer network.
The investigation also revealed that, between June and August 2024, Conley unlawfully used Company-A’s bank account to make approximately $9,070 in payments to companies he and Ridgefield Tech owed money.
Conley pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He also has agreed to pay restitution.
Conley has been detained in state custody on unrelated charges since December 2, 2024. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
Final Defendant Sentenced to Prison in Multimillion Dollar Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A fourth family member was sentenced to 90 months in prison on May 28 following a jury trial that resulted in convictions of four men for a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme. Brandon Hunt was sentenced to 90 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to file false tax returns in the names of purported trusts. Brandon Hunt’s father David Hunt, his twin brother Baylon Hunt, and his half-brother Corey Burt were previously sentenced to 92 months, 38 months, and 94 months in prison, respectively.
According to statements made in court and evidence presented at trial, the Hunts, of Arlington, Texas, and Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi, executed a scheme to file false claims for tax refunds in the names of trusts they controlled. In total, they sought more than $8.5 million in tax refunds that the trusts were not entitled to receive. Brandon Hunt also filed multiple false returns in his own name that sought tax refunds he was not entitled to receive. As part of their scheme, the family members also submitted additional fake documents to the IRS including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. Even after receiving warning letters to discontinue their fraudulent submissions, they continued filing false returns and other documents with the IRS.
As a result of the scheme, the co-conspirators received over $1.7 million in fraudulent proceeds from the IRS, which they shared and used to purchase luxury goods, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade and a house in Mississippi.
All four defendants were convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Brandon Hunt, David Hunt, and Corey Burt were also convicted of multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Baylon Hunt was acquitted of two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
In addition to the terms of imprisonment, Brandon Hunt was ordered to pay $1,774,864 in restitution to the United States.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. The U.S. Marshals Service rendered valuable assistance in apprehending Brandon, Baylon and David Hunt after they failed to appear for the second day of trial.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
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.
Ferguson, Missouri Man Admits Buying 27 Crime Guns Recovered in Three StatesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Ferguson, Missouri on Tuesday admitted unlawfully purchasing firearms, including 27 guns that were later recovered during arrests in three states.
Lamondre Haynes, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer. He admitted purchasing 27 firearms that have been recovered by law enforcement in Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri while in the possession of individuals being arrested for drug violations, violent assaults and gun possession crimes. Among those purchases were two Glock pistols Haynes bought from a St. Louis County firearms dealer on April 2, 2025, while accompanied by a convicted felon from Illinois. Haynes identified himself as the “actual transferee/buyer” of each gun on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 - Firearms Transaction Record. At least some of the cash for the purchase came from the felon. On May 1, 2025, Haynes bought a Glock pistol and an AK-style pistol from a St. Charles, Missouri gun store and another Glock pistol and AK-style pistol from a different St. Charles, Missouri store. One of the Glock pistols was recovered in Columbia, Illinois after being used in a carjacking during which the victim was shot, Haynes’ plea agreement says.
Haynes is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Feds charge foreign nationals working at the National Institutes of Health with smuggling monkeypox into the United States and lying about itRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, both researchers with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory were charged today in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox into the United States and giving false statements to federal law enforcement, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Field Office, Marty Raybon, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
According to the criminal complaint, Vincent Munster, a citizen of the Netherlands, 53, is the Chief of the Virus Ecology Section, Laboratory of Virology at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, Montana. Claude Kwe, a citizen of Cameroon, 38, is a research fellow in Munster’s section. The work of both men is focused on “emerging viral pathogens” and how those pathogens “cross the species barrier.” They work at a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, which employs the highest level of biosafety precautions for scientific research of known and potential human pathogens.
On January 25, 2026, Munster and Kwe arrived at the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with travel originating from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where an outbreak of monkeypox was occurring. Monkeypox is an infectious virus that can result in painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fevers and other ailments.
Munster and Kwe were inspected and interviewed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials upon their arrival. CBP officers observed Kwe and Munster traveling with a large black plastic case. Munster and Kwe falsely told CBP officers that the black case contained diagnostics and testing equipment. But subsequent investigation by CBP and FBI agents revealed that the case actually contained 113 vials in Styrofoam coolers. As of the date of the complaint, the FBI has tested 20 of the 113 vials. Seventeen of them contained deactivated monkeypox virus, one contained the Chickenpox virus, and two contained only human DNA.
“These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo. Let that sink in,” United States Attorney Gorgon stated.
“No researchers should believe their positions, credentials, or professional status place them above the law,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The allegations in this case are serious. They involve the dangerous and unlawful smuggling of deactivated Mpox virus into the United States and alleged efforts to mislead our federal agents. I am grateful for the outstanding and diligent work of the FBI Detroit JTTF, FBI Billings’ Missoula Resident Agency, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team at Detroit Metro Airport, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – OIG, for keeping our communities safe.”
“The arrest of these individuals on serious federal charges sends a clear and unmistakable message that no one—including HHS employees who have an obligation to safeguard our federal programs—is above the law. Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone who is entrusted with protecting the health and well-being of the public is held fully accountable.”
“We have zero tolerance for anyone who attempts to exploit our research frameworks, circumvent our border enforcement processes, or deceive investigators,” said CBP Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we will remain fiercely vigilant in neutralizing biological threats—or otherwise— and continue to hold accountable those who jeopardize the safety and security of the American people.”
Munster and Kwe face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The investigation is being conducted by the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Detroit and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
A complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It will be the government’s burden to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
FBI seeks information in case involving drug and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is asking the public to provide information for an investigation into a Kansas man facing drug trafficking and weapons violations.
On May 27, 2026, a federal grand jury in Topeka returned a superseding indictment charging Danny Ray Stano, Jr, 44, of Topeka with two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
In March 2021, Stano allegedly conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. In 2023 and in 2025, Stano is accused of possessing numerous firearms after having been convicted of a previous felony.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is asked to call the Shawnee County Crime Stoppers Anonymous tipline at 785-234-0007 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. People can also report a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Topeka Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an agovllegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Eleven Members of Southeast Oklahoma Drug Trafficking Organization Plead Guilty to Drug Conspiracy and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that eleven co-defendants pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and related charges arising from a Homeland Security Task Force Investigation.
On June 1, 2026, JERRY LEE GRIST, age 66, of Atoka, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Drug Conspiracy, punishable by ten years to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
The following defendants previously entered guilty pleas to one Count of Drug Conspiracy, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000,000 fine:
- MEAGON RASHEL BOX, age 39, of Atoka, Oklahoma;
- LESLIE GALE BELLETTINI, age 67, of Coalgate, Oklahoma;
- SHAWNDA LA DAWN RUSSELL, age 56, of Ada, Oklahoma;
- DEAN DEWAYNE HENSLEE, age 52, of Idabel, Oklahoma;
- ANGIE EULALIA NUNEZ a/k/a Angie Farrell, age 51, of Durant, Oklahoma;
- RAYMOND ERWIN WELCH, age 58, of Dallas, Texas; and
- WILLA MARGARETTE WEAR, age 47, of Atoka, Oklahoma.
The following defendants previously entered guilty pleas on related charges:
- GLENN ROGER HYDE, age 65, of Ada, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by a period of up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine;
- DAVID GEORGE NUNEZ, age 56, of Durant, Oklahoma pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine;
- TOMMY BLAKE McCARY, age 74, of Wright City, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to investigators, beginning in or about June 2024 and continuing until on or about October 15, 2025, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, the defendants willfully and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together, and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit offenses against the United States, namely the possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of 550 or more grams of methamphetamine.
The charges arose from a joint investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Quapaw Nation Marshals, the Miami, Oklahoma Police Department, the Wyandotte Nation Police Department, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Department, the Atoka County Sheriff’s Department, the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Department, the Oklahoma District 16 Drug Task Force, the Oklahoma District 18 Drug Task Force, the Oklahoma District 22 Drug Task Force, the Durant Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
These prosecutions are 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 Oklahoma City comprises agents and officers from the FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma City Police Department, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Conway, Jordan Howanitz, and Olivia Staubus are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
Eastern District of Texas prosecutes 35 defendants as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigations in May 2026Read the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative was 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.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas brought eight new Homeland Security Task Force cases in May while securing five convictions and achieving five substantial sentences totaling 944 months in federal prison as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Those cases include:
Charges
Eight indictments were returned by federal grand juries in the Eastern District of Texas during May, charging 25 defendants with various crimes including drug trafficking and immigration violations. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. We are unable to comment on indicted cases as investigations continue.
Convictions
On May 21, 2026, Beaumont man, James William Quinney, Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges. Quinney was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed kilograms of methamphetamine to other distributors for redistribution. Quinney was found to be purchasing 18 kilograms of methamphetamine at a time for redistribution. In total, law enforcement seized nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine from Quinney and over $80,000.00 in U.S. currency. On May 28, 2026, Latisha Mae Thebeau, 42, of Port Arthur, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy. The defendants face up to life in federal prison at sentencing.
On May 28, 2026, Beaumont convicted felon, Micheal Corbin, 48, pleaded guilty to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm. As a convicted felon, Corbin is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. Corbin faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing.
New Orleans man, Darrell Charles Coleman, 37, pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026, to trafficking methamphetamine after being pulled over for speeding on Interstate-10 in Beaumont. Coleman’s passenger, Kory Jarvis Schaffer, 34, also of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026, to distributing fentanyl. The defendants each face up to life in federal prison at sentencing.
Sentencings
A Mexican national illegally living in Arlington, Mauricio Diaz-Abraham, 37, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on May 12, 2026. Diaz-Abraham was personally responsible for the distribution of at least 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine while conspiring to traffic large amounts of methamphetamine from Mexico into the Eastern District of Texas and beyond.
On May 12, 2026, Juan Jose Montanez, also known as Happy Johnny, 40, a Dallas barbershop employee, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $131,800 in cash; several bank accounts totaling $126,000; three firearms; and assorted shoes, purses, sunglasses, and a jacket all together estimated to be worth approximately $64,215, after it was determined he was trafficking not only methamphetamine, but large amounts of cocaine.
On May 28, 2026, Oklahoma man, Steven Mark Moore, 27, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for being involved in a firearms trafficking scheme that involved straw purchases of firearms that were then illegally resold at an inflated price to individuals involved in criminal activities. The firearms were linked to various crimes in the United States as well as deadly cartel shootings in Mexico.
A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas was sentenced on May 28, 2026, to 18 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas. Angel Luis Lopez-Montero, 45, was identified as a source of supply and responsible for trafficking at least 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
On May 29, 2026, Fort Worth man, Donald Lee Harris, 40, was sentenced to 350 months in federal prison for trafficking over three kilograms of methamphetamine which was brought from Mexico for distribution in the United States.
HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas.
HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Houston (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx.
District Man Sentenced in Armed Robbery of Beauty Supply StoreRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – George Carr, 24, a convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for his participation in the armed robbery of a Washington beauty supply store, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Carr pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). In addition to the 51-month prison sentence, Judge Sullivan ordered Carr to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of 63 months in prison.
“George Carr is a lifelong criminal who has never been held accountable for his actions,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Whether he destroys property, steals, sexually assaults another, or threatens to kill innocent people, the result has always been the same: an extremely lenient sentence that does nothing to deter his behavior or protect the public. Today that changes.”
According to court papers, on Aug. 1, 2025, at about 6 p.m., Carr and an unidentified co-conspirator entered Scott’s Beauty Supply in the District, wearing masks. Carr grabbed a store employee by the back of his shirt, pointed a handgun at him, and ordered everyone in the store to the ground. Carr then pressed the firearm to the back of the employee’s head while his co-conspirator demanded cash from another store employee. The pair took about $200 from the register before fleeing. Carr later told law enforcement that he carried out the robbery to repay a debt.
Carr’s criminal history includes adult convictions for threatening to blow up a Washington restaurant and kill the people inside, and for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and threatening to burn down her home.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter.
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Deltona Man Sentenced to Life for Coercing and Enticing an Autistic Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – James Bernard Grover (63, Deltona) was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza to life in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. A federal jury found Grover guilty on February 27, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Grover was the founder and executive director of the Special Needs Advocacy Program, a nonprofit organization for the special needs community based in Sanford. Through his work, Grover met an autistic minor, provided the minor with counseling and therapy, and coerced and enticed the minor to engage in sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sanford Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane S. Hu.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Decatur Man Faces Federal Charges Following Fatal Attack on Atlanta's MARTA Rail SystemRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – John Elijah Matthews faces a federal charge of committing an act of violence causing death on a mass transportation system, after he allegedly murdered a 66-year-old woman aboard a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) train last weekend.
“Margaret Swan was a beloved great-grandmother who was brutally killed in an unprovoked act of senseless violence. Her loss deeply affects her family, friends, and our entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Atlantans and the many people who will soon visit for the FIFA World Cup deserve to travel free from fear of a violent attack. We will not tolerate murder and mayhem on MARTA, and anyone who uses a dangerous weapon to seriously injure or kill on public transportation may face swift and unrelenting federal prosecution.”
“Margaret Swan was an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination. My hope is these charges will bring justice for her and her family.” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This crime also impacts everyone who relies on mass transportation to move about their daily lives. Using Atlanta’s train system should be safe and free of violence.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On May 30, 2026, Margaret Swan, a 66-year-old resident of Atlanta, was a passenger on a MARTA train traveling northbound from the Lakewood station to the Oakland City station. Video surveillance inside the MARTA train allegedly showed Matthews standing next to Swan, who was sitting near the train’s door and looking at her phone. At approximately 11:25 a.m., surveillance footage allegedly shows Matthews reach into his pocket, pull out a folding knife, and stab Swan approximately 20 times in the chest and neck area as she attempted to defend herself. Other passengers on the train fled for safety and called for help, and at least one passenger confirmed that Swan had no interaction with Matthews before the fatal attack.
After the MARTA train stopped at the Oakland City station, MARTA police officers immediately arrested Matthews, who was allegedly in possession of a bloody folding knife consistent with the knife seen in the surveillance footage and had blood on his clothes. First responders attempted to render emergency medical aid to Swan, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
John Elijah Matthews, 25, of Decatur, Georgia, was named in a federal criminal complaint filed today charging him with committing an act of violence using a dangerous weapon with the intent to cause death on a mass transportation system. If convicted, Matthews faces the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty. The Attorney General of the United States will determine whether the government will seek the death penalty. Matthews is currently in local custody but will appear in federal court at a later date.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Police Department.
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.
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.
Deadly Drug Trafficking Case in Del Rio Leads to Arrests of 2 CaliforniansRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – Two Californians made their initial appearances in Del Rio for a number of drug-related charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and Xanax resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to an indictment filed April 22, Bertha Alisia Romo, 30, of Colton, and Rhemi Raymond Hernandez, 25, of Fontana, possessed and distributed at least 50 grams of Dihydrohydroxycodeinone, also known as oxycodone, and at least one kilogram of Alprazolam, otherwise known as Xanax, both of which resulted in the death of a purchaser. The indictment alleges that the conspiracy began in February 2023 and continued through the date of indictment.
Also during the timeframe outlined in the indictment, Romo and Hernandez allegedly conspired to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. They were arrested in California on April 30 and first appeared before a magistrate judge in the Central District of California before being transferred to the Western District of Texas.
Romo and Hernandez are both charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone resulting in death; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Xanax resulting in death; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If convicted, Romo and Hernandez face up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Warsame Galaydh is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Danbury Preschool Owner Admits Failure to Pay More Than $600K in Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that THOMAS WALKER, 63, of Ridgefield, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to willful failure to account for and pay over employment taxes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Walker owned and operated New England Country Day School (“NECDS”), a daycare and preschool located in Danbury. Walker knew that he had a legal duty to collect and account for income taxes that were owed by the employees of the NECDS, and to pay over those withholdings to the Internal Revenue Service on a quarterly basis, along with the employees’ share of Social Security and Medicare taxes. Beginning at least as early as 2018 through 2024, Walker failed to file the required employment tax forms and willfully failed to make most of the related payments of withholding taxes on behalf of NECDS, resulting in a tax loss of approximately $639,158 to the IRS.
The charge of willful failure to account for and pay over taxes carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Walker is released pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 31.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick.
Cuyahoga Falls Man Sentenced to 11+ Years in Prison for Committing Child Sexual Abuse OffensesRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – A Summit County man has been sentenced to federal prison for committing offenses that involved sexual abuse of children.
Jordan Gazafy, 35, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, has been sentenced to 140 months (11.6 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent, after pleading guilty in February to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, also known as Child Pornography or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment, pay $162,500 in restitution to 25 known victims, and pay $5,100 in special assessments. After imprisonment, he is required to register as a sex offender.
In February 2023, law enforcement was investigating suspected CSAM activity on an internet platform in Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties. Gazafy was identified. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from January 2024 to February 2025, he was receiving and distributing digital files of the sexual abuse of children. During a search warrant execution of Gazafy’s residence, agents seized his electronic devices. Forensic analysis of these devices determined that they contained more than 25,000 CSAM images. Many were sadomasochistic in nature and included prepubescent children and infants being raped.
This investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, FBI Akron Resident Agency and the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.
To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery and Introduction of ContrabandRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Michael Jason Brooks (37, Citra) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to one year and one day in federal prison for receiving a bribe as a public official and providing contraband to a federal inmate. Brooks pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records, on June 12, 2024, Brooks was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. He knowingly and corruptly sought and agreed to receive and accept a bribe of $3,000 in return for smuggling 177.1 grams of loose tobacco into the federal prison for an inmate. Federal inmates are prohibited from obtaining and possessing tobacco in prison as it is contraband.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
Butler Felon Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 84 months of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal firearms law, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Thomas James Clark, 33.
According to information presented to the Court, on January 20, 2024, law enforcement apprehended Clark on an outstanding arrest warrant relating to aggravated assault charges. Upon encountering law enforcement, Clark dropped the belongings in his possession, which included an AR-15-style rifle with no serial number, a revolver, and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Clark was previously convicted in the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County, Pennsylvania, of methamphetamine production and criminal conspiracy. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly M. Locher and Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police’s Butler Patrol and Fugitive Apprehension Unit, and the Butler City Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Clark.
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.
Buffalo man going to prison for his role in narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Torrance Bailey, 44, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 138 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Between February 2019, and March 2024, Bailey conspired with others to sell significant quantities of cocaine. In March 2020, Buffalo Police and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at a Mills Street residence, during which they seized approximately 120 grams of fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia. When law enforcement arrived at the residence, Bailey and Sherron Kye were spotted nearby the residence. After recognizing law enforcement, they attempted to flee. Bailey threw the set of keys belonging to the Mills street residence prior to being taken into custody and Kye discarded a bag, which was later found to contain approximately 100 grams of fentanyl. After his arrest, Bailey was found in possession of approximately $3,512 in cash.
In June 2023, Bailey was released on conditions and placed on home incarceration while he awaited trial. In March 2024, Bailey sold approximately 27 grams of crack cocaine to an individual working with law enforcement. In addition, he asked the individual to go to the residence of a co-conspirator and pick up approximately 88 grams of fentanyl, but the individual declined.
Sherron Key was previously convicted and sentenced.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Evan K. Glaberson. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Erika Shields, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.
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Baltimore Men Sentenced to Decades in Federal Prison for Roles in Deadly CarjackingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Two Baltimore men received federal-prison terms for their roles in multiple carjackings, including one that resulted in a murder.
U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Jerritt Barron, 24, to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and Jeremy Matheny, 27, to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an attempted carjacking that resulted in death.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentences with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, in June 2022, Barron and Matheny conspired with co-conspirators Nefertiti Moore, 23, and Antonio Purisima, 25, also from Baltimore, to commit several armed carjackings. Purisima, who is also charged with carjacking resulting in death, engaged in a carjacking scheme with multiple co-conspirators.
On June 15, Barron, Matheny, and Purisima, followed a victim from Maryland Live! Casino, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to her Glen Burnie residence. After the victim parked near her home, two co-conspirators approached her, as they brandished handguns, and demanded money and her car keys. The two masked suspects then drove away in the victim’s car which was recovered less than one hour later in Baltimore.
Then on June 19, Barron, Matheny, and Purisima, along with Moore, who rode in a black pick-up truck, attempted to carjack a vehicle near an Interstate 95 ramp in Baltimore. Moore exited the truck and flagged down the victim. Then the co-conspirators blocked the victim’s vehicle with their car from entering the ramp to I-95. Barron and Purisima thereafter exited their vehicle and approached the victim. A co-conspirator then shot the victim who later died from the injuries. The co-conspirators fled the scene. Historical cell site data placed Matheny, Moore, and Purisima at or near the scene of the murder.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement extracted latent fingerprints from the Glen Burnie victim’s carjacked vehicle that matched Matheny and Purisima. Additionally, historical cell-site data placed Matheny and Purisima at Maryland Live! Casino and at the scene of the carjacking. When law enforcement arrested Matheny on June 22, they confiscated a cellphone in Matheny’s possession.
After searching the phone, law enforcement uncovered photos of Barron, Matheny, and Purisima posing with firearms while at Maryland Live! Casino. The casino’s video surveillance shows the co-conspirators entering a vehicle and then following the victim as she drove her car.
Purisima pled guilty on April 15, and his sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, at 2 p.m. He is facing a maximum of life in federal prison for carjacking resulting in death. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in the investigation, along with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. who is prosecuting this federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Baker City Man Pleads Guilty to Investment FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Baker City, Oregon, man pleaded guilty today after stealing his clients’ shares of stocks, selling them, and transferring the proceeds into his personal bank account for almost 17 years, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Jeffrey Thomas Higgins, 54, pleaded guilty to investment advisor fraud.
According to court documents, from December 2007 through June 2024, Higgins worked as an investment adviser in Baker City. To entice investors, Higgins lied, falsely claiming he purchased stocks on their behalf at deep discounts when he actually purchased the stocks at market value. Higgins then sold the stocks without the investors’ knowledge and stole the proceeds from the sales – transferring the money to his personal bank account.
To keep the scheme going, Higgins created fictitious annual statements that exaggerated profits. Statements reflecting the true costs of stock purchases were mailed directly to a post office box controlled by Higgins. As a result of Higgins’ misappropriation of shares, at least fourteen investors suffered losses totaling at least $1.6 million.
Higgins faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on December 7, 2026, before a U.S. district court judge.
As part of the plea agreement, Higgins has agreed to pay over $1.6 million in restitution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Chinwuba and Andrew T. Ho are prosecuting the case.
Auburn, Washington, man sentenced to more than four years in prison for racially motivated attack on Metro bus passengerRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 25-year-old Auburn, Washington, man was sentenced today for a federal hate crime for violently assaulting and stabbing a Black female passenger because of her race, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Adan Hernandez-Mayoral was sentenced to 54 months in prison for an incident in which he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, to cause bodily injury to the Victim and he did so because of her race. “The facts of what happened on that bus are despicable,” said U.S. District Judge James L. Robart. “It was a prolonged intentional assault on a Black woman…. We need to protect the public from this defendant.”
“Racially motivated attacks such as this one shock the conscience of our community,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “This office will join with our state and local partners to ensure these crimes are investigated and those who commit them will be held accountable. Such hate has no place here.”
“Today, we have delivered justice with the sentencing of Adan Hernandez-Mayoral for his brutal, racially motivated attack on the victim,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Assaults like these destroy our communities by breeding fear and distrust of public places and facilities. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute such cases to restore safety and confidence in our cities’ streets and transit systems.”
According to court documents, Adan C. Hernandez-Mayoral boarded a King County Metro bus on March 7, 2024, and immediately began making racist comments about Black people. Hernandez-Mayoral started antagonizing the Victim, a Black woman, and yelled, “I don’t like Black people, f***in’ hate ’em.” The defendant continued to yell racist remarks at the Victim referring to the woman as “Rosa Parks” and telling her to move to the back of the bus. When the woman attempted to move away from him, Hernandez-Mayoral followed her, while hiding a knife behind his back. When the bus doors opened at a stop, Hernandez-Mayoral grabbed the woman, pushing her off the bus and into a fence. He immediately began beating her all over her body and, after she fell to the ground, stomping on her. He then used the knife to repeatedly and violently stab the woman, whose thick coat spared her from suffering serious injuries from Hernandez-Mayoral’s attack. Hernandez-Mayoral fled the scene but was located and arrested by officers from the Kent Police Department later that evening.
“This was a horrific and deeply disturbing racially motivated assault that targeted an innocent member of our community because of the color of her skin. I am pleased to have reached this conviction on her behalf. Hate-fueled violence has no place in Kent,” said Chief Rafael Padilla of the Kent Police Department. “I want to commend the Kent Police Officers and Detectives whose swift response, thorough investigation, and unwavering commitment to justice led to the arrest of the offender and laid the foundation for this successful prosecution. Their professionalism and dedication ensured that this case received the attention and resources it deserved. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to the FBI, Seattle Office, the King County Prosecutor’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office, for their outstanding partnership throughout this case. This outcome reinforces the importance of strong partnerships between local and federal law enforcement in our shared mission of to protect our communities and hold violent offenders accountable.”
“The victim in this case was minding her own business on a familiar public transit route when a stranger made offensive comments about her race, threw her off the stopped bus, and then brutally assaulted her with a knife,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Together with our partners such as the Kent Police Department, the FBI will hold accountable those like Mr. Hernandez-Mayoral who engage in violent hate crimes.”
On December 23, 2025, Hernandez-Mayoral pleaded guilty to Hate Crime Causing Bodily Injury, admitting that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, to cause bodily injury to the Victim and he did so because of her race and color.
Restitution to the victim will be determined at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Kent Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Manca for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, with valuable assistance from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Aspiration Partners Co-Founder Sentenced to Prison for $248M Scheme to Defraud Investors and LendersRead the Press Release
A California man who was a co-founder and former board member of Aspiration Partners, Inc., a financial technology and sustainability services company, was sentenced yesterday to 14 years in prison for a five-year scheme to defraud multiple lenders and investors of at least $248 million.
“Joseph Sanberg preyed on investors and lenders who believed in his vision of environmentally conscious fintech,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Instead of delivering on Aspiration’s promises, he orchestrated a multi-year scheme involving fake clients, sham payments, and deceptive loan collateral that caused at least $248 million in losses to numerous victims. This sentence holds him accountable and serves as a clear warning to others who abuse trust for personal gain and obtain loans from the financial industry based on lies and misrepresentations.”
“This serial fraudster used his Cinderella-like background, impressive educational credentials, and virtue signaling skills to swindle investors and lenders out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “This criminal case serves as a warning: Anyone can get duped by a con man.”
“As evidenced by this case, Mr. Sanberg selfishly put businesses and clients at risk who expected him to provide a valuable service to protect their interests” said Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “Along with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to allocate expert resources to investigate and prosecute all those who take advantage of a position of trust to defraud American businesses.”
“Yesterday’s sentencing reflects our commitment to the public,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “The reward for lying, stealing, and falsifying records, is jail time.”
According to court documents, Joseph Neal Sanberg, 46, of Orange, California, devised a scheme that began in 2020 and continued into 2025 to use his significant share of Aspiration stock to defraud various lenders and investors. Between 2020 and 2021, Sanberg and Ibrahim AlHusseini, who were both members of Aspiration’s board of directors, fraudulently obtained $145 million in loans from two lenders by pledging shares of Sanberg’s Aspiration stock. In order to secure the loans, Sanberg and AlHusseini falsified AlHusseini’s bank and brokerage statements to fraudulently inflate AlHusseini’s assets by tens of millions of dollars.
Beginning in 2021, Sanberg concealed from investors that he was the source of millions of dollars of purported revenue paid to Aspiration through, or purportedly on behalf of, sham customers. Court documents indicate that Sanberg personally recruited companies and individuals to enter agreements with Aspiration in which they committed to pay tens of thousands of dollars per month for tree planting services. The money for these customers’ payments was supplied by Sanberg himself. Sanberg concealed that these payments came from him rather than from the customers.
Aspiration booked revenue from these sham customers between March 2021 and November 2022, at the same time Sanberg concealed that he was the source of the payments. As a result, Aspiration’s financial statements falsely and fraudulently reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received. Nonetheless, Sanberg continued to solicit investors to invest in Aspiration securities into 2025.
According to the documents, Sanberg also defrauded other lenders and investors using fraudulent materials describing Aspiration’s financial condition, including a fabricated letter from Aspiration’s audit committee that falsely stated Aspiration had $250 million in available cash and equivalents at a time that Aspiration only had less than $1 million in available cash. Sanberg used these fraudulent financial materials to obtain millions of dollars in additional loans and investments in Aspiration securities. Sanberg’s victims sustained at least $248 million in losses.
Sanberg pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two counts of wire fraud.
The FBI and USPIS investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Adam L.D. Stempel of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nisha Chandran and Alexander Su for the Central District of California prosecuted the case.
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Memphis man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on October 29, 2023, a Loxley Police Officer initiated a traffic stop on a white sedan for improper lane change. Marshall Bratcher, 40, was identified as the driver. Other passengers included an adult female and three juveniles. Bratcher admitted he possessed marijuana, leading to a search of the vehicle. During the search, a stolen Ruger, Model P89 pistol was recovered under the driver’s seat. Police learned that Bratcher used the firearm to kidnap the female passenger, forced her to gather the juvenile passengers into the vehicle, and ultimately leave with him. Witness accounts revealed Bratcher drove erratically with the firearm in his lap until he was stopped by law enforcement.
Bratcher is an Armed Career Criminal due to prior violent felony and serious drug offense convictions. Bratcher’s prior felony convictions include three separate convictions for Aggravated Assault, and convictions of Aggravated Burglary and Conspiracy to Violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, among other felony convictions. As a convicted felon, Bratcher is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Bratcher was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Bratcher to 180 months in prison to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Loxley Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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.
Activist Short Seller Convicted for $21M Stock Market Manipulation SchemeRead the Press Release
Yesterday a federal jury in Los Angeles convicted an activist short seller of securities fraud for a long-running market manipulation scheme reaping profits of more than $21 million.
“Andrew Left used his expertise to profit at the expense of retail investors, ordinary people who owned the stocks he targeted. He callously boasted that it was like ‘taking candy from a baby,’” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Egregious schemes like this strike at the heart of free, fair and open markets, and warrant prosecution when they involve criminal manipulation. Investors should have confidence that U.S. markets are safe and free from the type of deliberate manipulation that Left engaged in to enrich himself at the expense of American investors.”
“Left used his TV appearances to disguise his intentions, manipulate the stock market, and pad his pockets,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “A fair and transparent securities market is a foundation of our nation’s financial system. We will continue to bring to justice individuals who abuse the public trust placed in financial advisors.”
“Andrew Left abused his position and influence when he devised a scheme known as ‘Short-and-Distort,’ to manipulate the market for personal gain,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). “Now he’s facing the consequences. Postal inspectors and our federal counterparts continue to partner to ensure spreading misleading or false material to the investing public has only one result: jail time.”
“Frauds such as the one perpetrated by Left can erode investor confidence which impacts our capital markets,” said Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “While this conviction cannot make up for the significant and emotional harm he inflicted upon his unwitting investors, it does send a message to those who may be looking to profit from similar schemes – think twice because the FBI has a proven track record of rooting out fraudsters who illegally tilt the playing field against honest investors and undermine confidence in our markets.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andrew Left, 55, of Boca Raton, Florida, was a securities analyst, trader, and frequent guest commentator on cable news channels who manipulated the price of publicly traded securities so that he could profit off of investors who trusted him. As part of his scheme, Left made false and misleading statements — in the form of online posts and public reports — concerning publicly traded companies, asserting that the market incorrectly valued a company’s stock and advocating that the current price was too high or too low. Left knowingly exploited his ability to move stock prices by targeting stocks popular with retail investors and posting recommendations on social media to manipulate the market and make fast, easy money.
In anticipation of his public commentary, Left established long or short positions in the public company on which he was commenting and prepared to quickly close those positions post-publication and take profits on the short-term price movement caused by his commentary. In advance of his tweets and reports, Left would enter limit orders to trade in the opposite direction of his public recommendations. Furthermore, Left used his advance knowledge and control over the timing of a market-moving event to build his positions using inexpensive, short-dated options contracts that expired from the same day that he published his commentary to within five days. To further the scheme, Left advanced the false pretense that his investment recommendations were credible because he was independent and free from any financial conflicts of interest.
Left was convicted of one count of participating in a securities fraud scheme and 12 counts of securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
USPIS and the FBI investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the substantial assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.
Acting Assistant Chief Matthew Reilly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benedetto L. Balding and Andrew Roach for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. Paralegals Mika Gothard, Ellen Kiernan, and Lanie Kirby provided substantial assistance.
Acting U.S. Attorney Marck appointed to Attorney General’s Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently appointed Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck to serve on a select and prestigious body of U.S. Attorneys that advises Department of Justice leadership on national law enforcement priorities.
Marck’s appointment to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys reflects both his leadership in one of the largest districts in the nation and the important role the Southern District of Texas plays in confronting emerging threats to public safety and national security.
The AGAC was created in 1973 and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational and subject-matter representation and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys on matters of policy, procedure and management impacting offices throughout the nation.
Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, fraud, narcoterrorism and other critical priorities. The AGAC plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs on national Department of Justice strategy.
“It is an immense honor to be appointed to the AGAC, and I am deeply grateful to Acting Attorney General Blanche for his confidence and trust in me,” said Marck. “The Southern District of Texas is home to some of the most dedicated federal, state and local law enforcement officers in the country, and I am proud to carry their work and their mission into this important forum.”
Marck and other AGAC members met with Blanche and other DOJ leadership in May and will hold the first substantive meeting later this month.
Marck will serve alongside U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop (Middle District of North Carolina), U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros (Northern District of Illinois), U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford (District of Oregon), Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine Crosby (Northern District of Alabama), U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine (District of Arizona), U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant (Western District of Tennessee), First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison (District of New Mexico), First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli (Central District of California), U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (Southern District of California), U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon (Eastern District of Michigan), U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly (District of Colorado), U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (District of Columbia), U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (Southern District of Florida) and U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods (District of Nebraska).
As Acting U.S. Attorney, Marck is the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Southern District of Texas, responsible for prosecuting and defending the interests of the United States in one of the largest and busiest districts in the nation.
Before being appointed Acting U.S. Attorney, Marck served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, overseeing the Criminal, Civil and Appellate Divisions. Prior to that, he was in the National Security and Public Corruption Section where he served as Associate Deputy Criminal Chief, supervising a team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, intelligence officers and support staff in prosecuting complex national security, counterintelligence and cybercrime cases.
Marck began his federal career as an AUSA in the Corpus Christi and Victoria Divisions of the Southern District of Texas, where he managed a diverse criminal docket that included charges of illegal reentry, alien smuggling, drug trafficking and other cartel-related offenses.
Prior to joining the SDTX, Marck was an Assistant District Attorney in New York City, serving in both the Brooklyn and Bronx District Attorney’s offices. As an ADA, Marck prosecuted a high-volume caseload of major felonies, including murder, manslaughter, robbery and gang assault.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties, more than 10 million people, covers 44,000 square miles and comprises seven U.S. District Court divisions. Headquartered in Houston, SDTX has branch offices in Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo.
5-9 Brims Gang Member Pleads Guilty in Connection with August 17, 2025 Shooting in Crown HeightsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Timothy Spence pleaded guilty to assault in-aid-of racketeering and a firearms crime related to his involvement in the August 17, 2025 shooting at Taste of the City Lounge in Brooklyn, New York, during which thirteen individuals were shot and three died. Spence, a member of the 5-9 Brims gang, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an information charging him with assault in-aid-of racketeering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(3), and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant. When sentenced, Spence faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and up to life imprisonment.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea.
“As part of a gang dispute, Spence and others opened fire in the middle of a crowded bar, leaving three people dead and ten other injured victims,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “As today’s guilty plea demonstrates, our Office is committed to prosecuting all gang-related gun violence and holding accountable those who perpetuate it.”
“The defendant and other members of the 5-9 Brims turned a crowded Brooklyn bar into a war zone when they opened fire on rival gang members, killing three people and injuring 10 others,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Today’s guilty plea reflects the NYPD’s relentless pursuit of the violent gang members who wreak havoc in our communities and claim lives. Thank you to the tireless work of our NYPD investigators and our partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for holding these dangerous criminals accountable."
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to FBI/NYPD Metro Safe Streets Task Force and the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Division for their outstanding work and assistance in this investigation and prosecution.
As set forth in court filings, in the early morning hours of August 17, 2025, Spence was at Taste of the City Lounge, a restaurant and hookah bar in Brooklyn, New York, with members and associates of the 5-9 Brims. Also present at the lounge were individuals associated with the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples (or “GD”), a rival of the 5-9 Brims. At approximately 3:00 a.m., members of the 5-9 Brims began shooting at associates of GD, who returned fire. Spence, who was armed when the shooting began, shot towards a group of individuals affiliated with GD. Within approximately six seconds, over 40 shots were discharged into the crowded bar, killing three and injuring ten.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Dana Rehnquist, Daniel J. Marcus and Molly N. Delaney are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
TIMOTHY SPENCE
Age: 21
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 26-CR-140 (OEM)
2026.05.05_u.s._v._spence_information_18_usc_1959a3_924c.pdf
1 June 2026
York County Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gregory Tischuk, 66, of York County, has pleaded guilty to straw purchasing firearms.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Baltimore Field Office learned that Gregory Tischuk was trafficking guns from Fort Mill to Baltimore, Maryland, through a gun trafficker operating in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The gun trafficker could not legally own or purchase firearms. An undercover ATF agent began buying guns from the gun trafficker in Baltimore and Charlotte. Over the course of their investigation, the undercover agent purchased approximately 106 guns, with many of the guns coming from North and South Carolina. Six of the firearms purchased were traced back to Tischuk, a resident of Fort Mill.
In several text messages, the gun trafficker asked Tischuk for a Glock 27 pistol for the trafficker’s wife. Tischuk indicated that he did not have one but one could get one. The trafficker then agreed to sell the undercover agent a Glock 27 pistol. On March 21, 2024, the undercover agent bought 10 guns in Maryland from the gun trafficker, including a Glock 27. The Glock 27 was traced back to Tischuk. The trafficker purchased the gun from Tischuk on March 15, 2024 in Prosperity, South Carolina.
In April 2024, Tischuk agreed to sell the gun trafficker another Glock 27. Tischuk purchased another Glock 27 on April 4, 2024, as part of a multiple purchase of firearms. It was later recovered by the ATF on April 30, 2024, in Baltimore.
As evidenced by the text messages, Tischuk knew he was not buying the firearm for himself when he filled out the ATF Form 4473. Tischuk made a false declaration when filling out the ATF Form 4473.
Investigators interviewed Tischuk after the execution of a search warrant at his home. Tischuk admitted he knew the gun trafficker and had sold him multiple firearms, specifically more than one Glock 27. He admitted he straw purchased the Glock 27 with the intent to immediately sell it to the subject for profit. Investigators seized more than 100 firearms during the search of his home.
Tischuk faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Tischuk after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.Virginia Man Sentenced in Connection with Identity Theft Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Virginia man received a prison term, today, stemming from an identity theft scheme.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Jade Ingalls, 45, of Arlington, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for false use of a passport and aggravated identity theft in connection with the scam.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge David Richeson, U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) – Washington Field Office, Chief Charles Penn, Arlington County Police Department (ACPD), and Chief Joseph Kluh, Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA).
According to court documents, Ingalls stole numerous victims’ personal identifiable information (PII) to syphon money from their accounts and to defraud the government and financial institutions. Ingalls, who victimized more than 20 individuals, utilized individuals’ PII to request duplicate driver’s licenses, open bank accounts, and access digital mailboxes. Additionally, Ingalls traveled from city to city for short periods of time using the victims’ PII to rent hotels, furnished apartments, and individually owned rental properties via online rental marketplaces.
Law enforcement later found evidence linking him to the crime spree, including a transaction receipt in a laptop bag; notarized bank account closure authorization form; bank cards; gift cards; fraudulent identification cards; and an ID Card printer. Authorities also discovered several ID cards displaying Ingalls’ picture, but under three different victims’ names, and the Armed Forces of the United States seal.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DSS, ACPD, and MWAA for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida Supports Career Closets Through Freedom 250 Charity DriveRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – In celebration of Freedom 250 and America’s upcoming 250th birthday, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida proudly conducted a charitable donation drive to support local Career Closets charities throughout the district. In total, nearly 180 articles of professional attire were donated in Tallahassee and Pensacola.
The Freedom 250 Charity Drive was organized as an opportunity for employees to give back to their communities while honoring the spirit of service, opportunity, and unity that defines our nation. Staff members across the district generously donated professional clothing, accessories, and workplace essentials to help individuals preparing to enter or re-enter the workforce.
This year’s donations will benefit the Florida State University Professional Clothing Closet and the Pensacola State College PIRATE’s Care Career Closet. These programs provide professional attire and support resources to students preparing for interviews, internships, and employment opportunities, helping build confidence and remove barriers to career success.
“The generosity shown by our employees reflects the ongoing commitment to public service and community engagement by the United States Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin. “As we celebrate Freedom 250 and America’s birthday, we are proud to support organizations that empower individuals and strengthen our communities.”
Career Closets provides professional attire and resources to students and job seekers, helping individuals build confidence and prepare for interviews, internships, and employment opportunities. The donations collected through the drive will directly support members of the local communities that serve throughout North Florida.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Results of Three-Month Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Surge: 56 Defendants Charged, 254+ Kilograms of Drugs Seized, 110 Illegal Firearms Recovered, and 157 Fugitives ApprehendedRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today the results of Operation Spring Cleaning, a coordinated three-month multi-jurisdictional enforcement surge that resulted in 56 defendants charged federally, over 254 kilograms of drugs seized including more than 22 kilograms of fentanyl, 110 illegal firearms recovered, and 157 fugitives apprehended on state and federal charges throughout the region.
The operation targeted violent offenders, drug traffickers, armed felons, and fugitives responsible for spreading deadly drugs, driving gun violence, and increasing crime across district and state lines.
“We usually see increased violent crime and drug crimes during the summer – this operation was meant to get ahead of that and get the worst offenders off the streets before they can recruit others to their life of street crime this summer,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We all know criminals don’t respect district or state lines, and that is why this coordinated effort involved multiple agencies in North and South Carolina. We wanted to make clear you cannot commit a crime in North Carolina and escape across the state line to avoid getting caught.”
Federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force (USMS CRFTF) worked in coordination with state and local law enforcement in North Carolina and South Carolina to identify, investigate, and apprehend individuals trafficking fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, illegally possessing firearms, and committing violent crimes impacting communities throughout the region. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also coordinated closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, which participated in the surge and brought additional federal cases in South Carolina.
“Partnerships are force multipliers,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division which overseas North and South Carolina. “Results from these investigations underscore the importance of intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement efforts in combating violent crime and drug trafficking. Today’s outcome is a testament to what can be achieved when agencies unite toward a common goal. Together, we removed dangerous narcotics and illegal firearms from the streets while bringing wanted fugitives into custody.”
“It takes a multi-faceted, multi-agency approach to successfully fight violent crime,” said Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF in North and South Carolina. “Through resource and intelligence sharing, investigative capabilities, and an unwavering commitment to uphold the law, ATF and our law enforcement partners are identifying dangerous offenders, disrupting criminal organizations, and making our communities safer.”
“People willing to commit violent crimes don’t care about city and county lines. These partnerships allow us to extend our reach, share intelligence in real time, and target threats at every level. There is no revolving door or parole in the federal justice system, instead there are real consequences for violent repeat offenders. The FBI will do everything we can to support our federal, state, and local partners to hold violent criminals accountable,” said Reid Davis, the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge.
“HSI will use every tool and resource at our disposal to dismantle criminal networks and protect the people we serve. Whether it’s drug traffickers, violent offenders, or fugitives, crime has no safe haven in North or South Carolina. If you bring crime to our communities, we will bring the full strength of our partnerships to your door,” said Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina. “We are grateful for the dedication and teamwork of our federal, state, and local partners—together, we are making our communities safer and stronger.”
“The success of this unique operation is a direct result of outstanding interagency cooperation,” stated Jamaal Thompson, Commander of the United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. “By working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, we were able to arrest some of the most dangerous individuals in our community safely and effectively. Through collaborative efforts such as Operation Spring Cleaning, and with a shared commitment to public safety, our communities are safer.”
“Operation Spring Cleaning highlights the power of collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” said CMPD Chief Estella D. Patterson. “Many of the cases announced today began with CMPD officers making contacts at the street level and identifying criminal activity in our neighborhoods. I am proud of our officers, who continue to be the boots on the ground and are often the first link in investigations that lead to the removal of illegal firearms, drug traffickers, and violent offenders from our community. Together, we are making Charlotte safer.”
Operation Spring Cleaning led to significant enforcement results:
Federal defendants charged in connection with the enforcement surge face charges for drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, armed robbery, and other violent offenses.
Operation Spring Cleaning is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office ongoing violent crime reduction strategy focused on partnering with law enforcement agencies at all levels to dismantle drug networks, reduce the number of illegal guns and gun trafficking in the region, combat gun-induced violence, and identify and prosecute violent offenders who drive criminal activity across district and state lines through intelligence sharing and coordination among law enforcement agencies.
The operation also supports the Justice Department’s broader efforts 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.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the federal, state, and local agencies that participated in the operation, including: South Carolina U.S. Attorney Brian Stirling, the DEA, ATF, FBI, HSI, USMS CRFTF, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the Anson County Sheriff’s Office, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the York County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, the Asheville Police Department, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, the Gastonia Police Department, the Hickory Police Department, and the Rock Hill Police Department in South Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina is in charge of the federal prosecutions in North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney's Office Recognizes FBI Special Agent Bobby Gutierrez as the Freedom 250 Hometown HeroRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon is proud to announce FBI Special Agent Bobby Gutierrez as the Freedom 250 Hometown Hero. The prestigious national award honors individuals whose steadfast courage, generosity, and public service embody the enduring ideals of liberty and civic responsibility.
The Freedom 250 initiative was created in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It recognizes outstanding Americans who make lasting contributions to their local communities.
SA Gutierrez was selected as the District of Oregon’s Hometown Hero because of his leadership, collaboration, and dedication to the joint downtown fentanyl enforcement missions. For the past two years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Portland Police Bureau have targeted fentanyl dealers in Portland, Oregon. SA Gutierrez works closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to combat the scourge of fentanyl. He has helped coordinate dozens of investigations focused on fentanyl distributors in downtown Portland. Through his leadership, nearly 100 fentanyl distributors have been federally charged for their unlawful conduct.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I am honored to present Special Agent Gutierrez as Oregon’s Hometown Hero. Special Agent Gutierrez’s dedication, selfless service, and unwavering commitment have made a lasting impact on the safety and well-being of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford. “Two years ago, Portland had notorious open-air drug markets, rising crime, and frequent overdoses. Thanks to Special Agent Gutierrez’s efforts, dedication, and coordination with local, county, and state partners, we are reducing fentanyl trafficking, violent crime, and overdoses downtown.”
SA Gutierrez has proven to be a tireless investigator and steadfast partner in our efforts to restore downtown Portland to a safe and vibrant community.
For more information on the award and the Freedom 250 initiative, visit the Department of Justice news page or White House Freedom 250 Page.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer Announces Appointment of Joyce M. Malliet as First Assistant U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today that Joyce M. Malliet has been appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. As First Assistant, Malliet will serve as the Office’s second-ranking official and assist in leading the Office’s operations and mission throughout the District of New Jersey.
“Joyce Malliet is an exceptional prosecutor, leader, and public servant whose career reflects an unwavering commitment to justice and the people of New Jersey. For nearly twenty-four years, she has served this Office with distinction, and I am confident that her experience, judgment, and dedication will continue to strengthen our mission and support the outstanding work of our prosecutors and staff.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
Malliet has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for nearly twenty-four years and currently serves as Chief of the National Security Unit, becoming the first woman to lead that section. During her tenure, she has helped lead efforts to prevent, disrupt, and prosecute threats to national security and terrorism. She previously served in the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division and Securities and Health Care Fraud Unit and has long been involved with the District’s ReNew Re-Entry Court, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reintegrate into society. Before entering public service, Malliet was the first African-American partner at Clausen Miller, P.C. She is a Trustee of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and a founding member of the Black Prosecutors Association of New Jersey. Throughout her career, Malliet has distinguished herself as a respected prosecutor, mentor, and leader within both the Office and the broader legal community.
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Two Defendants Convicted of Engaging in A Massive Enterprise to Distribute Fake Pharmaceuticals Online That Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that FRANCISCO ALBERTO LOPEZ REYES, a/k/a “Frank,” and EDWARD EUSTATE JIMENEZ, a/k/a “Chino,” were found guilty by a jury following a six-week trial before U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan. LOPEZ REYES was convicted of being a principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, narcotics distribution, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. EUSTATE JIMENEZ was convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and narcotics distribution. The defendants’ conspiracy was responsible for sending fake pharmaceutical pills that actually contained fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, which killed a victim.
“A unanimous jury found that Francisco Alberto Lopez Reyes and one of his deputies, Edward Eustate Jimenez, ran a massive, predatory scheme to distribute pills containing fentanyl and other drugs through fake online pharmacies, including pills that tragically killed a United States Army veteran in February 2024,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “For years, Lopez Reyes was a one-man opioid crisis, duping thousands of victims by distributing millions of pills through the mail from what he thought was the safety of his home in the Dominican Republic. The pills were designed to look like real pharmaceuticals, but they actually contained deadly fentanyl and other controlled substances. The scale of Lopez Reyes’s distribution is staggering, as is the scale of the harm his shipments brought to our communities. A jury has now confirmed what New Yorkers know: if you deal in fentanyl, you deal in death.”
As established during trial:
For at least two and a half years, LOPEZ REYES ran an enterprise that distributed pills containing fentanyl, parafluorofentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances via sales through purported online pharmacies. The pills LOPEZ REYES and his co-conspirators, including EUSTATE JIMENEZ, distributed were dyed, shaped, and designed to look indistinguishable from the prescription medications they were marketed as, including oxycodone and Adderall. The pills were shipped to thousands of victims in all 50 U.S. states.
In order to manufacture the pills, from his home in the Dominican Republic, LOPEZ REYES oversaw a series of pill mills—or industrial scale pill-pressing facilities—located primarily in the basements of residential buildings in the Bronx and Washington Heights. In those mills, deputies working at LOPEZ REYES’s direction oversaw workers who mixed controlled substances with inert powders and dyes and then pressed those powders into millions of pills shaped and imprinted to match the design of the legitimate pharmaceuticals the purported online pharmacies had represented them to be.
LOPEZ REYES’s deputies then transferred the pills to other members of the conspiracy—including EUSTATE JIMENEZ—for shipment to customers. LOPEZ REYES sent the shippers lists of customer orders and corresponding addresses. Those lists and other records maintained by the enterprise reveal shipments of more than one million pills to victims over a two-and-a-half year period. In addition, law enforcement officers seized another approximately 650,000 pills during the course of searches of mills and stash houses maintained by the enterprise.
The drugs the defendants shipped were not only dangerous, but deadly. On February 25, 2024, a 45-year-old, female veteran of the United States Army (“Victim-1”) died of acute fentanyl intoxication after taking pills purchased from one of the enterprise’s pharmacies. Although Victim-1 had ordered oxycodone, what she actually received were round, blue pills marked with an “M” on one side and a “30” on the other that were merely designed to look like oxycodone. In actuality, the pills Victim-1 received contained the lethal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl that resulted in her death five days after their arrival through the mail on her doorstep.
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LOPEZ REYES, 46, of the Dominican Republic, was convicted of: (i) continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; (ii) conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; (iii) distribution of narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and (iv) conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
EUSTATE JIMENEZ, 24, of Washington Heights, New York, was convicted of: (i) conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and (ii) distribution of narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the Homeland Security Task Force, International Narcotics and Money Laundering within the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), which is comprised of law enforcement officers and investigators from the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office; Groups D-21 and D-25 of the New York Enforcement Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”); the Homeland Security Task Force, Seaport Contraband of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), New York Division, Contraband, Interdiction & Investigations Task Force, comprised of members from USPIS, NYPD Criminal Enterprise Investigations Section, and Customs and Border Protection; the Internal Revenue Service; and the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, HSI Santo Domingo, the DEA Dominican Republic Country Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service Dominican Republic Foreign Field Office for their assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Dominican authorities in securing Lopez Reyes’s arrest and 2024 extradition.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Cheng, Maggie Lynaugh, Chelsea Scism, and Adam Sowlati, as well as paralegal specialists Danielle Escamilla, Sophie Keegan, and Juan Munoz, are in charge of the prosecution.
Three Sentenced to Prison for Laundering Medicare Fraud ProceedsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Three South Florida men were sentenced to prison for their participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare and launder more than $2.2 million in illicit health care fraud proceeds.
Marco Scamarone, 34, of Tamarac, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
Jose Mendez, 34, of Coral Springs, was sentenced to 78 months in prison.
Renee Vazquez, 33, of Tamarac, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
“These defendants stole from Medicare, laundered the proceeds through shell companies, and used fraudulent medical equipment businesses to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Medicare exists to serve seniors and vulnerable patients, not to fund kickbacks, shell companies, and criminal profit. Today’s sentences send a clear message: if you steal from federal health care programs in South Florida, you will face prison time, forfeiture, restitution, and federal accountability. Fraud does not pay, and defendants do not get to keep the proceeds of their crimes.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendants owned and operated two fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) companies: Braces and Orthotics LLC, located in the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stone Oak Durable Medical Equipment LLC, located in the Southern District of Florida. Between January 2022 and February 2023, the fraudulent DME companies submitted approximately $6.9 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and ineligible for Medicare reimbursement. The conspiracy involved illegal kickbacks and bribes paid to an offshore marketing company exchange for the referral of beneficiaries and fraudulent doctors’ orders. The three men conspired to launder the proceeds of their fraud through a series of shell companies under their control or the control of their associates — ultimately laundering more than $2.2 million in illicit funds for their own benefit and the benefit of their co-conspirators.
In December 2025, Scamarone, Mendez, and Vazquez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Scamarone and Mendez were ordered to pay $2,217,840.35 in forfeiture and $3,016,324.20 in restitution. Vazquez was ordered to pay $1,723,773.18 in forfeiture and $2,249,392.09 in restitution.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott Lampert for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles for the FBI Miami Office; and Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito for the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG, FBI, and DOL-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Pogozelski for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this 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.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-60148.
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Supporting McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center Through America’s 250th Birthday CelebrationRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - As part of America’s 250th Birthday celebration initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office is proud to support McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center through a gift-in-kind donation drive benefiting children and families in crisis.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III led the effort recognizing the important partnership McMahon Ryan brings to United States Attorney’s Office in support of victims.
McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center provides immediate assistance to children facing abuse and trauma, while offering healing through counseling, advocacy, and support services. The organization also works to educate and empower the community to help prevent future abuse. Project Safe Childhood and Human Trafficking cases receive wraparound care through the Child Advocacy Center, providing critical services and support for victims and their families.
FAUSA Sarcone Said: “As we celebrate the 250th Birthday of America we are reminded of the values that formed this great nation, Liberty, Service and Civic Responsivity, all ideals that shine bright through the work of the McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center. Our office was glad to participate in this collection and looks forward to our continued partnership.”
This effort was made possible through the generosity and participation of employees of the Syracuse and Binghamton United States Attorney’s Offices, as part of the ongoing Freedom 250 celebration. Freedom 250 celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. It honors the enduring ideals of Liberty, Service, and Civic Responsibility.
Left to right: Ivy Schoff, Erin Bates, John A. Sarcone III, Michelle Jaeger, Desirae Boehle-Berler Syracuse U.S. Attorney’s Office Staff with collected itemsStamford Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking Narcotics in Southwestern ConnecticutRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERIC RIETTIE, also known as “Gambino” and “Lil E,” 27, of Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his involvement in a southwestern Connecticut narcotics trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, which was investigating gang activity in the South End and West Side of Bridgeport, identified Christian Pichardo as a supplier of various narcotics to gang members and other drug distributors. During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages over court-authorized wiretaps between Pichardo and his associates, made controlled purchases of narcotics, and seized drugs from members of the conspiracy and their drug customers. Some of the drugs seized during the investigation had been cut with fentanyl analogues, nitazines, and xylazine. Nitazines are synthetic opioids stronger than fentanyl, and xylazine is a large animal tranquilizer.
Pichardo supplied fentanyl and crack cocaine to Riettie, which Riettie sold to his own customers. Riettie sometimes supplied distribution quantities of narcotic pills to Pichardo.
Riettie was arrested on August 6, 2024. On November 19, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Riettie, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 4.
Pichardo pleaded guilty to a related charge and, on July 14, 2025, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bridgeport, Stratford, and Norwalk Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.
Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Transportation of Two Stolen Vehicles, and Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
A Sioux City man who terrorized the community with a gun and stole two vehicles, during a 13-day crime spree, pled guilty today, in federal court in Sioux City.
Manaen Rave, age 27, from Sioux City, pleaded guilty to two counts of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Motor Vehicle and one count of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon.
At the change of plea hearing, and in a plea agreement, Rave admitted that on February 16, 2025, he carjacked a motor vehicle by pistol whipping his victim in the head with a .22 revolver, requiring her to receive treatment at a hospital.
11 days later, on or about February 27, 2025, Rave stole a second vehicle, leaving his victim standing in a gas station parking lot without a ride to work.
Rave transported both stolen vehicles in interstate commerce, traveling back and forth between Iowa and Nebraska. Rave tried to hide from police, burying himself inside a closet, but was located and arrested by a combined Special Weapons and Tactics Team.
Rave has an extensive criminal history including drug, assault, and theft convictions.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Rave remains in custody of the United States Marshal. Rave faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, Sgt. Buff Iowa, Police Department, Sgt. Bluff Fire & Rescue, Dakota County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Department of Transportation, the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4032.
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Second Rikers Island Correction Officer Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Obtain Workers’ Compensation BenefitsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that JOVANNY CONCEPCION pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to making false statements relating to healthcare matters in connection with use of force incidents that took place within Rikers Island.
“As he has now admitted, Jovanny Concepcion fraudulently received hundreds of thousands of dollars from New York City taxpayers by falsely claiming injuries following incidents where force was used against an incarcerated person,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “New Yorkers pay way too much for government services. Our Office will continue to hold accountable those who violate public trust, especially when at the expense of personal liberties and taxpayer dollars.”
According to the Indictment, plea agreement, and statements made in court:
The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (the “Board”) administers New York State’s no-fault workers’ compensation system, which guarantees medical care and cash benefits to people who are injured at work, including employees of the New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”). Payments by the Board made to DOC employees are paid from the New York City Treasury. For years, CONCEPCION was employed by the DOC as a correction officer and was assigned to work at Rikers Island. During that time, CONCEPCION falsely claimed that he was injured while on duty at Rikers Island during incidents with incarcerated individuals requiring the use of force. In total, CONCEPCION received at least $232,427.97 in benefits to which he was not entitled.
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CONCEPCION, 34, of New York, pled guilty to one count of making false statements related to health care matters, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. CONCEPCION is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2026.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York State Office of Inspector General, and the Special Agents and Task Force Officers assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit and the Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaiya Arroyo and Stephanie Simon are in charge of the prosecution.
Sanford Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Terrence Denard Perkins (46, Sanford) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron to 25 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Perkins to forfeit hundreds of rounds of ammunition and more than a dozen firearms, including AR-style rifles, handguns, and a machinegun. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Perkins was found guilty by a federal jury on November 20, 2025.
According to court documents and testimony and evidence presented at trial, agents with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s City/County Investigative Bureau (CCIB) were conducting a narcotics investigation when they learned of a planned narcotics robbery at Perkins’ stash house in a residential Sanford neighborhood. The agents obtained and executed a search warrant that same day for the stash house, which was occupied by Perkins’s elderly stepfather. Inside the house, agents located an electronic money counter, revolvers, and a loaded AR-15 semiautomatic rifle concealed behind a sofa cushion.
In a backyard carport, agents located bags of cocaine along with a cocaine cutting, packaging, and distribution station. Next to the packaging station, on the hood of Perkins’s vehicle, was another loaded AR-15 and a MAC-10 handgun wrapped up in a t-shirt. Hidden inside one broken down car in the backyard, agents recovered more AR-15s, handguns, an AK-47 rifle, a machinegun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Inside another broken down car, positioned just outside the elderly stepfather’s bedroom window, agents located Perkins’s cocaine inventory—18 sealed and stamped kilogram bricks of cocaine.
Through their subsequent investigation, federal and state agents and investigators uncovered witnesses, financial records, DNA evidence, videos saved on Perkins’s stash house surveillance system, and Perkins’s own social media posts which showed that Perkins has been trafficking and distributing kilogram-quantities of cocaine in Sanford for years using cartel-linked suppliers.
Bricks of cocaine, firearms, and cocaine trafficking paraphernalia seized from Perkins’s house
Perkins is a seven-time convicted felon, including convictions for conspiracy to traffic cocaine, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and aggravating fleeing and eluding.
“Central Florida residents are much safer with violent criminals like this individual behind bars,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Harrell. “This complex investigation is a direct result of the outstanding collaboration between the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office City County Investigative Bureau, the DEA and federal prosecutors.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s City County Investigative Bureau (CCIB), with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Varadan and Michael P. Felicetta.
Repeat Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jacob Thomas Britvec, 34, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to failing to update his registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2023, law enforcement officers received information that Britvec was no longer living at the address listed on his sex offender registry. Officers confirmed that Britvec was no longer at the address and obtained a warrant for his arrest. On March 20, 2024, officers arrested Britvec in Maryland. There is no record of Britvec reporting his interstate travel or registering as a sex offender in Maryland as required by SORNA.
Britvec knew he was required to keep his information current as a result of his conviction for third-degree sexual assault on September 19, 2012, and for third-degree sexual assault and soliciting a minor via computer on March 24, 2016, all in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Britvec is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
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. 2:26-cr-2.
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Rapid City Couple Indicted on Federal Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man and woman for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Misty Standing Bear, age 49, and Mason Big Crow, age 52, were indicted in May 2026. Both appeared last week before United States Magistrate Judge Mark W. Haigh and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years custody up to life in federal prison, a $10,000,000 fine, or both, at least five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Beginning at least in 2021, Standing Bear and Big Crow engaged in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in and around the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Rapid City area. In a conspiracy spanning several years, the defendants traveled to other states to purchase thousands of counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills and trafficked the fentanyl to South Dakota for further distribution. Investigators discovered Standing Bear and Big Crow actively engaged in fentanyl trafficking as recently as May 2026 when Standing Bear traveled to Colorado, at Big Crow’s direction, with the intent to purchase 1,000 counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills. Big Crow and Standing Bear paid for at least a portion of the fentanyl they trafficked in South Dakota with tribal funds through fraudulent tribal assistant checks when Big Crow was the treasurer for the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
“We look forward to proving these crimes in federal court and holding these two fentanyl traffickers accountable for their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.
“Mason Big Crow, already alleged to have committed crimes against his community for personal gain, is now alleged to have conspired to distribute dangerous narcotics to that same community along with his wife Misty Standing Bear,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “Fentanyl is a scourge on our communities. The FBI and our federal, state, and tribal partners will work tirelessly to track down and bring to justice anyone who risks the lives and safety of others in order to profit from its distribution.”
The charge is merely an accusation, and Misty Standing Bear and Mason Big Crow are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay is prosecuting the case.
Standing Bear was released on bond pending trial. Big Crow was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
RAD Diversified REIT Co-Founder Indicted for Submitting False Information During the Purchase of his $1.6 Million HouseRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Brandon Dutch Mendenhall (46, Brandon, FL) has been charged by indictment with one count of mail fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Mendenhall that the United States intends to forfeit a house, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Mendenhall operated RAD Diversified REIT and other investment funds that solicited individuals to invest in real estate properties through these entities. Beginning in November 2021, Mendenhall applied for a home mortgage with Lender 1 for the purchase of his personal residence. During the mortgage application process, Mendenhall over-inflated his personal income and represented to the lender that the business operating accounts for some of his investment funds were his personal income because he was the owner of these businesses. This information was material to the lender’s decision regarding whether the lender would approve and fund the $1.2 million mortgage loan Mendenhall was seeking. As a result of the material misrepresentations made by Mendenhall, Mendenhall caused the mortgage closing documents to be sent by mail to a title company located in the Middle District of Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation – Bureau of Financial Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.
If you have invested money with RAD Diversified, please consider visiting forms.fbi.gov/RADDiversifiedVictim to complete a voluntary questionnaire hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please direct questions regarding the questionnaire to RADDiversifiedVictim@fbi.gov.
IndictmentPortland Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, Jody G. Moczara, 45, while residing in a halfway house, obtained a cellular telephone that he used to solicit child sexual abuse material over the internet. In March 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) obtained a search warrant for the cellular telephone, on which investigators located hundreds of image and video files of child sexual abuse material. HSI also located numerous chat conversations related to child exploitation activity, including one thread over a messaging application where Moczara sent Amazon gift cards as payment for the sexually explicit material. Moczara was previously convicted of receiving child pornography in U.S. District Court in Maine in 2016 and was sentenced to over 11 years in prison.
Moczara faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum supervised release term of life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
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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Porter woman admits to fraud, threats and assault after fraudulently receiving $435,000 new homeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 56-year-old local resident has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, fraud in connection with a major disaster, threatening to kill a witness and assaulting/impeding a law enforcement officer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
From 2019 through 2024, Sharai Poteet engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain disaster-relief housing assistance and additional federal benefits. During the investigation, she also threatened to kill a witness and assaulted a federal officer.
Poteet submitted fraudulent loan applications claiming 11 people – including seven children and a disabled adult - were members of her household. As a result of the false claims, Poteet received assistance in the form of a custom seven-bedroom home.
The funds used to construct the home were intended to help Hurricane Harvey victims through a Department of Housing and Urban Development program. The home Poteet received was the largest the program had built at that time.
The investigation revealed Poteet submitted three fraudulent applications for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for storms that occurred between 2021 and 2024. During the investigation, she threatened a whistleblower in an attempt to silence them.
Poteet also assaulted a federal agent while attempting to flee during an operation intended to seize her cell phone.
“Sharai Poteet exploited programs intended to assist vulnerable hurricane victims and used those funds for her own personal enrichment,” said Marck. “When individuals steal taxpayer-funded resources meant to help those in need, they are not just committing fraud – they are undermining the systems that keep families safe and communities stable.”
“The taxpayer has no tolerance for those who steal from federal public aid – the sole goal of which is to help victims rebuild and move forward with their lives.” said Robert Lawler, HUD Office of Inspector General’s Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations. “We will continue to work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue fraudsters who steal disaster grant funds to enrich themselves.”
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt accepted the plea and has set sentencing for Sept. 21. At that time, Poteet faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
HUD-OIG conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shalimar Addy is prosecuting the case.
The Department of Justice has created 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.
Ponchatoula Man Guilty Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – ROBERT HINES (“HINES”), age 47 of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, plead guilty on May 28, 2026, to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act before United States District Judge Barry Ashe, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
HINES pleaded guilty to Counts 1, 3, and 4 of a superseding indictment. Count One of the superseding indictment charged him with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, over 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. Count Three charged him with knowingly using a telephone in committing the commission of a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 843(b) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2. Count Four charged him with possession with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
For Counts 1 and 4, HINES faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment. For Count 3, HINES faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years supervised release following imprisonment. For each count, HINES
also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court records, HINES conspired with co-defendants to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. An investigation revealed that, HINES discussed ordering fentanyl from his suppliers on multiple occasions. After observing HINES meet with his supplier, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of HINES and observed HINES throw fentanyl pills out of his car window. Law enforcement recovered the pills, and they tested positive for 341 grams of fentanyl.
United States Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).