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27 May 2026
Lake Charles-Area Volunteer Coach Charged and Detained for Producing Child Pornography of Local Minor BoysRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE – On May 26, 2026, Rylekwun J. Poullard, a 29-year-old Lake Charles resident, was ordered detained after being charged by criminal complaint with the production of child pornography in connection with his preying upon young boys in South Louisiana. If indicted and convicted, Poullard faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in federal prison and up to 30 years for the charge.
According to evidence presented in court, Poullard, who was a volunteer sports coach in the Lake Charles area, used an Instagram account in which he posed as an adult female named “Brianna” to trick young boys to produce child pornography, offering them money to create photos and videos of themselves engaging in sex acts and to recruit their siblings as well. At least three of victims were boys residing in South Louisiana, with Poullard offering the boys money to perform sex acts and, for two of the boys, to get their brothers involved in the pornographic activity. Poullard was caught after a parent reported the activity to police after finding explicit messages on a victim’s cell phone and police investigated, securing search warrants for Poullard’s electronic devices that uncovered the activity that, by his own admission, had gone on for roughly a year and a half. Poullard was detained pending trial as a danger to the community.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Rayne Police Department, and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon II with assistance from Legal Administrative Specialist Tanya Broussard.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer. The case number for this matter is 26-mj-00116-01.
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CONTACT: Public Affairs USALAW-News@usdoj.gov
United States Attorney’s Office www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Western District of Louisiana Twitter @USAO_WDLA
Kevin R. Holmes Takes Office as United States Attorney for the Western District of ArkansasRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – Kevin R. Holmes has taken the oath of office to become the United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Mr. Holmes was nominated by President Donald Trump on January 5, 2026, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 18, 2026. He took the oath of office on May 22, 2026, at 1 p.m. from United States District Court Judge David Clay Fowlkes, and began work immediately after the ceremony.
“It is an honor to hold this position, and I appreciate President Trump for the trust he has in me to fill this important role,” said U.S. Attorney Holmes. “I also want to thank Senator Boozman and Senator Cotton for their support. I look forward to leading our incredible staff during this pivotal time in our Nation’s history. We stand ready to hold those committing crimes in the Western District of Arkansas accountable and restoring law and order to our communities.”
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Holmes is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Western District of Arkansas, which includes six divisions and 34 counties within Arkansas, with its primary office in Fort Smith. He oversees a staff of 41 employees, including 21 attorneys and 20 non-attorney support personnel. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
Born in Van Buren, Mr. Holmes is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Mr. Holmes succeeds Kimberly D. Harris, who had served as the U.S. Attorney since February 6,2026.
Kent, Washington, man convicted of 17 felonies related to string of armed dispensary and bank robberies following three-week trialRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 26-year-old Kent, Washington man was convicted late yesterday of 17 federal felonies connected to the robbery crew he led in armed robberies of marijuana dispensaries, banks, and credit unions, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Shannon Hartfield recruited, supplied, and managed a team of young people – often juveniles – who went on a robbery spree throughout the Puget Sound region between December 2021 and June 2022. The jury deliberated about three days following the weeks long jury trial. U.S. District Judge Lauren King scheduled sentencing for August 25, 2026.
In the conspiracy, Hartfield took on a managerial role when carrying out the robberies. He recruited others to join his robbery team – often using juveniles, some as young as 14-years old. He recruited over social media and text messages. Hartfield and co-conspirators picked the robbery targets, gave robbers firearms to use, and provided cars the robbery crew used to flee the scenes – often at high rates of speed.
On February 17, 2022, Hartfield and his team robbed Kushman and Have a Heart dispensaries in Snohomish County. On March 11, 2022, Hartfield supervised the robberies of Lucid Cannabis in Auburn and West Seattle Dispensary. On April 18, 2022, Hartfield and the
robbery crew targeted Forbidden Cannabis in Lacy.
In May 2022 after Hartfield and some members of his robbery crew had been arrested and questioned by police in connection with the dispensary robberies, Hartfield decided to target credit unions and banks. On May 26, 2022, a robbery crew hit two credit unions: Seattle Credit Union and Sound Credit Union. On June 7, 2022, the coconspirators failed in an attempt to rob a Chase Bank branch at gunpoint. The group then moved on to rob a Salal Credit Union, holding the victim tellers at gunpoint. Finally, on June 17, 2022, they robbed a Chase Bank branch in Kent and were arrested shortly after by law enforcement. Hartfield has been in custody since that time.
In closing arguments Assistant United States Attorney Kristine Foerster described Hartfield’s role in this string of violent robberies saying, “Shannon Hartfield saw robbery as a team sport - he helped recruit the players, he directed the plays, he supplied equipment, shared in the winnings and now he is legally responsible for the actions of his team.”
Hartfield was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery, five counts of robbery, three counts of bank robbery, one count of armed bank robbery, one count of attempted armed bank robbery and six counts of using a firearm in a crime of violence. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three counts of robbery and three counts of use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
Each of the robbery counts is punishable by up to twenty years in custody. The armed bank robbery is punishable by up to twenty-five years in custody. Using a firearm in a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum seven years in prison to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case. At sentencing Hartfield faces a mandatory minimum 45 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI with significant assistance from Seattle Police Department, Snohomish County Sherriff’s Office, Bothell Police Department, Lacey Police Department, Tukwila Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Kent Police Department, King County Sherriff’s Office, and Auburn Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristine Foerster and Amanda McDowell.
Court exhibit Court exhibitJustice Department Recovers over $6M in Additional Funds Linked to 1MDB SchemeRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has obtained an order forfeiting a luxury New York apartment purchased with funds misappropriated from 1MDB, a Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund, along with certain rental income. This action resolves a civil forfeiture case filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California seeking the recovery of over $6 million in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from 1MDB.
As alleged in civil forfeiture complaints filed in this case, billions of dollars in funds belonging to 1MDB were misappropriated from 2009 through 2015 by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates, and Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, through a criminal scheme involving international money laundering and embezzlement. Millions of dollars in such misappropriated funds were then used to purchase a luxury condominium unit in New York City for the benefit of May Ling Catherine Tan (Tan), a personal assistant for Low, who also profited from this asset by retaining rental proceeds. Under the forfeiture order entered in this case, the condominium and rental proceeds held by Tan will be forfeited to the U.S. government.
1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment. Its funds were intended to be used for improving the well-being of the Malaysian people. Instead, funds held by 1MDB and proceeds of bonds issued for and on behalf of 1MDB were misappropriated and spent by Low and his co-conspirators on a wide variety of extravagant items, including luxury homes and properties in Beverly Hills, California, New York, and London; a 300-foot superyacht; and fine art by Monet and Van Gogh. The funds also were sent into numerous business investments, including a boutique hotel in Beverly Hills, the movie production company that made “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the redevelopment of the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan, and shares in EMI, the largest private music-rights holder. As alleged, other funds were provided to various public officials and co-conspirators.
Trial Attorney Barbara Levy of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) is prosecuting the civil forfeiture case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the US Marshals. The FBI’s International Corruption Squad in New York is leading the investigation.
MNF’s International Unit investigates and prosecutes cross-border money laundering schemes involving transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign official corruption and related money laundering affecting the U.S. financial system, and prosecutes criminal cases and civil forfeiture matters to recover the proceeds of those crimes.
Significant assistance has also been provided to the Justice Department over the course of its work in the investigations and civil and criminal litigation by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority, U.K. National Crime Agency, Attorney General’s Chambers of the Territory of the British Virgin Islands, Attorney General’s Office of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and Guernsey Economic Crime Division, International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre, Attorney General’s Chambers of Singapore, Singapore Police Force — Commercial Affairs Division, Office of the Attorney General and Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland, judicial investigating authority of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Criminal Investigation Department of the Grand-Ducal Police of Luxembourg, Republic of Indonesia, Latvian authorities, and French authorities, including the Parquet National Financier and Agency for Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC).
Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to tips.fbi.gov/.
Jury Convicts Former National Guard Task Force Member for Illegal Firearm Possession Offenses That Came to Light During an Investigation into Leaks of Sensitive Operational InformationRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury on Tuesday found Ruby Celly Uribe, 37, of Sacramento, guilty of unlawfully possessing a machine gun and possessing an unregistered short‑barreled rifle, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
With certain exceptions, federal law prohibits the possession of machine guns and unregistered rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a trial, Uribe was assigned to the logistics shop at the California National Guard Headquarters in Mather, California, and was a member of the Counterdrug Task Force (CDTF). The CDTF supports local, tribal, and federal law enforcement entities in the interdiction of drug trafficking organizations. While assigned to this unit, Uribe leaked information about upcoming drug raids to a person she knew to be involved with drug dealing. Text messages recovered from Uribe’s and the drug dealer’s phones revealed she shared sensitive information about upcoming operations, including the date and location and the number of military vehicles and aircraft involved.
A federal search warrant of Uribe’s residence resulted in the discovery of a short-barreled rifle. The firearm had been modified to fire in full-automatic mode as a machine gun. In addition, it was a privately made firearm with no serial number, commonly referred to as a ghost gun. A search of Uribe’s cellphone revealed that she was also engaged in trafficking other non‑serialized, short-barreled machine guns, including to a coworker on July 20, 2022.
During preparation for trial in this case, the FBI learned of another illegal firearm that Uribe sold in August 2022. The FBI safely recovered that firearm, which is also a machine gun and short-barreled rifle.
Image of an illegal firearm Uribe sold to a coworker on July 20, 2022.
Image of two illegal firearms Uribe offered to sell to a customer on Aug. 11, 2022. The customer purchased the black one. Officers later recovered the green one from Uribe’s residence on Dec. 13, 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the California Military Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian T. Kinsella and Nicole M. Vanek are prosecuting the case.
Uribe is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins on Sept. 11, 2026. Uribe faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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.
Judge Sentences Ahoskie Armed Career Criminal to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Anton Montes Vernon, 31, to 15 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.
Ahoskie Police found a 9mm pistol in Vernon’s pocket on November 9, 2023, in the small town of Ahoskie. Ahoskie Police joined forces with nearby law enforcement agencies to form the Down East Drug & Violent Crime Task Force and conduct saturation patrols in crime-ridden areas of communities in Northampton, Hertford, Gates and Bertie Counties, including Ahoskie. North Carolina previously convicted Vernon of three separate breaking and entering offenses which made Vernon qualify as an Armed Career Criminal.
“This stiff sentence shows that justice reaches into every corner of Eastern North Carolina, even smaller communities like Ahoskie.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This Big Shark Bad Boy will no longer threaten his community with illegal firearms. Our great law enforcement partners all across the District work hard to ensure that felons and career criminals are brought to justice no matter the size of their community. We will convict them at trial and ensure they receive hefty federal prison sentences to keep every North Carolinian safe.”
“Repeat offenders in possession of firearms are extremely dangerous and put innocent lives at risk,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “ATF and our law enforcement partners aim to protect our communities by holding these individuals accountable and putting an end to their cycle of violence.”
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II imposed the sentence. The Ahoskie Police Department, the Down East Drug Task Force, and ATF investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaren Kelly and Phil Aubart tried the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.2:25-CR-4-M.
Joint Law Enforcement Effort Exposes Fentanyl Conspiracy; Defendant Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania man has admitted to working with an alleged gang member to sell fentanyl in North Central West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Ramon Juan Sims, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, in September 2024, the Weston Police Department, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, and West Virginia State Police conducted a patrol of the Broad Street area of Weston, West Virginia, due to suspected drug activity. The cooperative police effort stopped driver Ramon Sims, and his passenger, Shawn Galin Whitley, Jr., while in possession of fentanyl and $2,040 in suspected drug proceeds. With assistance from the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, police lawfully searched their nearby hotel room and seized 3,750 fentanyl stamps.
Whitley, Jr., 35, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a suspected gang member. Whitley previously pled guilty in April 2026 for his role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
Sims faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office; and the Weston Police Department.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and
Possession of Child Pornography
ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Yerdon, age 55, of Adams Center, New York, pled guilty in federal court May 7th, to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, admitted that on May 13, 2025, he possessed multiple images and videos of child pornography that he had downloaded from the internet including material depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as five months old. The defendant also possessed nude images of a 7-year-old child Yerdon had created during a trip Yerdon took with the child to the Albany, New York area.
At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for September 8, 2026, in Syracuse, New York, Yerdon faces 15 to 40 years in federal prison for the receipt charge and 10 to 20 years for the possession charge. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release between 5 years and life. Yerdon will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
“This defendant will now face 15-40 years behind the walls of federal prison for his unconscionable actions” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “When caught before, New York State allowed Mr. Yerdon to face probation, furthermore, release him from supervision after serving only one-third of his sentence. This soft on crime approach allowed this defendant to continue preying on young children and reoffend. Thanks to the efforts of the New York State Police and Homeland Security Investigations for catching this predator yet again, my office was able to aggressively prosecute Mr. Yerdon and ensure will now truly face justice for his crimes.”
Yerdon was previously convicted on October 22nd, 2004, in Jefferson County Court for Promoting an Obscene Sexual Performance by A Child less than 17 Years of Age. Mr. Yerdon was sentenced to 10 years’ State Probation and received an early discharge February 15th, 2007.
HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan: “James Yerdon’s reprehensible conduct—including his deliberate exploitation of a child in his care and his collection of images depicting the abuse of extremely young children—lays bare the profound threat posed by predators who target those least able to protect themselves. HSI Albany, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding vulnerable communities and upholding the safety and trust of the public we serve.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Although these types of investigations are difficult, we will continue to seek justice for those who have been victimized. No child should be placed in harm’s way of sexual exploitation and endure the physical, emotional, and psychological suffering it inflicts. I thank our State Police members, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations for their firm, proactive work on this case.”
The case was investigated by HSI and NYSP with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Jamaican National Extradited to the United States Pleads Guilty in Lottery and Romance Scheme Targeting Elderly Arizona ResidentRead the Press Release
Tucson, Ariz. – On May 20, 2026, Sherwayne Benjamin Bellinfantie, aka “Ice Man”, 40, a Jamaican national, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Bellinfantie was indicted in March 2022 and subsequently extradited to the United States on June 12, 2025, for prosecution in the District of Arizona.
In his plea agreement, Bellinfantie admitted that from December 2015 to January 2019, he and his coconspirators engaged in a romance and sweepstakes scheme targeting an 85-year-old Arizona resident. Bellinfantie and a co-conspirator lured the victim into the scheme by pretending to be romantically involved with her. In furtherance of the scheme, the co-conspirator would send flowers with love messages to the victim’s residence. They also led the victim to believe that she had won the lottery and a new vehicle and convinced her that in order to claim the prize she would need to pay fees and taxes. The victim was told to mail funds to locations across the United States and to transfer money to various money runners. Bellinfante admitted that he received portions of the scheme proceeds.
As a result of the scheme, the victim lost approximately $469,302 that Bellinfantie agreed to pay in restitution. Bellinfantie’s sentencing hearing is scheduled August 18, 2026.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson Office conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance with securing the arrest and extradition of Bellinfantie to the United States.
CASE NUMBER: 4:22-CR-0523
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-084_Bellinfantie
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Influence Major International Sports Competition by DopingRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Paul Alexander Askew (46, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to influence major international sports competitions by doping. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, beginning on or about July 10, 2023, and continuing through to on or about January 31, 2024, Askew conspired with a professional track and field athlete and at least one other person to provide the athlete with testosterone, a banned substance, to improve the athlete’s performances at major international track and field competitions. The doping was ongoing during the athlete’s competitions in the 2023 Ed Murphey Classic, in Memphis, Tennessee; the 2023 Xiamen Diamond League, in China; and the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, in Eugene, Oregon. Although the doping conspiracy was revealed before the athlete could compete in other competitions, Askew and the athlete also intended to use illegal testosterone injections to improve the athlete’s performance at the 2024 American Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2024 United States Olympics Trials, and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
This case was investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Flanigan.
Inmates Charged in Brutal Assault on Correction Officer at Doña Ana County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Three inmates accused of violently attacking a correction officer assisting the U.S. Marshals Service at the Doña Ana County Detention Center have been charged federally after the officer was beaten unconscious and tased during a 22 second assault.
According to court documents, on May 11, 2026, John Doe was assisting the U.S. Marshal Service as a correction officer at the Doña Ana County Detention Center when he walked up the stairs to the top level to monitor six inmates who were supposed to be locked in their cells, including a federal inmate whom John Doe was required to observe and monitor on behalf of the U.S. Marshal Service. At the top of the stairs, however, John Doe was met by inmates Juan Gabriel Torres, Sergio Seanez, and Titus Josiah McGaw Bulger, who were not allowed to be in that location, or anywhere else on the second floor. When John Doe reached the top of the stairs, Torres lunged at him and tried to punch him, but Doe was able to duck and evade the strike. Seanez and Bulger then attacked John Doe, punching and bringing him to the ground. Seanez held John Doe down while Torres and Bulger punched, kicked and stomped on John Doe’s body, head and neck, causing John Doe to lose consciousness. The three inmates then continued to strike John Doe, even though he was unconscious and no longer responding. Finally, Torres unholstered John Doe’s taser and tased his unconscious body.
The attack lasted approximately 22 seconds, during which time the defendants punched him approximately 3o times and kicked him approximately 15 times before additional guards entered the housing pod in response to the assault.
John Doe was immediately provided with medical care and transported to the hospital. He survived the attack and eventually regained consciousness.
Torres, Seanez and Bulger are charged with assault involving a dangerous weapon and the infliction of bodily injury on a person assisting officers of the United States and will remain in federal custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, all three men face up to 20 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Detention Center, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Las Cruces Police Department Task Force Officers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Gardner and Mark Saltman are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Indictments, Convictions through Guilty Pleas, and Sentencings in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) ProsecutionsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the following investigative and prosecutorial results for the week of May 18 through May 22, 2026. The HSTF is a permanent, interagency law enforcement task force created by executive order to combat transnational criminal organizations—including cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist organizations.
Indictments:
- On May 20, 2026, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Wadimir Ibáñez-Quiñones and Christian Rivera-Cardona with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. According to court documents, in May 2026, the defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other and others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Lani E. Lear is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Convictions through Guilty Pleas:
- On May 19, 2026, Xavier Omar Maldonado-Negroni pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in case 24-170 (RAM). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with participating in a violent drug trafficking organization that operated principally in the Jardines de Sellés Public Housing Project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Defendant’s initial appearance in court was on May 22, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for August 19, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Sentencings:
- On May 20, 2026, defendant Roberto Zorrilla-Caminero was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán to a term of imprisonment of 18 months and 1 year of supervised release for an illegal re-entry offense after being previously removed from the United States subsequent to a felony conviction. According to court documents, defendant was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico on October 30, 2025, in Criminal Case No. 25-452 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on February 25, 2026. AUSA Manuel Muñiz-Lorenzi is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
- On May 20, 2026, Rey Ivan Freytes was sentenced by Chief Judge Raúl Arias-Mauxuach to 119 months and 18 days of imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for his participation in a violent drug trafficking organization that operated principally in the Jardines de Sellés Public Housing Project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to court documents, defendant was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico on May 8, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-170 (RAM), and pleaded guilty on February 4, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
- On May 21, 2026, defendant Gelson Adrián De La Cruz-Nolberto was sentenced by Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón to a term of imprisonment of 8 months and 1 year of supervised release for an illegal re-entry offense after being previously removed from the United States subsequent to a felony conviction. According to court documents, defendant was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico on November 18, 2025, in Criminal Case No. 25-482 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on March 12, 2026. AUSA Manuel Muñiz-Lorenzi is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
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 San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
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Indian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Illegal Gambling RingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Indian national pleaded guilty in federal court today for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling conspiracy occurring at six locations in southwest Missouri.
Tushar R. Patel, 40, a resident of the state of Georgia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. This successful prosecution is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
Patel admitted that he and his co-conspirators, in aggregate, obtained approximately $9,506,464 in gross proceeds from their wire fraud scheme and illegal gambling businesses and then conducted various financial transactions for the purpose of laundering the proceeds.
On May 14, 2025, Patel was charged, along with eight other individuals, in a 72-count superseding indictment by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. The indictment charges all nine defendants with one count each of participating in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and operating illegal gambling businesses from July 1, 2022, to May 13, 2025. In addition to the conspiracy counts, all nine defendants were charged with at least one count of wire fraud, and eight defendants were charged with money laundering.Through Patel’s guilty plea, he admitted that he and his co-conspirators ran illegal gambling businesses at four separate locations under the guise of internet amusement arcade games, skill game arcades, and adult arcades. Patel and his co-conspirators hired local employees to work in their businesses, which operated contests of chance, gambling devices, and slot machines in violation of Missouri and Federal law.
Under federal statutes, Patel is subject to a sentence of up to 20, five, and 20 years in federal prison without parole, respectively, for each count to which he pleaded guilty. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri National Guard Counter Drug Unit, the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, the Greene County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney, the Jasper County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney, and the Johnson County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney.
National Fraud Enforcement Division
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.
Houston-area resident sentenced to 10 years for stock investment Ponzi schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 41-year-old Mont Belvieu man has been ordered to federal prison for wire fraud in connection with a Ponzi-style investment scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Carl Channing Spence pleaded guilty Jan. 30.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Spence to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard from three of Spence’s 19 known victims who detailed the devastating effects Spence’s scheme had on their lives and financial futures. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the unusually predatory nature of Spence’s actions and that he seemed to specifically target friends, colleagues and community members who he knew to be particularly vulnerable to his scheme.
From January 2022 through August 2023, Spence operated “AEI Financial” from his residence. He solicited friends, acquaintances and colleagues by promising high returns through stock trading specializing in “meme stocks.” Spence promised victims 10 to 12 percent returns by investing in popular stocks during a period of rapid stock market gains. Instead, he diverted funds for personal use and to make purported returns to earlier investors.
Once victims provided funds, Spence created fraudulent account statements that falsely showed investment growth and returns which he used to persuade victims to reinvest. In reality, he commingled investor funds into a single account and lost much of the money through unsuccessful trades.
The scheme resulted in numerous victims who received fraudulent account statements but never recovered their original investments or promised returns. Spence took in approximately $2.1 million from the known victims.
FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from Mont Belvieu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Carter and Brad Gray prosecuted the case.
Homeland Security Task Force: Woodbridge Man Found with 21 Kilos of Cocaine Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that REGINALD ROGERS, 37, of Woodbridge, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a cocaine trafficking charge.
According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, on February 23, 2026, Connecticut State Police troopers stopped a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Rogers was driving in Trumbull. A K9 sniff of the vehicle alerted for the presence of narcotics, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine hidden in two compartments (“traps”) that were installed under each front seat. Rogers was arrested on state charges at that time.
Rogers pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. He also agreed to forfeit the vehicle he used to transport the narcotics.
Rogers is released on a $150,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 26.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The Bridgeport, Danbury, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments assisted this investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justyn P. Stokely and Lauren C. Clark.
Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Uncovers Methamphetamine Conspiracy that Results in New York Man Being Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Orlando Nembhard will spend the next 135 months in federal prison for his role in a multi-state, cross-country conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, by United States District Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On December 3, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a five-count Indictment charging Nembhard, 34, of Mt. Vernon, New York, with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Nembhard’s co-defendant, Joe Brandon, of Newport, Arkansas, is awaiting jury trial and was also charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On January 6, 2026, Nembhard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Nembhard to serve five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On May 13, 2024, Dallas, Texas, Police Department officers were working interdiction at the airport. Officers randomly deployed a K9 to perform an open-air sniff on luggage from various flights. The K9 alerted on a suitcase originating from Phoenix, Arizona, and destined for Little Rock, Arkansas. Officers removed the suitcase and discovered 10 vacuum-sealed bundles, approximately 7.6 kilograms in total, that contained white crystalline substances. The substance was tested and determined to be methamphetamine. Through an investigation, several latent prints lifted from the items identified Brandon.
Homeland Security (HSI) agents in Little Rock, Dallas, and Phoenix began an investigation into Brandon and the origin and source of the methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that the suitcase had been checked at the Phoenix airport under Nembhard’s name. The suitcase and an airline ticket for Nembhard and Brandon were connected to a credit card for Nembhard. A review of video surveillance from the Phoenix airport showed Nembhard arriving with Brandon. Nembhard and Brandon unloaded two suitcases from a vehicle. Nembhard checked the two suitcases and both he and Brandon purchased tickets to Little Rock with a connection through Dallas. While Brandon boarded the plane destined for Little Rock, Nembhard left the airport and never boarded the flight to Little Rock.
On July 24, 2024, agents conducting surveillance observed Nembhard driving Brandon to the Phoenix airport where Brandon checked a suitcase and flew back to Little Rock. At the airport in Little Rock, agents deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of several suitcases coming off the flight. The K9 alerted to a black suitcase with Brandon’s name on the tag. The bag was placed on the luggage carousel and Brandon was observed taking the bag to exit the airport. As officers approached Brandon, he ripped the name tag off the suitcase and attempted to flee but was apprehended and placed into custody. Agents conducted a search of the suitcase and located 120,000 fentanyl pills in 10 heat-sealed bags that weighed 24 pounds.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock, HSTF Dallas, and HSTF Phoenix comprises agents and officers from the Little Rock Police Department, Dallas (Texas) Police Department, and Chandler (Arizona) Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The investigation was conducted by HSTF Little Rock, with assistance from HSTF Dallas, HSTF Phoenix, the Little Rock Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, and the Chandler Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bart Dickinson.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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@USAO_EDAR
Hartford Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that TYSHAWN COLEMAN, also known as “Ty” and “Mazi,” 36, formerly of New Britain and Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 81 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force revealed that Tyshawn Coleman and his brother, Troy Coleman, were selling fentanyl and crack cocaine in Hartford. In November and December 2020, investigators made five controlled purchases of fentanyl, totaling 900 dose bags of the drug, from Troy Coleman. On April 13, 2021, Troy Coleman was shot multiple times outside of a restaurant located at 2393 Main Street in Hartford. Troy Coleman, who possessed fentanyl and crack cocaine at the time of the shooting, was released from the hospital approximately one week later.
As the investigation continued, an undercover law enforcement officer purchased fentanyl from Tyshawn Colman in late April and early May 2021. On May 5, 2021, investigators conducted a court authorized search of Tyshawn Coleman’s apartment on Sisson Avenue in Hartford. The search revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, a .40 caliber “ghost gun” with a loaded high-capacity magazine, a loaded 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, and additional loaded gun magazine, ammunition, and $4860 in cash. Troy Coleman was located and arrested on unrelated charges later that day. Tyshawn Coleman remained a fugitive until his arrest on July 16, 2025.
Tyshawn Coleman has been detained since his arrest. On January 21, 2026, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.
Tyshawn Coleman’s criminal history includes two convictions for conspiracy to commit murder, three convictions for accessory to first-degree assault, a conviction for first degree assault, a conviction for sale of a controlled substance, and a federal firearm conviction in 2020 for which his was sentenced to 46 months of imprisonment.
Tyshawn Coleman was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense. Judge Shea sentenced him to 57 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution charge, and a consecutive 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Troy Coleman, also known as “Hoy” and “TJ,” pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 67 months of imprisonment.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe.
Google Employee Charged with Insider TradingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of a complaint charging MICHELE SPAGNUOLO, a/k/a “AlphaRaccoon,” a software engineer at Google, with commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering arising from his scheme to misappropriate confidential information from his employer and use that information to place a series of profitable Google-related trades on a prediction market platform. SPAGNUOLO, who resides in Switzerland, was presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York.
“Today’s charges reinforce a decades-old message: corporate insiders cannot use confidential business information to turn a profit in our markets,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, Spagnuolo violated the duties he owed to his employer and used Google’s confidential business information to make more than $1.2 million in trading profits on Polymarket. Insider trading compromises the integrity of our markets, and the American people want this greed-driven conduct investigated and prosecuted.”
“Michele Spagnuolo allegedly abused his elevated access to confidential trends to place bets with nonpublic information and receive more than one million dollars in unlawful profits,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI remains dedicated to searching for fraudsters who betray their employer for personal financial gains.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:(1)
SPAGNUOLO is a software engineer at Google. In connection with his role, SPAGNUOLO had access to Google’s internal data systems, including an internal software tool that provided him with access to confidential, nonpublic data. That software tool bore a banner that stated, in part, “Google Confidential” in red text. Indeed, SPAGNUOLO certified his understanding of various Google confidentiality and ethics policies. SPAGNUOLO created an account on Polymarket, which is a prediction marketplace, in May 2024. That account was known as “AlphaRaccoon.” Shortly after accessing Google’s internal information, SPAGNUOLO used the AlphaRaccoon account to place trades in various markets on Polymarket. In total, from on or about October 15, 2025, through on or about December 4, 2025, SPAGNUOLO used the AlphaRaccoon account to risk approximately $2,754,092 on markets related to Google’s internal information. Soon after Google’s information was publicly announced, and the markets resolved, SPAGNUOLO’s AlphaRaccoon account profited approximately $1.2 million based on his use of inside information in connection with bets placed on Polymarket.
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SPAGNUOLO, 36, an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland, is charged with one count of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Burnett, Ryan B. Finkel, and Allison Nichols are in charge of the prosecution.
^
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitutes only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Fruitland Man Pleads Guilty in in Fatal Drunk Driving CrashRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Fruitland man pleaded guilty to second degree murder after driving drunk at 107 miles per hour and crashing into an oncoming vehicle, killing the driver.
According to court documents, on December 9, 2024, Timothy Begay, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was driving drunk when he crossed the center line and hit a car driving the opposite direction, killing the driver. At the time of the crash, Begay was driving 107 MPH. Medical records showed that he has a blood alcohol level of .239.
Begay pleaded guilty to second degree murder and faces up 15 years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington 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 Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Four Individuals Sentenced in Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Kidnapping of U.S. Postal Service Letter CarrierRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Four members of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy involving the kidnapping of a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier at gunpoint, and kilogram quantities of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island, have been sentenced in federal court to lengthy federal prison terms.
District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. sentenced Edgar Medina, 41, of Johnston, to 30 years’ imprisonment; Ronald Hall, 43, of Providence, to 20 years’ imprisonment; Andres Garay, 39, of Providence, to 10 years’ imprisonment; and Alijah Parsons, 34, of Providence, to 60 months’ imprisonment.
After a 13-day trial, a jury convicted Edgar Medina on February 13, 2026, of kidnapping, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and aiding and abetting possession and attempted possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Medina was previously convicted of drug trafficking and firearms charges, in 2004.
The jury also returned guilty verdicts against Parsons for the conspiracy, possession, and attempted possession with intent to distribute charges, and against Garay for attempted possession with intent to distribute. Garay was previously convicted of federal drug trafficking charges, in 2010 and 2014.
Prior to trial, Hall pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He was previously convicted of offenses involving firearms and/or controlled substances in 2000, 2005, 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as conspiracy to commit murder in 2000.
Irving Medina, 33, of Providence, the fifth member of the conspiracy, pleaded guilty on March 14, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to possess 500 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute. He was sentenced in March 2024 to 70 months of incarceration, to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.
According to court documents and witness testimony, on June 1, 2021, Edgar Medina and Ronald Hall kidnapped a USPS letter carrier at gunpoint while searching for cocaine they believed was missing from a package delivered in Pawtucket. They drove the letter carrier to his own home, intending to search the residence, and interrogated the USPS employee at gunpoint. Upon finding the home locked and a neighbor outside, Medina and Hall and ultimately returned the USPS employee near the original abduction point. Photographs subsequently found in co-conspirators’ cellphones revealed additional photographs of USPS employees, taken both before and after the kidnapping.
During the investigation, Postal Inspectors learned of several packages that had been previously shipped from fictitious people and addresses in Puerto Rico to addresses in Rhode Island associated with Edgar Medina. Agents also intercepted additional packages that a Rhode Island State Police K-9 alerted for the presence of narcotics. Court-authorized searches of the packages resulted in the discovery of a total of more than three kilograms of cocaine. Postal Inspectors arranged for controlled deliveries of those packages on June 8, 2021, under surveillance by U.S. Postal Service Inspectors, members of the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and the Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force. As the packages were delivered, Edgar Medina, Andres Garay, and Ronald Hall were arrested.
“The individuals participated in a significant drug trafficking conspiracy that relied on violence and intimidation,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “These sentences hold the defendants accountable for conduct that endangered both the public and a federal employee carrying out his duties. I thank the prosecutors in this office, the Postal Inspectors, and our partners in law enforcement for their diligent work throughout this investigation.”
“The sentencing of these defendants sends a strong and unmistakable message: anyone who threatens, targets, or harms letter carriers will be relentlessly pursued and held fully accountable,” said J. Buck Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “Violence, kidnapping, and drug trafficking offenses that endanger postal employees and the communities they serve will be met with an aggressive law enforcement response and unwavering prosecution. The safety of our employees and the protection of our communities remains a top priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Postal inspectors will continue to work alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to identify, investigate, and bring to justice those who commit violent crimes or seek to intimidate public servants carrying out their duties.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Lowell and Sandra Hebert.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Providence Domicile, with assistance of USPIS task force officers from the Rhode Island State Police, Groton, Connecticut Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police; with significant assistance from the Pawtucket and Providence Police Departments; the U.S. Marshal Service; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Fort Erie man pleads guilty to sneaking meth and fentanyl across the borderRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Eric Hagen, 57, of Fort Erie, Canada, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to importation of controlled substances, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000.
In June 2024, Hagen was convicted of possessing child pornography in St. Catharines, Ontario. On the morning of August 1, 2025, Customs and Border Protection encountered Hagen at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry, and he was referred for a secondary inspection. During Hagen’s secondary screening, CBP found multiple cellular telephones, hard drives, a laptop, and a baby monitor, as well as two plastic containers, which contained methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler and Sasha Mascarenhas. The plea is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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Fort Dodge Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Meth and Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Matthew Groat, 42, from Fort Dodge, Iowa was sentenced on May 27, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City. In 2006 Groat was convicted in the same federal court for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 200 months’ imprisonment.
On January 6, 2026, Groat pled guilty and admitted that from August 2025 through November 2025 he and others distributed over 2,200 grams of methamphetamine and at least 10 grams of cocaine to individuals in the Fort Dodge area. Groat also admitted that on two occasions in September 2025 he distributed about 10 grams of cocaine to individuals cooperating with law enforcement and on two other occasions in September 2025 and three times in October 2025, he distributed a total of more than 130 grams of pure methamphetamine. Groat further admitted to obtaining 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from a local source during the four months of the conspiracy and selling it to people around Fort Dodge.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Groat to 108 months’ imprisonment and a four-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Groat remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-3054. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Former Greenwood Policeman Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, MS - Jamario Sanford, 38, of Greenville, MS, was sentenced today to seven and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty on a previous date to conspiracy to aid and abet, and to attempt to aid and abet, the possession, transportation and distribution of illegal narcotics.
According to court documents, the defendant was arrested on October 30, 2025. At the time of the offense, Sanford received multiple bribes while being employed as a law enforcement officer with the Greenwood Police Department.
United States Attorney Scott Leary stated, “This conviction resulted from the hard work and dedication of agents with the FBI who invested time and resources to bring this case home. Our citizens expect dedication and professionalism from law enforcement, and in this case, they got it. A special thanks also to the prosecutors in this case, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Mims and Sam Stringfellow, they are excellent prosecutors who are driven to protect their fellow Mississippians.”
Chief Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Sanford to 90 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. Sanford was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following sentencing.
FBI Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff said, “We hold positions of trust and serve as stewards of authority within our community. Sanford betrayed his oath to protect and serve when he chose instead to shield criminals from accountability. We will continue working alongside our community partners to rebuild and strengthen public trust in law enforcement. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to aggressively investigate and bring to justice those who abuse their authority."
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Mims and Sam Stringfellow prosecuted the case.
Former Dallas Housing Authority Employee Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing Government FundsRead the Press Release
A former Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) maintenance supervisor who stole from DHA was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Joel Ipina, 50, pled guilty in November 2025 to theft concerning programs receiving government funds. He was sentenced on May 21, 2026, by United States District Judge Jane J. Boyle, who also ordered him to pay $473,641 in restitution.
“This defendant abused a position of trust to steal public funds intended to serve the Dallas community. This sentence reflects our commitment to protecting taxpayer-funded programs and holding accountable those who exploit them,” said U.S. Attorney Raybould.
According to court documents, Ipina was employed by DHA from 1995 to 2024. DHA receives federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a maintenance supervisor, Ipina was responsible for approving maintenance work orders and selecting contractors to perform work on properties under his supervision.
From approximately August 2019 through February 2024, Ipina carried out a scheme to enrich himself by steering maintenance contracts to a company he owned and controlled without DHA’s knowledge. As part of the scheme, he submitted fabricated competing bids to ensure contracts were awarded to his company and caused DHA to pay for work that was never performed.
“Joel Ipina’s selfish actions diverted almost $500,000 in federal funds intended to provide housing services to vulnerable community members and also took away the opportunity for other actual hard-working companies to compete for contracts and provide services to the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Aaron McCullough with the HUD, Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to diligently pursue and hold accountable individuals who take advantage of their positions of trust and misuse public funds.”
The HUD Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elise Aldendifer prosecuted the case.
Former Corporate Executive Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that PAUL JORGENSEN, the former Chief Revenue Officer of Doximity, was sentenced on May 21, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla to 26 months in prison for committing securities fraud in connection with a multimillion-dollar scheme to trade in stock and options of Doximity based on inside information in advance of the company’s quarterly earnings calls.
“While employed as a senior executive at Doximity, Paul Jorgensen repeatedly used Doximity’s confidential information to trade in advance of the company’s quarterly earnings calls, earning himself more than $2.5 million in illegal profits,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Insider trading destroys faith in the fairness and integrity of our markets. This Office is committed to protecting market integrity and rooting out bad actors. As this prosecution and sentence make clear, executives who trade on their company’s confidential information will be prosecuted.”
According to the allegations in the Information and statements made in public court proceedings:
JORGENSEN engaged in a scheme to reap illegal profits by trading on material nonpublic information regarding Doximity, a publicly-traded company, in violation of the duties of trust and confidence owed to the company and its shareholders.
Doximity is an online networking service for medical professionals that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DOCS.” JORGENSEN joined Doximity in 2017 and became Chief Revenue Officer in 2022. As a senior executive at Doximity, JORGENSEN had access to confidential information about Doximity’s financial outlook, performance, and earnings results, and owed a duty of trust and confidence to the company. Doximity restricted its employees from trading in the lead-up to the company’s quarterly earnings calls, and from engaging in options trading. Doximity further required all employees to hold their Doximity shares in company-monitored brokerage accounts.
In July 2022, as Chief Revenue Officer, JORGENSEN became aware that Doximity’s add-on sales to clients, referred to as “upsells,” had declined over the previous quarter. On July 28, 2022, JORGENSEN attended a Board meeting in advance of the upcoming earnings call in which the company’s negative results were discussed. Following the Board meeting, JORGENSEN texted a close family member that he was “[n]ot selling [his] DOCS shares” because he had “non-public confidential info and it’s just not right to sell.” Two days later, however, after JORGENSEN learned that he had been reassigned to a sales role at the company, JORGENSEN texted the same family member that he “decided to sell [his] DOCS shares” because he needed to “protect us first and foremost.” The following day, JORGENSEN sold 61,162 shares of Doximity that he secretly held in a personal brokerage account.
During the company’s quarterly earnings call on August 4, 2022, Doximity publicly announced its negative results regarding upsells and lowered its annual guidance by six percent. Doximity’s share price fell by approximately seven percent, and JORGENSEN avoided losses of more than $300,000.
In 2023, JORGENSEN again traded based on Doximity’s confidential information. In July 2023, JORGENSEN became aware that Doximity’s upsells had continued to decline over the previous quarter. In addition, on July 13, 2023, JORGENSEN learned that he was being terminated as part of a larger round of layoffs, and that the layoffs would be announced on the company’s upcoming quarterly earnings call. In advance of the earnings call, JORGENSEN sold 15,000 shares of Doximity stock, earning $114,000 in illicit profits, and 1,300 call options, earning an additional $200,000 in illicit profits. JORGENSEN also purchased 4,700 put options using his personal brokerage account.
During the company’s quarterly earnings call on August 8, 2023, Doximity publicly announced its company layoffs and negative results regarding upsells and lowered its annual guidance by eight to nine percent. Doximity’s share price fell by approximately 23 percent. Following the earnings call, JORGENSEN closed out his put position, earning nearly two million dollars in illicit profits. JORGENSEN was terminated from Doximity in August 2023.
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In addition to the prison sentence, JORGENSEN, 53, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,532,775.52 in forfeiture.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its cooperation and assistance in this investigation.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Rothman is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Burlington Loan Officer Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
A former loan officer at a Dubuque credit union, who filed a bankruptcy case after perpetrating a vehicle lien stripping scheme against her employer, pled guilty on May 27, 2026, in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Kylie Jo Bench, formerly known as Kylie Jo Parrish, age 27, from Burlington, Iowa, was convicted of one count of bankruptcy fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
In a plea agreement, Bench admitted that a Dubuque credit union hired her as a loan officer at a branch in Burlington in 2022. When the credit union hired Bench, she had outstanding loans on two late-model vehicles, a Ford and a Dodge, at other financial institutions. Bench owed over $100,000 on the vehicles. After the credit union hired Bench, Bench and another individual jointly refinanced those loans with her new employer.
In August 2022, without the credit union’s knowledge, Bench sold the two vehicles at a car dealership in Cedar Rapids. Bench did not disclose or record the credit union’s security interests in the vehicles at any time. Instead, Bench provided the car dealership with a letter, purportedly signed by one of the credit union’s executives on fake letterhead, which falsely stated that the loans were “paid off” and had “a zero balance.” In truth, neither Bench nor the other individual had repaid the loans on the two vehicles they had recently refinanced.
In March 2023, Bench caused an attorney file a document in a voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in which she falsely denied under oath transferring any property on account of a debt that benefitted an insider, when in truth Bench had sold the Ford and the Dodge and those sales benefitted the other individual who owed money on the vehicle loans.
Bench is the fourth person convicted of bankruptcy fraud crimes in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa this year.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Bench remains free on bond previously set. Bench faces a mandatory minimum two-year prison term and a possible maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-95.
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Former Boone County Commission Employee Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gregory Neal Hager, 41, of Madison, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Hager must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 7, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hager’s residence in Madison and seized an external hard drive connected to his desktop computer. A forensic examination of the external hard drive revealed 146 images and six videos of child pornography depicting a pubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. As part of his guilty plea, Hager admitted that the images and videos of child pornography were screen captures from Snapchat conversations between himself and the minor, that he saved the child pornography on the external hard drive, and that he knew the minor was under 18 years old.
At the time Hager’s conversations with the minor victim took place, he was a volunteer firefighter with the Danville Volunteer Fire Department, which the minor victim was interested in joining. Hager was a volunteer firefighter from 2003 until December 2023. From 2020 until his arrest in December 2023, Hager was a systems administrator for the Boone County Commission.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)..
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-94.
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Five Charged Following Six-Month Drug Trafficking Investigation; U.S. Attorney’s Office Files Civil Forfeiture Action Against Hotel Allegedly Used to Facilitate Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five individuals are facing federal drug trafficking and firearms charges following a joint investigation by the FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department into alleged narcotics activity at The Garden Inn & Suites (Garden Inn) in Charlotte’s Sugar Creek corridor, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Four of the federally charged defendants were arrested during an early morning law enforcement operation, along with five additional individuals facing related state drug and firearms charges, bringing the total number of arrests to nine. In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action seeking the forfeiture of the Garden Inn, alleging the property was a site of – and facilitated – significant illegal drug trafficking.
Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina and Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
“Let this be a message to hotel and business owners who knowingly put profits above the safety of the community,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “My office will not hesitate to seize properties that serve as hubs of crime.”
“The FBI is reducing violent crime and making our communities safer across the country, including at home in Charlotte,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis. “This federal investigation and arrest operation is a direct result of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, a force multiplier putting federal, state, and local agencies side by side, sharing intelligence in real time, and combining resources to target drug traffickers and gangs. Criminals can no longer hide behind jurisdictional lines to escape justice.”
“This hotel property has functioned as a stronghold for illicit activity, operating as a distribution hub for illegal firearms and narcotics,” said Chief Patterson. “The data tells a stark, undeniable story: in 2025, CMPD officers responded to over 240 calls for service at this single location—a staggering, nearly 20% increase compared to the year prior. I am incredibly proud of the investigative work performed by CMPD detectives and officers, as well as our federal partners. When local, state, and federal agencies align their power, we do not just disrupt criminal enterprises—we dismantle them.”
This morning, multiple law enforcement teams led by FBI agents and CMPD officers executed arrest warrants and search warrants at The Garden Inn located at 4904 Reagan Drive in Charlotte, following a six-month investigation into the distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances in and around the hotel. Through surveillance, undercover work, controlled drug buys, and other investigative techniques, investigators charged five individuals with federal drug and gun offenses. During the investigation, law enforcement also seized fentanyl, cocaine base, and other narcotics as well as illegal firearms.
Firearms and Narcotics Seized During the Investigation
Criminal indictments against the five individuals were filed last week and unsealed today. Four of those charged were arrested this morning. They are:
- Justin Lamont Day, 29, is charged with distribution of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
- Michael Boatwright, 37, of Charlotte, is charged with two counts of distribution of fentanyl.
- Marcus Logan, 39, of Gastonia, N.C., is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
- Naquan Smith, 43, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
A fifth individual charged via a federal criminal indictment with fentanyl distribution, cocaine base distribution, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person has not been arrested yet.
According to allegations contained in the indictments and the civil forfeiture complaint, the hotel operated as a hub for drug trafficking activity. Boatwright, Day, and others were allegedly renting rooms on the property and using the rooms and other areas in and around the hotel to store and distribute drugs. It is further alleged that other individuals, including Smith, facilitated drug trafficking and other criminal activity at the hotel.
Court documents further allege that law enforcement conducted controlled purchases of narcotics and firearms from four members of the hotel’s security team, including Logan, the head of security. The forfeiture complaint further alleges the hotel security team often had extensive criminal records and/or were previously documented gang members, who used their security jobs at the Garden Inn as cover for dealing drugs there—with some even wearing the security uniform during the drug deals.
Court documents further allege the hotel’s owner was warned about the drug use and drug trafficking on the property, yet failed to take meaningful action to stop the criminal activity despite repeated law enforcement interventions and hundreds of calls for service. Additionally, the hotel’s owner was allegedly warned of law enforcement concerns that employing security known to sell narcotics would increase the likelihood of drug use and sales on the property.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Probation Office, the North Carolina Adult Department of Corrections, the Gastonia Police Department, and the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, for their assistance with the arrests.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges and allegations contained in the filed documents are allegations only. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Final of Four Conspirators Sentenced to over 18 Years in Prison for Using Darknet Marketplace to Distribute Dangerous Counterfeit Pills in Homeland Security Task Force CaseRead the Press Release
As a result of a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation, four Massachusetts men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to manufacture counterfeit pills and distribute them across the United States.
According to court documents, from at least May 2022 to June 2025, Daniel John Blaney, 28; Kenneth Emmanuel Lora, 27; David Robert Kable Jr., 27; and Javier Alexander Bermudez, 31, all from Lynn, Massachusetts, engaged in a massive conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene (Pyro), methamphetamine, and Bromazolam. The conspirators transported the pills in kilogram quantities from the Northeast to a redistributor in New York and then distributed them primarily via darknet marketplaces and the U.S. Postal Service to customers nationwide.
Blaney was sentenced today to 18 years and 4 months in prison. Kable was sentenced on April 29 to 12 years in prison. Bermudez was sentenced March 18 to 12 years in prison. Lora was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2025, to 15 years in prison. The defendants had previously pleaded guilty: Blaney on Jan. 7; Kable on Dec. 2, 2025; Bermudez on Dec. 9, 2025; and Lora on Aug. 27, 2025.
“These four men are responsible for manufacturing and then flooding American communities with incredibly dangerous counterfeit narcotics, some of which contained synthetic opioids even more powerful than deadly Fentanyl,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Thanks to the combined efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, this scheme has been dismantled, and the conspirators have been prosecuted and imprisoned for their crimes against the American people.”
“These four conspirators orchestrated a large-scale scheme to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills laced with deadly amounts of dangerous chemicals that took the lives of too many victims, and it could have easily been many more,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These criminals will spend years behind bars for the incredible turmoil they have inflicted on American families. This is yet another victory for the Homeland Security Task Force, fervently using all available prosecutorial and investigative tools to put criminals like these four men in federal prison so they cannot infect communities and destroy more lives.”
“Criminals who exploit darknet marketplaces to traffic counterfeit pills are fueling a deadly epidemic with absolutely no regard for human life,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “These defendants manufactured and distributed substances so dangerous that a single pill can be fatal. Through relentless investigation and close coordination across the Homeland Security Task Force, law enforcement dismantled this operation and held these people accountable. We will continue pursuing the individuals and networks profiting from poison in our communities.”
The conspirators used industrial pill presses to manufacture counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills. Instead of the pharmaceuticals’ normal content, however, the conspirators’ pills contained differing substances depending on the batch. For example, the conspiracy’s counterfeit oxycodone pills contained a number of substances, including fentanyl and Pyro. Counterfeit Adderall pills typically contained methamphetamine, while counterfeit Xanax pills typically contained Bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine.
The conspirators typically received payment from customers in the form of cryptocurrency. Estimates of the conspiracy’s reach show that the conspiracy was responsible for at least 9,000 sales of pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, or Pyro.
Pyro is in the Nitazene class of synthetic opioids commonly sourced from China and mixed into other drugs. The most common Nitazenes are approximately five times the strength of fentanyl. The Pyro in this case is approximately 20-40 times stronger than fentanyl. Over a dozen fatal overdoses were related to the conspiracy’s pills.
On June 4, 2025, Lora was arrested in New York. During a search of his drug premise, investigators recovered over 39 kilograms of controlled substances.
On June 17, 2025, law enforcement searched a storage unit maintained by Bermudez and Blaney and recovered five industrial pill presses, pill press attachments used to imprint counterfeit pharmaceutical brandings onto pills, over 33 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 41 kilograms of binding material, and manufacturing paraphernalia.
On July 12, 2025, Blaney fled through Canada and ultimately to Thailand to avoid prosecution. In advance of his flight, he fraudulently obtained a rush U.S. Passport. Blaney was expelled from Thailand and taken into federal custody on Aug. 25, 2025.
The FBI Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division, New York City Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and HSI investigated the case. The FBI Boston Field Office, DEA New England Division, and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts provided significant investigative assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in Blaney’s return to the United States.
This case is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Manassas is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case is also 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.
Felon Sentenced for Possessing Rocket Launcher, Drugs, and FirearmsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A prior felon living in Tulsa was sentenced today for possessing a spent military rocket launcher, drugs, and firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Deangelo LaShawn Favors, 48, for Felon in Possession of Firearms; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking; and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Favors was ordered to serve 360 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
In 2024, agents with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics began an investigation into bulk fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution in Oklahoma. Agents received a tip in the fall of 2024 that stated Favors was storing bulk quantities of fentanyl in Tulsa. A tracker was placed on Favors' vehicle, which led agents to his apartment and storage unit. When agents executed a search warrant on Favors' apartment and storage unit, they found a spent military rocket launcher that belonged to the United States, several firearms, more than 1.9 pounds of fentanyl, more than 4.4 pounds of cocaine, and over 14 pounds of methamphetamine.
Court records show that Favors has been convicted of several felonies, including aggravated assault, illegal drug and firearm possession in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Favors will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics, the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Division of Drug Enforcement, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Tulsa Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy prosecuted the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Two Out-of-State Residents in Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – On May 21, 2026, a federal jury convicted a South Carolina man and an Oregon woman for their roles in a fraud scheme that generated more than $9.1 million in disaster-relief loans for dozens of businesses across the country.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Devlon Porter, 51, conspired with Jady Solano, a Wilmington tax preparer, to submit fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The PPP was a COVID-19 relief program designed to safeguard jobs during the pandemic. Porter paid Solano to prepare two applications on behalf of companies that had no actual employees. The applications falsely claimed that the companies maintained substantial annual payrolls exceeding $1 million and relied on fabricated tax forms. As a result of the scheme, Porter received over $287,000 in wrongful disbursements, paid Solano more than $50,000 in kickbacks, and never repaid the loans. The jury convicted Porter of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Amber Baldwin, 56, received over $280,000 after Solano submitted a PPP loan application falsely claiming a shell company she owned had an annual payroll exceeding $1 million. Like Porter’s applications, Baldwin’s submission relied on false tax documents. Baldwin never repaid her loan and paid over $95,000 in kickbacks to co-conspirators. The jury convicted Baldwin of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to provide an economic lifeline to American workers and small businesses during a historic crisis,” said Benjamin L. Wallace, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. “Instead of using these emergency funds for their intended purpose, Devlon Porter and Amber Baldwin exploited a public-relief program to line their own pockets. This verdict demonstrates that those who attempt to defraud federal programs will be held accountable. We remain deeply committed to protecting taxpayer dollars, and we thank our partners at the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation for their exceptional work in dismantling this nationwide scheme.”
“I am proud of the diligent investigative work which led to these convictions,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul. “Devlon Porter, Amber Baldwin and their co-conspirators stole from American taxpayers, treating pandemic relief like a personal slush fund. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to identify, investigate and hold accountable criminals defrauding critical government programs and abusing public trust.”
“Devlon Porter and Jady Solano deliberately carried out a scheme to defraud a program that was designed to assist people during the pandemic,” said Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “This verdict serves as a warning to others that IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners stand ready to investigate those who attempt to fleece the government.”
Porter faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for his bank-fraud conspiracy conviction and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for his money-laundering conspiracy conviction. Baldwin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and the FBI Baltimore Field Office’s Wilmington Resident Agency investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Wallace and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan C. Williamson prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-109-JLH.
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Father’s Murder Yields Guilty Verdict for D.C. ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – D’Andre Montgomery, 20, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on charges of shooting and killing 28-year-old Kenneth Barksdale in Southeast D.C., in December 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Montgomery was found guilty, on May 26, 2026, of one count of second-degree murder while armed, one count of conspiracy, and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during a crime of violence, by a Superior Court jury. Judge Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for August 21, 2026.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 8:07 p.m., on December 16, 2023, Montgomery and his co-defendants Kevin Hider, 20, and Eric Sheffield, 21, were driving around the 1200 Block of 44th Place, Southeast, pulling the door handles of parked cars to see if the cars were unlocked and available to steal. The victim, Kenneth Barksdale, had parked his car on the street and taken his one-year-old son inside his family’s home. Once inside the home, Mr. Barksdale realized he forgot his phone in his car. He went back outside to his car at the exact moment the defendants were breaking into it. When Mr. Barksdale confronted the defendants, they responded by shooting him. The defendants continued to shoot at Mr. Barksdale even as he ran away, back up the stairs to his mother’s home. Mr. Barksdale died later that evening.
Montgomery was arrested on July 31, 2024, and has been in custody since.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Evans and Shauna Payyappilly. The case was initially prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles Jones.
FBI-Kansas City and KCPD Honored for Efforts to Reduce Youth Opioid OverdosesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Honorable R. Matthew Price, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, presented the 2026 Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award today to the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Kansas City (FBI-KC) Transnational Organized Crime Squad and the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) Drug Investigation Squad.
The award is presented annually to honor the memory of Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp, both of whom were fatal victims of tragic crimes.
U.S. Attorney Price presented the award during a ceremony held in the Western District. The honorees spearhead a task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that work to combat the opioid crisis and address the growing number of fentanyl overdose deaths in the greater Kansas City area. The task force is led by FBI Special Agent Ellen Judy and Supervisory Special Agent Joseph Michael from the FBI Transnational Organized Crime Squad; and Detective (Retired) Cory Horalek and Sergeant Aaron Benson from the KCPD-Drug Investigation Squad-1820 Squad.
Additional law enforcement partners include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations; U.S. Border Patrol; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Jackson County Drug Task Force; Platte County Sheriff’s Office; Clay County Sheriff’s Office; and many other state and local organizations.
The team led an investigation of a wide-ranging drug trafficking organization in which several defendants sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, to drug users on social media. The organization’s actions led to the death of a 17-year-old Olathe, Kansas girl.
The initial investigation resulted in charges and successful prosecutions against 13 defendants and led to other investigations resulting in charges against at least 14 additional defendants. The conspiracy involved a large quantity of drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, powder cocaine, and marijuana, with an estimated value of more than $4 million. In addition, 16 firearms and approximately $40,000 were seized during the investigation. The work of the task force led to a significant decrease in overdose deaths in the Western District of Missouri.
U.S. Attorney Price presented the Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award alongside Anna Kipper Rea, the mother of Crystal Kipper, and Jill and Bob Leiker of the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, an organization founded by the late Roger Kemp, the father of Ali Kemp.
The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial AwardThis is the 22nd year the award has been presented in memory of Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp, two young women who were both fatal victims of tragic crimes. Crystal Kipper was an 18-year-old Gladstone, Mo., resident who was murdered after she ran out of gas on Interstate 29, just north of Platte City, on Feb. 24, 1997. Ali Kemp was a 19-year-old Blue Valley North High School graduate who was murdered on June 18, 2002, while she worked at the Foxborough neighborhood swimming pool in Leawood, Kan.
The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award is presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri each year to recognize the outstanding work of an individual or organization in recognition of a valued contribution to preventing and responding to violent crime and the exploitation of children.Ex‑Federal Finance Director Sentenced for Kickback Scheme Steering $600,000 in Contracts to a FriendRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mathieu Zahui, 59, the former Director of Financial Management at the U.S. African Development Foundation, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to four months in prison in connection with a multi-year scheme in which he steered federal contracts to a friend's company, accepted cash payments in return, and then lied to federal investigators about it, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Mathieu Zahui spent fifteen years rising to the top of his agency’s financial operations and then used that authority to steer taxpayer‑funded contracts to a friend while pocketing cash for himself,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When federal agents sought answers, he didn’t come clean; he doubled down with repeated lies. Public servants who betray the public trust and obstruct oversight will be held accountable.”
Zahui, of Fairfax, Virginia, pleaded guilty on Feb. 23, 2026, before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to one count of receiving a gratuity as a public official and to one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement. In addition to the four-month prison term, Judge Boasberg ordered Zahui to serve 12 months of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 21-month prison term.
According to court papers, the U.S. African Development Foundation is an independent federal agency established to support African-owned and African-led business enterprises. Zahui joined ADF as a budget analyst in 2010 and rose over fifteen years to become its Finance Director, serving in effect as the agency's chief financial officer with authority to review and approve invoices paid with taxpayer funds. Beginning in December 2020, he also served as ADF's Contracting Officer Representative, responsible for monitoring contractors’ performance and processing invoices, and received specific training on his obligation to avoid conflicts of interest.
Rather than honor those obligations, Zahui used his position to benefit a friend and the friend's company. In March 2020, Zahui directed ADF to award his friend's company a series of sole-source contracts, exempting it from competitive bidding, for purported logistical support services that the company never actually performed. The contracts, valued at about $173,640, $350,544, and $93,200, far exceeded the $100,000 cap on sole-source awards. Zahui approved invoices submitted by the company knowing they were illegitimate and unsupported by any actual work.
Zahui also arranged for other ADF contractors doing legitimate work to route their payments through his friend's company, allowing the friend to collect markups ranging from 17% to 66% for doing nothing. In one instance, Zahui directed a staffing company to issue a $120,000 invoice to his friend’s company, which had no involvement in the underlying work. The friend’s company then submitted a $140,653 invoice to ADF, and Zahui approved it, generating more than a $20,000 markup.
Over about three years, the friend's company submitted more than 20 such pass-through invoices and collected about $134,886 in markups for performing no legitimate work.
To avoid scrutiny from the Bureau of Fiscal Service, which was responsible for authorizing ADF payments, Zahui ensured that invoices consistently described the services as logistical support, even when they had nothing to do with logistics. In one instance, he directed another contractor to revise an invoice description to falsely reflect logistical services.
In return for steering the contracts and approving the fraudulent invoices, Zahui received $12,000 in eight separate cash payments from his friend.
When federal agents interviewed Zahui in January 2024, he denied receiving any benefits from his friend and downplayed the extent of their relationship, claiming they communicated only a few times a year. Phone records and emails later revealed they had in fact communicated nearly every day during some periods. In a second interview in February 2024, Zahui again lied to federal agents. The full extent of his conduct came to light only after investigators conducted an extensive review of his phone, emails, and ADF records.
As part of his sentence, Zahui was ordered to pay a criminal forfeiture money judgment of $12,000.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG), a statutorily independent law enforcement agency which has continued jurisdiction to investigate criminal activity affecting ongoing U.S. foreign assistance programs, including those administered by ADF.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sungtae Kang and former Assistant Chief Kyle Hankey of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Elma man going to prison for 30 years for production and possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Matthew A. Steele, 55, of Elma, NY, who was convicted of production and possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. In addition, Steele was ordered to pay restitution totaling $410,610 to a victim in this case.
Between July 2008, and July 2010, Steele produced images of child pornography with a minor female (victim) on several occasions from the time she was approximately nine years old until she was approximately 12 years old. Some of the images were distributed by Steele to other unknown individuals. On March 11, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence, seizing two electronic devices. A forensic review of the devices recovered numerous sexually explicit images of the victim created by Steele. In addition, 45 images of child pornography, not involving the victim, that Steele obtained over the internet were recovered. Some of the images included prepubescent minors and depicted violence against children.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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El Paso Man Convicted in Alien Smuggling Conspiracy as Part of the Homeland Security Task Force InitiativeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – After a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted an El Paso man of coordinating an alien smuggling operation that brought individuals, including an unaccompanied minor, from Mexico into the United States through southern New Mexico and Texas.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in March 2024, Juan Gomez Montiel, 32, coordinated the smuggling of a material witness from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, into the United States for $2,200. Gomez Montiel arranged for the witness to work with a Juárez based smuggler known as “Polo,” who transported the witness to a stash house in Juárez and later guided the witness to a hole cut into the border fence near Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico. After the witness illegally crossed into the United States with a foot guide on April 5, 2024, the witness was transported to a tire shop in El Paso, Texas, where Gomez Montiel met them, asked whether the trip had gone smoothly, and paid the foot guide for his role in the smuggling operation.
Evidence at trial also showed Gomez Montiel contacted the witness in the following months seeking payment of the remaining $500 smuggling fee. Additional testimony established that in August 2024, Gomez Montiel coordinated the transportation of an unaccompanied minor from a stash house in El Paso to Albuquerque, New Mexico, using a driver who was, unbeknownst to Gomez Montiel, an undercover Texas Department of Public Safety agent.
Gomez Montiel was convicted of conspiracy to bring in and transport illegal aliens, bringing in an illegal alien for financial gain and transporting an illegal alien. Following the verdict, the Court ordered that Gomez Montiel be detained pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Gomez Montiel faces no less than three years and up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McRae of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations El Paso investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, El Paso County Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting this case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, 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.
Department of Justice and United States Attorney Announce Brian Flikeid as Freedom 250 Hometown HeroRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa is proud to announce that Brian Flikeid, Chief of Police for the Aurelia and Marcus Police Departments, has been recognized as a 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.
Chief Flikeid was selected because of his leadership, collaboration, and tireless dedication to improving crime victims’ experiences within the criminal justice system. Chief Flikeid served as the founding president of the board of the S.A.F.E. Center of Iowa, which is dedicated to creating single sites to furnish complete care, from reporting to follow-up mental-health counseling, to victims of sexual assault. He currently serves on the board of the Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault, which provides critical services to victims of sexual assault across 19 counties in northwest Iowa, and is a founding member of the Cherokee County Sexual Assault Response Team. He was also appointed by the Iowa Police Chiefs Association to serve as its representative on the newly formed Iowa Child Abuse Fatality Review Committee.
In addition to that service, Chief Flikeid provides training on victim issues across the state to law-enforcement officers, sexual-assault nurse examiners, personnel of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and victim advocates. This has included presentations at the Iowa Attorney General’s Domestic Violence Conference and the Iowa National Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Team. Further, he has testified before the Iowa House of Representatives and Iowa Senate, advocating for legislation to assist victims.
“Chief Flikeid’s unwavering dedication, leadership, and compassion have earned him the deep respect of his colleagues and the gratitude of the victims and communities he serves,” summarized Aurelia Police Department Officer April Degner, who nominated Chief Flikeid for the award. “His leadership, compassion, and tireless dedication have made a profound and lasting impact on the lives of crime victims and the community,” wrote Marcus Police Officer Jacqueline Stephens in support of the nomination.
“There’s a reason that the lawman who stands up to protect the innocent is a classic American character,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “That dedication to defending the lives and liberty of your neighbors, of taking pride in your community and making it a better place to live, are the core of the American civic spirit. Brian Flikeid exemplifies that. As we celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, I’m grateful to have the honor to name Chief Flikeid as a Hometown Hero.”
Olson presented the award to Chief Flikeid on May 22 in a ceremony at the Aurelia Community Center.
For more information on the award and the Freedom 250 initiative, visit the Department of Justice News Page or White House Freedom 250 Page.
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Denver Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Denver, Colorado, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The sentencing took place on May 22, 2026.
Juan Sertuche, 43, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on the charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl charges and five years in federal prison on the firearm charge. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively. Sertuche was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following service of his term of imprisonment, and to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sertuche was indicted for all three charges by a federal grand jury in June 2025 and was subsequently convicted by a federal trial jury of all charges following a three-day jury trial in January of this year.
Between 2002 and September 2023, Sertuche led a drug distribution conspiracy and provided approximately 500 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 33,000 fentanyl pills to multiple sub-distributors to be further distributed in the Rapid City and Pine Ridge areas of South Dakota. On one occasion, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of couriers who Sertuche had directed to travel from Denver to the Rapid City area. During the traffic stop, law enforcement discovered 19 pounds of methamphetamine intended to be further distributed in the Rapid City area. In September 2023, Sertuche was arrested following a traffic stop in Jackson County where he was found to be in possession of approximately 1,500 fentanyl pills that he intended to further distribute.
Following his arrest, Sertuche continued to direct others he was conspiring with to continue the drug distribution efforts, including by collecting money and making trips to Denver to pick up methamphetamine and fentanyl. Sertuche also directed another person on several occasions to collect numerous firearms that were part of his drug dealing to Denver to be traded for methamphetamine. Law enforcement was able to recover those firearms, including two fully automatic machine guns, before they could be taken and used as currency for drugs.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and the North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Sertuche was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Defendant Sentenced for Role in Alien Smuggling and Kidnapping SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Texas man, who conspired with others to kidnap, transport, and hold multiple victims at gunpoint for ransom that culminated in a deadly 2023 shootout in a quiet, Charlottesville neighborhood, was sentenced yesterday in federal court as part of Operation Take Back America.
Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison. Perez pled guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death.
Perez’s co-conspirator, Ricardo Ordaz, 26, of Cedar Creek Texas, was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison in January 2026 for his role in the conspiracy.
“Human trafficking is an affront to human decency and dignity. This sentence should send a clear and unmistakable message that the scourge of human trafficking will be aggressively prosecuted in the Western District of Virginia,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci. “As a result of outstanding cooperation among the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, and the commitment of Assistant United States Attorney Sullivan, justice was served in this case.”
“This case highlights the relentless efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners to disrupt dangerous criminal networks that threaten public safety,” said Eric Weindorf, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Washington DC Field Office. “We will continue to pursue those who engage in kidnapping, human smuggling, and violence, ensuring they face justice for their actions.”
According to court documents, in early January 2023, Ordaz, Perez, and other co-conspirators who had ties to transnational criminal organizations, kidnapped multiple victims and held them for ransom, knowing these individuals had entered the United States illegally.
As part of the scheme, Ordaz arranged to transport victims from an area near the United States-Mexico border and bring them to a stash house near Austin, Texas. Once there, Ordaz, and others, held the victims against their will and under armed guard, then called and messaged the victims’ families and friends demanding cash ransom in exchange for their release.
Ordaz exchanged one of the victims in Texas for $5,000 cash, and on January 8, 2023, at Ordaz’s direction, Perez and a co-conspirator transported another victim to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they arranged to exchange that victim for $10,000 in cash.
During the exchange, when it was revealed that the full $10,000 ransom was not available, an argument and shootout ensued, during which Perez, and another co-conspirator, brandished firearms, and instigated a shooting that resulted in the death of one of the kidnappers and the serious wounding of Perez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg investigated the case with assistance from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, and HSI Austin, Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan prosecuted the case for the United States.
D.C. Felon Sentenced to 30 Months for Illegal Gun Possession After Fleeing PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Fenwick, 35, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a loaded firearm discovered after leading police on a foot chase, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“A repeat offender with a decades‑long history of gun violence, Fenwick was once again illegally armed and fleeing from police,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “This sentence underscores that those who persist in carrying illegal firearms and putting the public at risk will face firm and decisive federal action.”
Fenwick pleaded guilty on Jan. 14, 2025, before Judge Amir H. Ali to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 30-month prison term, Judge Ali ordered Fenwick to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 51-month prison term.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2025, Prince George’s County police responded to reports of retail thefts in District Heights and in Temple Hills, Maryland. Witnesses reported that the suspects fled in a white Toyota RAV4.
Officers located the vehicle, which Fenwick was driving. When police attempted a stop, Fenwick fled the RAV4 on foot. Officers detained Fenwick on the 1300 block of Barnaby Terrace SE, where officers recovered a loaded Beretta APX pistol from his waistband. The pistol had one round in the chamber and 15 additional rounds in its magazine.
Fenwick was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions. In 2021, he was convicted and sentenced to 50 months in prison for robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. In 2019, He was convicted of second-degree assault and fourth-degree burglary and sentenced to 10 years in prison with four years suspended. In 2014, he was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to 20 months. Fenwick was convicted of obstructing justice in 2012 and sentenced to 60 months, suspended, and a five-year term of supervised release.
This investigation was conducted by the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Washington Field Office. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Initiative. Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful exists to support President Trump’s Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
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Conspirators sentenced to prison for using darknet marketplace to distribute dangerous counterfeit pills in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four Massachusetts men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to manufacture counterfeit pills and distribute them across the United States.
According to court documents, from at least May 2022 to June 2025, Daniel John Blaney, 28; Kenneth Emmanuel Lora, 27; David Robert Kable Jr., 27; and Javier Alexander Bermudez, 31, all from Lynn, Massachusetts, engaged in a massive conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene (Pyro), methamphetamine, and Bromazolam. The conspirators transported the pills in kilogram quantities from the Northeast to a redistributor in New York and then distributed them primarily via darknet marketplaces and the U.S. Postal Service to customers nationwide.
Blaney was sentenced today to 18 years and 4 months in prison. Kable was sentenced on April 29 to 12 years in prison. Bermudez was sentenced March 18 to 12 years in prison. Lora was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2025, to 15 years in prison. The defendants previously pled guilty: Blaney on Jan. 7; Kable on Dec. 2, 2025; Bermudez on Dec. 9, 2025; and Lora on Aug. 27, 2025.
The conspirators used industrial pill presses to manufacture counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills. Instead of the pharmaceuticals’ normal content, however, the conspirators’ pills contained differing substances depending on the batch. For example, the conspiracy’s counterfeit oxycodone pills contained a number of substances, including fentanyl and Pyro. Counterfeit Adderall pills typically contained methamphetamine, while counterfeit Xanax pills typically contained Bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine.
The conspirators typically received payment from customers in the form of cryptocurrency. Estimates of the conspiracy’s reach show that the conspiracy was responsible for at least 9,000 sales of pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and/or Pyro.
Pyro is in the Nitazene class of synthetic opioids commonly sourced from China and mixed into other drugs. The most common Nitazenes are approximately five times the strength of fentanyl. The Pyro in this case is approximately 20-40 times stronger than fentanyl. Over a dozen fatal overdoses were related to the conspiracy’s pills.
On June 4, 2025, Lora was arrested in New York. During a search of his drug premise, investigators recovered over 39 kilograms of controlled substances.
USAO Eastern District of Virginia USAO Eastern District of Virginia USAO Eastern District of VirginiaOn June 17, 2025, law enforcement searched a storage unit maintained by Bermudez and Blaney and recovered five industrial pill presses, pill press attachments used to imprint counterfeit pharmaceutical brandings onto pills, over 33 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 41 kilograms of binding material, and manufacturing paraphernalia.
USAO Eastern District of VirginiaOn July 12, 2025, Blaney fled through Canada and ultimately to Thailand in an attempt to avoid prosecution. In advance of his flight, he fraudulently obtained a rush U.S. Passport. Blaney was expelled from Thailand and taken into federal custody on August 25, 2025.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division, New York City Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations. Significant investigative assistance was provided by the FBI Boston Field Office, DEA New England Division, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in Blaney’s return to the United States.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Manassas is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; USMS; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case is also 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.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:25-CR-221 (Blaney), 1:25-CR-227 (Lora), 1:25-CR-317 (Kable), and 1:25-CR-322 (Bermudez).
Civil Division Moves to Fast-Track Benefits Fraud EnforcementRead the Press Release
Today, the Civil Division announced reforms to accelerate the review of False Claims Act whistleblower complaints alleging fraud against federally funded, state-administered benefits programs. These reforms will empower the Department to move quickly on meritorious qui tam cases, maximize finite enforcement resources, and focus on dismantling sophisticated fraud schemes that exploit taxpayer-funded programs.
The False Claims Act (FCA) is one of the government’s most powerful weapons for fighting fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars. Most FCA cases begin as qui tam actions filed under seal by whistleblowers, known as relators, in federal district court. Successful relators may receive a significant share of the government’s recovery. The Civil Division will now prioritize qui tam complaints alleging fraud against public benefits programs by performing its initial review within 60 to 120 days. At the conclusion of that review, the Department will decide whether to:
- Permit the relator to proceed with the action and to assume primary responsibility for litigating it, subject to the government’s ongoing supervision and ultimate control of the matter;
- Conclude the allegations warrant further government investigation; or,
- Determine the qui tam should be dismissed under 31 U.S.C. §3730(c)(2)(A) because the allegations lack adequate specificity or are legally deficient.
“Bad actors who exploit federal benefits programs count on fragmented information and sheer volume of claims to try and avoid scrutiny,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “By accelerating review of qui tam complaints alleging benefits fraud, we can more rapidly identify and disrupt emerging schemes, strategically deploy enforcement resources to recover taxpayer money, and strengthen the government’s broader fight against fraud.”
This year, the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. Every dollar lost to fraud in federal benefits programs is a dollar diverted from the Americans those programs are intended to serve.
The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. As detailed in the Executive Order entitled “Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud” (March 16, 2026) (EO on Eliminating Fraud), American taxpayers fund a vast benefits system for citizens in need that includes housing, food, medical care, cash assistance, and more. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The Department will also leverage a whole-of-government approach to ensure that new benefits fraud matters receive accelerated review and evaluation for all available enforcement options. New matters will be promptly referred to the Criminal Division and/or the National Fraud Enforcement Division for evaluation of potential criminal violations. In addition, new matters will be shared with the affected agency to evaluate potential administrative action, including payment suspension. Throughout its review, the Department also will seek information from the agency about the operation of the impacted program, data analysis, and other information to assist in corroborating the whistleblower’s allegations. The Civil Division will continue to assess how it can enhance processes and procedures to support prompt resolution of benefits fraud qui tams.
Chicago Man Found Guilty by Jury for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Morrell Steven Neely, 65 years old, of Chicago, Illinois, was found guilty of wire fraud after a two-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Francis Sohn and Philip Benson.
Canadian Sentenced in D.C. to 33 Years in Sextortion Scheme that Targeted 145 Children in the U.S.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, of Toronto, Canada, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 33 years in federal prison in connection with a prolific sextortion scheme that targeted more than 100 children across the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Pathmanathan pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2026, before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to one count of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
“This defendant spent years methodically hunting children online. He targeted more than 145 victims, some as young as six, and subjected them to horrors no child should ever experience,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The United States will not allow international borders to serve as a refuge for those who prey on children, and I am grateful to our Canadian partners for ensuring this predator faced justice on both sides of the border.”
In addition to the 396-month prison term, Chief Judge Boasberg ordered Pathmanathan to serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. The prison term will run consecutively to the 12-year sentence that Pathmanathan is serving in Canada.
According to court documents, Pathmanathan used multiple social media accounts, primarily Instagram and Facebook Messenger, to establish contact with at least 145 young girls and boys. Between at least March 2014 up until the day of his arrest on March 10, 2021, Pathmanathan posed as a teenage boy from New Jersey.
Pathmanathan demanded the minor victims engage in sexually explicit conduct while they participated in video chats with him. He directed them to expose their genitals, and to engage in sexual acts with dogs, siblings, and other relatives. In almost all the video chats with his minor victims, Pathmanathan sent the children images of adults engaged in sexual acts to show them how to do what he was requesting.
Pathmanathan recorded his victims’ sexually explicit conduct and saved the files on his desktop computer. Some of the victims were as young as six years old. When the minor victims would decline to continue to engage in sexually explicit conduct or blocked Pathmanathan’s social media accounts, he threatened to send images to the children’s friends or family.
On Oct. 27, 2022, Pathmanathan pleaded guilty to similar offenses in Canada, and was later sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The Department of Justice is grateful to the Toronto Police Service and the Crown Operations Office, Ministry of Attorney General (Canada) for their invaluable assistance.
This case was investigated by the FBI Houston Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division secured the temporary surrender of Pathmanathan from Canada.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Boise Man Sentence to 3 Years for Dealing Firearms without a LicenseRead the Press Release
BOISE – Luke Estep, 28, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for dealing firearms without a license, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.
According to court documents and statements made in court, over two years, Estep trafficked in more than 199 firearms. Estep purchased firearms from Federal Firearm Licensed Dealers in the Treasure Valley and then resold these firearms on Z-Idaho.com. Investigators recovered 16 firearms originally purchased by Estep that were later used in crimes across Idaho, including drug trafficking and violent crimes.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Estep serve 2 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
“The illegal trafficking firearms always poses a risk to the public. By evading the reporting and documentation requirements of federal laws and regulations, Estep’s actions placed firearms in the hands of criminals who used them to commit acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “Estep’s sentence reflects the seriousness of that risk to the public and should serve as a warning to all that the unlawful trafficking of firearms will not be tolerated.”
“Mr. Estep contributed to the illicit flow of firearms to the black market, where they were used to commit violent crimes in our neighborhoods,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Dawn Dodsworth. “May this sentence be a warning to all those who believe dealing firearms without a license is a victimless crime: You are endangering our communities, and ATF will relentlessly pursue you to prevent future violence and harm.”
U.S. Attorney Davis made the announcement and commended the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Meridian Police Department, which led to the conviction.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Horwitz prosecuted the case.
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.
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Bogalusa Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy and Federal Gun ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that on May 13, 2026, BENJAMIN HOLMES, (“HOLMES”) a Bogalusa resident, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance to 240 months imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release.
This sentence came after HOLMES was found guilty by a jury last year, of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846, one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and an amount of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(D), one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 856(a).
According to the evidence at trial, HOLMES utilized his Bogalusa residence to store illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and marijuana, and firearms, in addition to working with others at this location to sell fentanyl and marijuana. During a September 2023 search of this residence, law enforcement officials seized four firearms and over 300 grams of fentanyl.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisiana State Police, and the Bogalusa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stuart Theriot and Lynn E. Schiffman, both of the Narcotics Unit, were in charge of the prosecution.
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).
Berks County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 120 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on John Rickenbach Jr., 44.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around June 2024 to in and around August 2024, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Rickenbach conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Further, in and around August 2024, Rickenbach distributed and possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl.Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rickenbach.
Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Emmanuel Covington, 34, of Charleston, was sentenced today to seven years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 30, 2025, Covington sold approximately 19.7 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Beckley. Covington admitted to the transaction as part of his guilty plea. Covington further admitted to selling a mixture containing methamphetamine and fentanyl on April 16, 2025, a quantity of fentanyl on May 6, 2025, and a mixture containing methamphetamine on June 4, 2025, each time to a confidential informant in Charleston.
On June 5, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Covington’s Charleston residence and seized quantities of fentanyl and a mixture containing methamphetamine and a Ruger pistol.
Covington has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for drug offenses, domestic battery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-110.
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Possession ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man pled guilty in federal court to drug trafficking and firearm charges in connection with a local drug trafficking investigation. He also agreed that this offense violated the conditions of his federal supervised release.
Davon Taylor, 35, is charged with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Law enforcement caught Taylor with a quantity of cocaine, that he intended to distribute, along with a stolen firearm. At the time of the offense, Taylor was on federal supervised release for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
On April 9, 2025, law enforcement agents used a surveillance camera to monitor a large Northwest Baltimore parking lot, known as “the panyard.” Agents observed Taylor arrive at the panyard and engage in hand-to-hand drug transactions before removing an object from his waistband. He then placed the object inside of a pizza box on top of a recycling bin.
Law enforcement arrested Taylor and then agents recovered a handgun, loaded with a magazine containing 12 rounds of live ammunition, that was reported stolen in May 2022. Agents also searched the area and found a bag containing additional plastic bags with numerous vials and jugs of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base, and a digital scale with white residue on it. Additionally, law enforcement found $1,549 in cash.
Taylor faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and a minimum of five years, consecutive to any other sentence he receives, and a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He also faces an additional maximum of two years in prison for violating his conditions of supervised release.
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.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Godwin who is prosecuting this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
Jefferson County, KY –A Jefferson County man was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Ricky Barker, 40, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On May 3, 2025, Barker fired a Taurus, Model PT111 Millennium G2, 9 mm pistol in a crowded area just after two people were shot and killed. Barker, however, is not suspected to have been involved in that shooting. Prior to this conviction, Barker was previously convicted of two robberies, two trafficking of controlled substance offenses, and two firearm offenses.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by ATF and LMPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness and Jo E. Lawless 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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