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16 September 2026
Former U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Gathering and Transmitting National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Hillsboro, Oregon, man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information.
Ruoyu Duan, Age 41, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
According to court documents, between November 2021 and March 2025, within the District of Oregon and elsewhere, Duan conspired with others to surreptitiously gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army’s operational capabilities, including computer equipment, training materials, intelligence reports, and technical manuals. Duan paid his co-conspirators, active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, and others, to gather information and equipment. Specifically, they obtained information related to U.S. military weapon systems, such as U.S. Army combat vehicles, including the Bradley, Stryker, and HIMARS platforms, and transferred that information to people in China.
Duan served as an U.S. Army soldier from 2013 – 2017 and was trained in the handling of sensitive and classified military information.
On March 5, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Duan and Li Tian, an Active-Duty U.S. Army Officer, with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
The FBI arrested Duan in Oregon on March 6, 2025.
Defendant Duan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on December 10, 2026, before U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut.
The case was investigated by the FBI Portland and Seattle Field Offices and U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, with assistance from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Seattle Field Office, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Geoffrey A. Barrow and Katherine A. Rykken, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon, and Christopher Magnani and Yifei Zheng, Trial Attorneys for the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Former Texas state trooper heads to federal prison in online child exploitation investigationRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced for attempting to entice someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.
Christian Estrada pleaded guilty April 8.
U.S. District Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now ordered Estrada to serve 120 months in federal prison. In handing down the sentence, the court noted how disturbing it was that someone in such a respected position would commit the offense. Estrada was further ordered to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Estrada will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
From April through December 2025, law enforcement conducted an undercover operation involving Estrada, who used the name “dopehound” while communicating on Reddit, Snapchat, and Telegram.
During the online conversations, Estrada expressed a sexual interest in a fictitious 12-year-old girl and discussed arranging a meeting with her to engage in sexual activity. He also repeatedly requested nude or sexually explicit images of the child.
In November 2025, Estrada asked to communicate directly with the girl and provided his Snapchat account information. He later initiated a conversation with an undercover account he believed belonged to the 12-year-old girl. During the exchange, he requested sexually explicit images and continued discussing sexual activity.
Authorities later obtained records from Reddit Inc. that helped identify Estrada as “dopehound.” At the time, Estrada was a sworn law enforcement officer employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as a state trooper.
Law enforcement subsequently executed a federal search warrant at Estrada’s residence while law enforcement interviewed him at another location. During the interview, Estrada confirmed the “dopehound” Telegram account belonged to him.
“Protecting minors from the depraved schemes of online sexual predators is a top priority for the Southern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron F. Reitz. “If somebody takes to the internet to prey on children, they are going to find their world turned upside down by this office. I will pursue these online predators to the ends of the internet in order to protect our kids and keep perverts away from them.”
Estrada has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens is Prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Former Tennessee Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Johnathan Nathaniel Allen, 27, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material.*
The investigation revealed that Allen caused eight children from across the country to produce child sexual abuse material by posing as a child on social media and enticing the children to engage in illegal sex acts on video. He did so while serving as a sheriff’s deputy in Tennessee, where he worked since 2021.
The investigation began when a father in South Carolina found concerning text messages on his 13-year-old daughter’s cell phone and called the police. The York County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI determined that Allen was posing as a 14-year-old boy named “Josh” on internet-based accounts, which he used to exploit minors.
Allen used the social media platforms Instagram and Reddit, the messaging platform TextMe, and the gaming platform Roblox to target, recruit, and exploit children by causing them to produce and share child sexual abuse material. He posed as a child, pressured minors to produce sexually explicit material, and threatened to share the intimate images of one child if she refused to communicate with him.
Allen manipulated his minor victims by telling them he loved them, that they were beautiful, that he was proud of them, and that he would never do anything to harm them. One minor rejected his request for sexual content eight times, but Allen persisted and caused the minor to speak with him on the phone using a virtual number on the TextMe platform. During that call, he pressured the child into producing child sexual abuse material.
Allen asked one minor to engage in sex acts with a dog, and Allen attempted to recruit the minor’s cousins, friends, and family to engage in sex acts with the minor. The minor described Allen “begging” for sexual content, and one minor was in tears during the production because she did not want to produce the content. Allen told the minor he was proud of her and that he had taught her something new. He then directed the minor to delete content so that no one else would see them. One father recovered deleted content and provided it to law enforcement.
Agents searched Allen’s home and recovered his phone, which had Reddit, TextMe, the fake “Josh” identity, and child sexual abuse material. Agents also found communications on Allens’ phone with the South Carolina minor, including calls to the minor after York County had seized the minor’s phone. Agents found clothes in Allen’s bedroom that “Josh” was wearing in explicit images sent to a minor, and one of the pictures shared by “Josh” on Reddit was a picture of Allen when he was younger.
Allen’s confirmed victims resided in South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and New York, and they were as young as sixth grade.
“This defendant was sworn to serve and protect, instead he deceived and exploited,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “This sentence serves as a reminder that no matter who you are or where you live, if you exploit children in South Carolina, you will be held accountable.”
“The defendant went to vile lengths to pretend to be someone he was not, all to victimize a child and deprive them of their innocence,” said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Anish Shukla. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to protect children, and we will continue to hold accountable those who seek to harm them.”
“This is just another example of the dedication and tireless pursuit of those who want to harm our children,” said York County Sheriff Tony Breeden. “Director Hamilton and Lt. Alex Clark, with their staff, are among the best in the country when it comes to hunting these predators down and prosecuting them.”
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Allen to 25 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 15-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Allen was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victim, plus an additional $4,000 to a victim services fund, and Allen will be required to register a sex offender.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the York County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Hamilton County, TN Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.###
* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.Former St. Louis County Man Admits Aiding Jamaican Lottery ScamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who fled the St. Louis area in 2018 after learning that he was being investigated for participating in a Jamaican lottery scam pleaded guilty Wednesday.
Christopher Gibbon, 55, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He admitted receiving packages containing cash, checks and money orders from victims, as well as at least one wire transfer. He also admitted that co-conspirators in Jamaica called victims falsely claiming that the victims had won the lottery but needed to send taxes and fees to Gibbon before they could collect their prizes. Gibbon admitted receiving about $96,302 from eight victims between Dec. 19, 2016, and July 9, 2018, his plea says. Gibbon kept 20% of the money before electronically transferring the rest to co-conspirators. Gibbon received fake letters from conspirators via WhatsApp that purported to be from U.S. government officials asserting that the lottery was legitimate. He mailed those letters from the U.S. because victims would have become suspicious if the letters came from Jamaica.
On July 5, 2018, a New Jersey victim handed an envelope to a Postal Service employee addressed to Gibbon and said she was mailing to money to become a millionaire. She returned with more packages on July 6 and July 9, triggering the investigation, his plea says.
On July 20, 2018, less than two days after he was interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors, Gibbon told his wife that he was going to work and disappeared, according to court filings. He was arrested in 2025 in Connecticut.
Gibbon is scheduled to be sentenced on December 21. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service Jamaica Foreign Field Office and the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Former Sacramento Resident Charged with Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment on Sept. 3, 2026, against Richard Louis Styrsky, 54, formerly of Sacramento and currently of Fountain Valley, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between 2023 and 2025, Styrsky produced multiple video files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Styrsky and the minor child resided in Sacramento at the time of his alleged conduct.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force conducted this investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Ray and Sam Stefanki are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Styrsky faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Former MoDOT Supervisor Accused of FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri Department of Transportation supervisor at the Normandy, Missouri maintenance facility has been indicted and accused of misusing state-issued credit cards to make $50,000 in personal purchases, including watches, clothing, cologne, shoes, and accessories for his personal vehicles.
Artemus Jamal “AJ” Jackson, 37, of Florissant, is also accused of stealing two newly purchased mowers and a newly purchased trailer from the MoDOT maintenance facility, valued at nearly $30,000.
Jackson was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with four counts of mail fraud. The indictment says Jackson misused MoDOT issued credit cards from December 2022 through July 2026.
Jackson made about 248 personal purchases using the cards, including electronic equipment, cologne, watches, clothing, shoes and equipment and accessories for his personal Yamaha Raptor ATV, Suzuki motorcycle and GMC Sierra 1500 truck, the indictment says.
To conceal those purchases, Jackson made false entries and edits on vendor invoices to make it appear as if the transactions were for legitimate MoDOT expenses, the indictment says. Jackson approved by signature the transactions and then submitted the false invoices to his supervisor to trick the supervisor into believing that the purchases were legitimate, the indictment says.
Further, in May of 2026, Jackson bought two mowers, one that cost $9,954 and another for $13,959, that were then delivered to MoDOT, the indictment says. He stole the mowers on May 17, 2026, and staged a burglary to make it appear as if someone else had taken them, the indictment says. MoDOT began an investigation, and the indictment says that Jackson became concerned that his theft of the mowers would be discovered, so he moved them from the wooded area where he had hidden them to the shoulder of Interstate 70 at Hanley Road, and left a handwritten note on one of the mowers that read, “NORMANDY! MOWERS! MODOT!!!” He also called in an anonymous tip about the mowers’ location, using a fake voice, and claimed in another call that he’d been told by a local elected official about the location of the mowers, the indictment says.
During MoDOT’s investigation of the missing mowers, Jackson was asked on May 28 about the location of a 14-foot Big Tex trailer and accessories that he’d purchased in 2025 with $5,411 in MoDOT funds, the indictment says. Jackson initially falsely claimed the trailer was stored at a MoDOT facility in Bellefontaine Neighbors and, concerned that his theft of the trailer would be discovered, drove it the next day from the area where he’d concealed it to a location blocking a lane on Missouri Highway 367 (Lewis and Clark Boulevard) in Bellefontaine Neighbors, the indictment says. The Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department recovered the trailer and video surveillance in the area showed Jackson towing the trailer with his personal truck to the location where he dumped it, and then later driving without the trailer, the indictment says.
Jackson started work at MoDOT on Dec. 9, 2013. He was promoted to maintenance supervisor on Oct. 1, 2022, and terminated on July 24, 2026.
Each count of mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, and the Missouri Department of Transportation Audits and Investigations Division investigated the case, with the cooperation of the Missouri State Auditor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Former Ketchikan church elder pleads guilty to possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former Ketchikan church elder pleaded guilty earlier this week to possessing child pornography of a child under the age of 12.
According to court documents, in May 2024, relatives of Dwight John, 74, contacted the Ketchikan Police Department after they found a USB drive that contained what they thought was child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At the time of discovery, John was serving a sentence in Alaska state prison for sexually abusing a minor.
A law enforcement officer reviewed the photos on the USB drive and found numerous sexually explicit images of a 10-year old girl known to John through an institution located in Mexico. Law enforcement officers later searched John’s cell phones and laptop computer, where they discovered dozens of sexually explicit photos of the minor victim and over 1,000 images of CSAM depicting prepubescent minors, including infants and toddlers.
John admitted to producing sexually explicit photographs of the minor victim during his trips to Mexico in 2018 and 2019.
John was charged through Operation Relentless Justice in late 2025, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2026, and faces between 10 to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Dwight Chris John repeatedly exploited a vulnerable child in Mexico and engaged in the exploitation of children online in Alaska,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “Yesterday’s guilty plea is an important step toward justice for these children. We will hold U.S. citizens accountable wherever they exploit children.”
“Mr. John’s behavior was reprehensible, and his crimes were committed against some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman. “My office remains steadfastly committed to protecting children and will aggressively pursue those engaging in such repulsive conduct.”
“Demonstrated by his reprehensible pattern of conduct involving online child exploitation, Mr. John posed a significant threat to children in Alaska and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting children is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue and hold accountable anyone who exploits our most vulnerable.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Juneau Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Ketchikan Police Department, as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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Former Grundy Center Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation and Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
A man who sexually exploited a child pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Brandon Scott Baker, age 39, formerly from Grundy Center, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity, and possession of child pornography.
At the plea hearing, Baker admitted that between 2011 and 2016, he used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the conduct. He also admitted that in December 2017, he transported a minor across a state line with the intent to engage in sexual exploitation of a child. Baker admitted that between 2011 and 2016, he possessed depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Baker remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Baker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $750,000 fine, $82,200 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Telluride, Colorado, Police Department, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 26-CR-12. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Former East Bay Financial Advisor Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Ponzi Scheme That Defrauded at Least 93 VictimsRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Edwin Emmett Lickiss, Jr., who pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection with a decades-long Ponzi scheme, was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar imposed the sentence.
Lickiss, 78, of Danville, California, admitted that he defrauded at least 93 victims of over $9.5 million from 1998 through September 2024. As part of the scheme, Lickiss said that he would invest victims’ money in exclusive, tax-free bonds that offered rates of return up to 30%. Lickiss also claimed that members of his own family had invested in the bonds, that he charged no investment fees because he had already profited so substantially, and that investors could redeem their money at any time.
In fact, the bonds did not exist. Lickiss funneled money from later victims to pay earlier investors, consistent with a Ponzi scheme. He also siphoned victim funds to pay personal expenses, including cash withdrawals, home renovations, travel, and payments on vehicles, mortgages, and personal credit cards.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) had issued an order barring Lickiss from engaging in any broker-related business from August 18, 2014, through December 17, 2014. Despite the order, Lickiss continued to fraudulently solicit and obtain investments from victims during that period.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble, and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) San Francisco Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge David Lowe made the announcement. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has also filed a civil enforcement action against Lickiss in the Northern District of California.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Wolinsky of the Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Section, with the assistance of Lynette Dixon. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS-CI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the Atlanta Regional Office of the SEC for its assistance in the investigation.
Former Altoona Postal Workers Union Employee Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement and Falsification of Union ReportRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Altoona, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of embezzlement and falsification of an annual financial report, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
On September 15, 2026, Nicole DeStefano, 52, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines to one count of embezzlement of labor union assets and one count of falsifying an annual financial report filed by a labor union.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from 2015 through 2022, DeStefano served as the secretary-treasurer for the American Postal Workers Union Local 776 in Altoona. As the secretary-treasurer, she was responsible for maintaining all financial records, preparing annual reports, and issuing payments on behalf of Local 776. In September 2022, a member of Local 776 determined that the union’s 2021 annual financial report reflected abnormal disbursements from prior years. DeStefano had signed the financial report as both the treasurer and president, but had not provided notice either that she would be signing the report as the president or permitting union members to examine the financial records. The Blair Township Police Department opened an investigation, and law enforcement obtained a search warrant for DeStefano’s bank records.
Those bank records document that DeStefano wrote checks to herself from the union accounts—including, between December 2019 and August 2022, approximately 42 unauthorized checks totaling $30,411.68—as well as to “cash.” An audit of the union bank accounts also identified 43 unauthorized debit transactions, totaling almost $20,000. DeStefano omitted disbursing money to herself in annual financial reports that she filed with the Secretary of Labor for three consecutive years. In September 2022, DeStefano transferred $8,500 from her account into the union bank account and resigned her position with the union.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for January 19, 2027. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of the greater of $10 million or twice the gross pecuniary gain to DeStefano, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. By virtue of her felony conviction of embezzlement, DeStefano will be precluded from holding union office for a 13-year period.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Blair Township Police Department and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor- Management Standards conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of DeStefano.
Five Defendants, including a Federal Corrections Officer and a Former Federal Corrections Officer, Charged for Conspiring to Smuggle Contraband into Fort Dix Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Cameron Paige, 43, Ian Dennis, 32, Eden Germain, 27, Joe Lee McQuay, 48, and Keith Navarro Palmer, 41, were charged for their roles in connection with a scheme to smuggle contraband into Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix (“Fort Dix”), U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
Paige, who is a Fort Dix corrections officer and Dennis, who is a former Fort Dix corrections officer, conspired with federal inmates McQuay and Navarro Palmer and two of the inmates’ colleagues outside Fort Dix, to smuggle contraband into the prison. All five defendants are charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to provide contraband in prison. In addition to being charged for their roles in the smuggling conspiracy, Dennis and Paige were also charged with agreeing to receive and receiving bribes.
Dennis, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Paige, a resident of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, and Germain, a resident of Delran, New Jersey, had their initial appearances on Sept. 16, 2026 before U.S. Magistrate Tonianne J. Bongiovanni and were all released on bail. McQuay and Navarro Palmer are serving federal terms of imprisonment and their initial appearances will be scheduled for a later date.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2025 through May 2026, the defendants conspired with each other and others to smuggle contraband, including knives, marijuana, tobacco, cellular phones, vapes, cell phone chargers, tool kits, and a tattoo kit into Fort Dix, for sale to inmates detained at Fort Dix. One of the knives that the conspirators smuggled into the prison was later used by defendant McQuay to stab another inmate during a dispute involving money. In one instance, in August 2025, the co-conspirators discussed smuggling 20 cellular telephones, 8 cellular telephone charging blocks, 8 ounces of THC wax, and 10 vapes into the prison.
To facilitate the smuggling scheme, the conspirators relied in large part on Dennis, who at times was assigned to search employees who reported for work at Fort Dix and run those employees’ belongings through a metal detector. Inmates and inmates’ associates paid both Dennis and Paige bribes and kickbacks in exchange for their official assistance in bypassing the facility’s screening procedures. During the course of the conspiracy, over $100,000 was transferred among the co-conspirators through the use of electronic payment applications including Zelle, Apple Pay, CashApp, and Venmo.
The bribery charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment. The conspiracy to smuggle contraband charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy and the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Edminston, with the investigations with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel:
John Holliday, counsel for Cameron Paige.
John B. Brennan, counsel for Ian Dennis.
Christopher St. John, counsel for Eden Germain.
paigeetal.complaint.pdfFelon charged as part of Cincinnati violent crime reduction initiative pleads guilty to federal firearms crimeRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Polo Alexander, 37, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in federal court here today to illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
Alexander was one of nine defendants indicted by a grand jury in March for violations of federal firearms laws.
According to court documents, Cincinnati police officers encountered Alexander while patrolling the Price Hill neighborhood in October 2025. The defendant attempted to flee on bicycle and fought the officers, requiring the use of a taser twice. Officers discovered a loaded firearm on Alexander.
Alexander was previously convicted of felony offenses, including armed robbery.
Possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jorge Rosendo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie announced the guilty plea entered before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case.
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Federal prison sentences handed down for firearm-related chargesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: Two Georgia men have been sentenced to prison following firearms related plea agreements in separate cases.
The sentences were imposed in U.S. District Court and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. They include:
- Rahmeir Dixon, 31, of Savannah, was sentenced to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In April 2025, Dixon was found in possession of a Glock Model 43X, 9 mm pistol during a traffic stop by Savannah Police Department.
- Malachi Tucker, 24, of Wrens, Georgia, was sentenced to 42 months in prison and a $1,500 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Illegal Possession of a Machinegun. In February 2025, Tucker was found in possession of a Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber pistol which had been modified with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), during a traffic stop by Georgia State Patrol. A MCD allows a firearm to fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger, converting a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machinegun.
There is no parole in the federal system. Under federal law, it is prohibited for previously convicted felons to possess firearms or ammunition.
"Taking violent weapons off our streets requires a true team effort," said U.S. Attorney Heap. “"We commend our law enforcement partners for their dedication and will keep working together to prosecute those who violate the law.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Savannah Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation of these cases. These cases were prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Makeia R. Jonese, Henry W. Syms Jr., and Joshua Kyle Davis.
Federal jury convicts Suffolk man on drug trafficking and firearm chargesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Suffolk man yesterday on charges of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, psilocyn, and marijuana.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Aug. 17, 2025, a Virginia State Police (VSP) trooper observed Lewis Roy Hardy, 40, speeding and weaving in traffic on Route 164 in Portsmouth and suspected Hardy was driving while intoxicated. The trooper activated his emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop, but Hardy continued driving for nearly two minutes before eventually coming to a stop halfway between the left lane and the shoulder of the highway. Hardy failed a number of field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.
During an inventory of Hardy’s vehicle, law enforcement located distribution quantities of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and psilocyn (psychedelic mushrooms), as well as a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, an additional magazine, and a digital scale. As a previously convicted felon, Hardy cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Hardy faces a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison when sentenced on Dec. 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Shane Todd, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes. VSP and the Portsmouth Police Department assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Alyson C. Yates are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:26-cr-23.
Federal Prisoner Sentenced to Statutory Maximum for Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Brandon Ejae Elliot (35, Tampa) has been sentenced by Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II to eight years in federal prison—the statutory maximum—for one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of possession of contraband (a weapon) by a federal prisoner. A federal jury found Elliot guilty on May 7, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the evidence presented during the four-day trial, on December 3, 2022, Elliot was a federal inmate in the United States Penitentiary-II in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. During a routine headcount of the prisoners, Elliot and his cellmate, C.W.J., were locked in their cell at 9:30 AM. When correctional officers opened the cell at 11:00 AM, they found C.W.J. unresponsive with multiple puncture wounds to his body. A sharpened metal shank lay nearby on the cell floor. C.W.J. was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A medical examiner determined that C.W.J. had been stabbed 12 times by an object matching the appearance and dimensions of the shank found on the cell floor.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah Nowalk Watson and William S. Hamilton.
Federal Jury Convicts Inmate of Possessing Weapon at FCI McDowellRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – After a one-day trial yesterday, a federal jury found Randy Hightower, also known as “Renere Hightower,” 41, guilty of possession of a weapon by an inmate at a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2023, Hightower was an inmate at FCI McDowell when a staff member conducted a search of Hightower and found a handcrafted weapon commonly known as a “shank” in his right front pants pocket. The shank was a piece of metal with a sharpened point on one end, and a cloth handle made from an institutional blanket on the other.
Hightower faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Prisons conducted the investigation.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the jury trial. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy L. McLaughlin and Brian D. Parsons are prosecuting 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. 1:24-cr-144.
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Former Louisiana Department of Education Employee and Co-Defendant Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Romney Manuel, age 52, of Prairieville, Louisiana, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and Demietriek Scott, age 50, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to 29 months in federal prison following their convictions for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson further sentenced Manuel to serve two years of supervised release, and Scott to serve three years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment. Each is ordered to pay $74,250 in restitution.
According to admissions made during their pleas, Manuel and Scott conspired with each other to devise a scheme to obtain federal grant money from the Louisiana Department of Education. During the conspiracy, Manuel and Scott made a non-existent childcare provider appear operational and manipulated spreadsheets and data systems utilized by the Louisiana Department of Education in order to steal $74,250 in federal funds.
U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy S. Johnson led the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Eddington Man Sentenced for Making Online ThreatsRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Eddington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for making online threats.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Thadius Wind, 52, to time served (approximately 17 months) in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Following a two-day jury trial in July 2026, Wind was found guilty of three counts of transmitting interstate threatening communications and one count of threatening Vice President Kamala Harris. He was found not guilty of one additional count of transmitting an interstate threat.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Wind made posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening to kill Jewish people, Vice President Harris, Maine law enforcement officers, and Elon Musk. The FBI identified Wind as the author of the posts and executed a search warrant at his Eddington residence in March 2025, where they found numerous swords. The evidence at trial revealed that Wind held strong animosity towards the individuals and groups he threatened.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine is working closely with the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and our other law enforcement partners to protect citizens from online threats,” said Andrew Benson, United States Attorney for the District of Maine. “This case should serve as notice that if you threaten people or groups online, hiding behind your keyboard will not protect you from the consequences of your actions.”
“Threatening to kill Jewish people, law enforcement, and others, aren’t protected acts of courage or conviction – they’re federal crimes that can cause real fear and harm,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Today’s sentence is a stark reminder that if your idea of making a point is threatening to murder people, you shouldn’t be surprised when the FBI rolls up at your door.”
“Today’s sentencing reflects the seriousness with which the Secret Service takes threats towards a protectee. Our commitment to identifying, investigating and charging those who make threats of violence towards the President, Vice-President, or any other person under Secret Service protection, is relentless,” said Mark Comorosky, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Boston Field Office. “I am proud of the commitment and dedication our agents demonstrate in protective intelligence cases and grateful for the strong partnerships that we have with FBI Boston and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.”
The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
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Dominican National Charged with Reentry of Removed AliensRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jorge Luis Minier Casado, age 30, a Dominican National, was indicted by a federal grand jury for reentry of removed aliens.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Minier Casado was encountered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on or about March 9, 2026. At the time he was encountered by law enforcement, he was an alien, previously removed from the United States on or about June 7, 2017, who did not have lawfully authority or permission to be back in the country.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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District of Connecticut Joins DOJ Fraud Division, SBA, and SBA OIG in Surge Takedown Exceeding $245 Million in COVID-era Loan Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan today announced that two Connecticut residents have pleaded guilty to fraud offenses as part of a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut was a key participant in this surge effort.
From June 12 to September 1, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning over 160 criminal defendants, including approximately 80 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $245 million dollars in intended loss to American taxpayers.
“Our office is methodically working with our investigative partners to uncover and prosecute those who took advantage of important COVID relief programs for their financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “The charges we are announcing today demonstrate our unwavering commitment to holding individuals accountable for exploiting funds meant to support legitimate small businesses and workers during a national crisis.”
“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns – not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications – but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day –standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners – to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”
“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.”
“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”
In the District of Connecticut, two defendants each waived their right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to one count of wire fraud and one count of making a monetary transaction in property derived from unlawful activity related to PPP fraud involving more than $2.6 million in losses:
U.S. v. Robert Cocca
According to court documents, Robert Cocca, 37, of Shelton, claimed an ownership interest or representative relationship with The Candleman LLC, Complete Property Management LLC, and Durakote Finishing Systems LLC, and other business entities. Between March 2020 and April 2021, Cocca defrauded the PPP loan program and victim lenders by submitting loan applications that overstated the yearly gross income of his businesses, overstated the number of individuals employed by his businesses, provided purportedly false IRS tax filings supporting the business’ gross income and number of employees; and provided other fabricated documentation to support the loan applications. Similarly, on the loan forgiveness applications he submitted, Cocca made additional misrepresentations that he had complied with all the requirements of the PPP rules. Through this scheme, Cocca fraudulently received $1,813,374.77 in PPP funds. Cocca pleaded guilty on July 1, 2026. Released on a $50,000 bond, he is currently scheduled to be sentenced on November 12.U.S. v. Kurt R. Zimmerman
According to court documents, Kurt R. Zimmerman, 45, of Stratford, claimed an ownership interest or representative relationship with KRZ Remodeling LLC and Valiant Candle Company LLC. Between June 2020 and March 2023, Zimmerman defrauded the PPP loan program and victim lenders by submitting loan applications that overstated the yearly gross income of his businesses, overstated the number of individuals employed by his businesses, provided purportedly false IRS tax filings supporting the business’ gross income and number of employees; and provided other fabricated documentation to support the loan applications. Similarly, on the loan forgiveness applications he submitted, Zimmerman made additional misrepresentations that he had complied with all the requirements of the PPP rules. Through this scheme, Zimmerman fraudulently received $867,907 in PPP funds. Zimmerman pleaded guilty on August 6, 2026. Released on a $50,000 bond, he is currently scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2027.These cases are being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
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.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Fentanyl and CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dajuane Goode, 25, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in connection with his possession of fentanyl in the 900 block of Franklin Street in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Trafficking fentanyl, a lethal poison, is inherently dangerous, but combining bulk narcotics with armed carjacking shows a reckless contempt for public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “We will not allow violent drug traffickers to treat D.C. as their personal escape route or poison our community with their deadly narcotics. Today’s plea ensures Dajuane Goode will be held accountable for the chaos he created.”
Goode pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to unlawful possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Goode also pleaded guilty to carjacking in a separate case (26-cr-17). The Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich, who accepted the plea, scheduled sentencing for February 26, 2027.
According to plea documents, on February 13, 2024, Goode contacted the victim to meet him in Southeast D.C. When the victim arrived in a vehicle, Goode got into the passenger seat, unzipped his jacket and pointed a gun at the victim. Two other individuals came over to the car and pointed guns at the victim. Goode and the other individuals forced the victim into the trunk of the car and then Goode got into the driver’s seat and drove off. The victim was ultimately able to open the emergency release from the trunk and dive out of the trunk while Goode was still driving the car.
Further, on May 28, 2024, Goode was driving a 2023 Gray BMW X3 bearing Virginia tag, in Maryland, when he was spotted by an officer with the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD). This vehicle was identified as the suspect vehicle from an armed robbery that happened on May 11, 2024. The officer activated his emergency lights and sirens and tried to stop the defendant, but the defendant fled. PGPD had a helicopter activated and positioned overhead and were authorized to pursue the vehicle as it entered the District of Columbia. The vehicle came to a stop in the 900 block of Franklin Street NE. The defendant got out of the driver’s door and fled on foot towards the area of 12th and Jackson Streets NE. While the defendant ran, footage from the helicopter camera showed him clutching a dark object under his right arm.
During his flight, Goode entered the south alley behind the 900 block of Evarts Street NE and began jumping over residential fences. The defendant eventually entered the rear yard of 913 Evarts Street NE and threw two items over the fence into the yard next door—911 Evarts Street NE. He threw one item, regrouped, and then threw a second item. The defendant continued his flight and hid in the rear of 2624 10th Street NE. The officer found the defendant there, and tried to detain him, but the defendant continued running. Goode eventually tried to jump over a fence in the alley behind 10th Street NE, but the officer caught up to him and tried to detain him. The defendant threw the officer to the ground and ran back towards Evarts Street. The defendant was ultimately apprehended after jumping over a small fence into a gulch outside of an apartment building at 2607 Reed Street NE (across the alley from the yards he ran into on Evarts Street NE during the earlier part of his flight).
The pills and the bag recovered from the yards in Evarts Street, NE.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office with valuable assistance from the DEA and the Prince George’s County Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caelainn Carney.
25-cr-00329
Department of Justice Again Wins Substantial Relief Against GoogleRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division won substantial relief in its monopolization case against Google in advertising technology markets. In United States et al. v. Google LLC, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered significant behavioral relief, including requiring close integration between Google’s products and products offered by rivals, including the open-source solutions offered by Prebid. The court ordered further relief that will help to pry open these markets to competition.
“The Court’s ruling in the Google ad tech case marks a significant victory for this Department’s efforts to protect and restore competition,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “We will continue to review the opinion to consider the Department’s options. Under President Trump’s and Attorney General Blanche’s leadership, we will never cease fighting for fair competition.”
As a direct result of the work of the Department’s trial team, Google’s executives repeatedly offered new pledges of injunctive relief while on the stand during the remedies trial. This extended after the trial, when Google offered a further-revised proposed final judgment with additional concessions. For example, Google committed that AdWords, its advertiser tool, would not engage in discriminatory bidding to the detriment of both advertisers and publishers. Because of the Department’s efforts during the remedies phase, Google also agreed to broaden the categories of advertising inventory covered by the final judgment, disclose how its black-box advertising auctions work, and provide new technical support and data to its competitors and customers. These actions highlight the strong case the Department put on at trial.
The court’s decision recognizes that it must seek to terminate Google’s monopolies, unfetter the markets from Google’s anticompetitive conduct, ensure that there remain no practices likely to result in monopolization, and deny Google the fruit of its unlawful actions: its monopoly power, scale, and profits. In so holding, the court rejected Google’s argument that the termination of monopolies is not a proper objective for monopolization cases.
The court confirmed the Department’s position that it is not enough to order Google to cease its prior anticompetitive behavior. The court imposed interoperability and data-sharing requirements, anti-discrimination remedies, and prohibitions on Google’s self-preferencing bidding behavior. This ruling underscores the need for antitrust remedies to be forward-looking and comprehensive, and it reiterates that remedies can include conditions on products beyond the monopolized product markets. In addition to prohibiting Google’s past anticompetitive conduct, the court ordered the following relief:
- Required Integrations with Prebid and Competing Publisher Ad Servers. The court recognized the importance of injecting new competition and breaking Google’s unlawful tie between AdX and DFP. Google must create and support integrations between AdX and Prebid, and DFP and Prebid. Prebid is an open-source industry standard for real-time bidding. In addition, AdX will be required to submit real-time bids to other publisher ad servers. These integrations will give publishers more control over the sale of their inventory and offer access to important, unique demand without publishers being forced to use both DFP and AdX.
- Data Sharing. The court also imposed meaningful data-sharing requirements on Google. Google will be required to allow publishers to access and export their own data from DFP and AdX, which will make it easier for publishers to switch ad tech providers.
- AdWords Must Bid in Non-Discriminatory Fashion. The court recognized the importance of AdWords to Google’s unlawful scheme. The court rejected Google’s arguments that remedies could not touch AdWords, Google’s “golden goose,” and ordered that AdWords cannot bid preferentially into AdX or other Google ad tech tools because of Google’s ownership of those tools. AdWords also cannot bid directly into DFP.
- Monitor. A monitor will be put in place to facilitate enforcement of Google’s compliance with the Final Judgment. Google will be subject to the oversight of this monitor and a technical committee for six years, the length of the Final Judgment.
The Department continues to review the court’s opinion and will determine appropriate next steps to ensure that competition is restored to these markets that Google has unlawfully dominated for far too long.
Defense Verdict in Use of Force, Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against the United StatesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – R. Matthew Price, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today a complete defense verdict in Richardson v. United States, a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the United States of America under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The lawsuit arose after a federal agent employed deadly force to stop an imminent threat posed by an armed, aggressive individual.
On Sept. 10, 2026, judgment was entered in favor of the United States following a three-day bench trial before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark. The trial concluded on April 30, 2026.
The incident occurred on Nov. 2, 2020, while two Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents were conducting surveillance at a Springfield apartment complex. After observing behavior indicative of drug transactions, the agents followed a rented U-Haul pickup truck from the apartment complex to a residential home. The driver of the U-Haul met two other individuals at the home, including the decedent, Mr. Caleb Slay.
When one of the agents contacted Mr. Slay, Mr. Slay shouted an expletive at him while walking away. Mr. Slay then returned to engage in a brief conversation with the agent, at which point it was learned that Mr. Slay was armed with a handgun. Mr. Slay began fighting the agents upon their attempt to detain him for their safety. During the altercation, with one agent lying on his back underneath Mr. Slay, Slay reached his right hand toward his right rear waistband. One agent described the reach as a “quick gesture” to the waistband, where Slay’s hand paused. This indicated to the agent that Slay was attempting to “establish a grip on the gun.” The agent who discharged his firearm provided a warning prior to the shooting.
The court ruled that the plaintiff failed to prove the DEA agent used more force than was reasonably necessary. The court emphasized that use-of-force decisions must be evaluated from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene making split-second judgments in tense, uncertain situations, rather than with the benefit of hindsight.
Federal law enforcement agents place their lives on the line to enforce the laws of this nation. As such, the Department of Justice is committed to defending justified uses of force. The court’s ruling reinforces that commitment.
This case is being defended by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wyatt R. Nelson and Christa B. Moss, Deputy Civil Chief, of the Western District of Missouri. The case was investigated by the Springfield Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Dansville woman sentenced for bilking elderly victim out of tens of thousands of dollarsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Nahtahna Castner, 46, of Dansville, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison pleaded guilty by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Between July 2020, and February 2023, Castner and another individual (co-conspirator) conspired to defraud an elderly victim. In July 2020, Castner had the trust of an elderly and vulnerable neighbor, who was over 90 years old. Using Castner’s position of trust, the co-conspirator gained access to the victim banking information. Castner and the co-conspirator then began withdrawing large sums of cash from ATMs, initiating wire transfers to Castner’s personal bank account, and making purchases using the victim’s debit card. Castner and the co-conspirator executed approximately $252,672.97 worth of unauthorized transactions. Over the course of the fraud, the victim bank account savings went from approximately $283,954.95 to $99.59. In addition, Castner and the co-conspirator also used the victim’s personal identifying information to apply for three credit cards in the victim’s name. They then used the credit cards to make purchases resulting in fraud against three financial institutions in the amount of $2,039.04, $819.33, and $809.74.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis, II and the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow.
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Convictions through Guilty Pleas and Sentencings in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Prosecutions (September 8 through September 11, 2026)Read the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, Acting United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the following prosecutorial results for the week of September 8 through September 11, 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.
Convictions through Guilty Pleas:
- On September 9, 2026, Alison Mateo-Custodio pleaded guilty to violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) in Criminal Case 26-255 (SCC). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien. Defendant was arrested on June 11, 2026. The sentencing hearing will be held December 9, 2026. SAUSA Cody A. McKinney is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Sentencings:
- On September 9, 2026, Wilfredo Hernández-Vizcarrondo was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to five years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on December 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 12, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case.
- On September 10, 2026, Luis Xavier Morales-Alonso was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Silvia Carreño Coll to 12 years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on June 11, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-272 (SCC) and pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr in charge of the prosecution of the case.
- On September 10, 2026, Michael J. García-Marquez was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to 15 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on December 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 14, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case.
- On September 10, 2026, Paul W. Herrera-Rivera was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to 12 years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on December 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 27, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell 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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Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 5 Months for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jaime Carvajal-Juarez, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously being deported. Carvajal-Juarez pleaded guilty to this charge on July 8, 2026.
On January 31, 2026, Carvajal-Juarez was arrested and charged in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, with possession of methamphetamine and providing a false name to police after he was stopped driving on a revoked driver’s license. In addition to this arrest, he has three other criminal cases pending in Trempealeau County for charges that include possession of methamphetamine, resisting an officer, and multiple counts of operating while intoxicated. Carvajal-Juarez has previously been deported from the United States three times and has two prior criminal convictions for illegal entry.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson acknowledged that Carvajal-Juarez faced another imminent deportation and encouraged him to not again unlawfully return to the United States without permission and risk a greater penalty.
The charge against Carvajal-Juarez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.
The state charges against Carvajal-Juarez referenced in this press release remain pending and he is presumed innocent of those charges unless and until proven guilty.
Cincinnati Man Sentenced in Fentanyl Distribution leading to Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati man, Nathaniel Ferguson, 47, was sentenced on Wednesday to 264 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
An investigation revealed that on May 21, 2025, Ferguson sold approximately 50 pressed pills containing fentanyl and xylazine to co-defendant, Ryan Cooley. Cooley then sold the pills to co-defendant Nicholas Sturgill, who brought them to his Kenton County residence and distributed them to the victim, who died the next day. Toxicology results and autopsy findings confirmed that the victim’s death resulted from an overdose involving fentanyl and xylazine.
During the investigation, agents recovered additional blue pills and drug paraphernalia from the residence, all of which tested positive for fentanyl and xylazine. Sturgill admitted to purchasing such pressed pills from Cooley for approximately one year, including those involved in the fatal incident, and provided text messages corroborating the transactions. Surveillance footage from the May 21 sale further confirmed Cooley’s involvement and showed him arriving at the scene of the drug transaction in a vehicle driven by Ferguson.
Cooley and Sturgill have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fentanyl distribution resulting in death and are scheduled to be sentenced on October 8.
Jason Parman, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Scott Hardcorn, Director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, and Chief Matthew Hall, Villa Hills Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, and the Villa Hills Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Chanute man indicted for methamphetamine traffickingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with offenses related to drug trafficking.
According to court documents, Kyle Ingels, 39, of Chanute was indicted on one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Luis Licea-Angel, 45, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.
Candido Martinez-Garcia, 44, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.
Jose Cesar Palacios-Velasquez, 35, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.
Juan Perez-Gamas, 36, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.
Marco Sanchez-Basilio, 25, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Centre County Woman Indicted for Production of Child Pornography by Person Having Custody or Control of a Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shannon M. Ishler, age 45, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for the production of child pornography by any parent, legal guardian, and person having custody or control of a minor and possession of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Ishler, sometime between January 1, 2024 and April 5, 2024, engaged in the production of several images of child exploitation involving multiple toddlers in her care, which she distributed over the internet. It is also alleged that Ishler possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The FBI Philadelphia’s Capital Area Resident Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 30 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Brockton Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced on Sept. 10, 2026 in federal court in Boston to the maximum statutory penalty for sexually exploiting a child whom he repeatedly abused over a period of approximately three years.
Raymond F. Clinton, Jr., 74, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 30 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount that will be determined at a hearing on Sept. 29, 2026. In May 2026, Clinton pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children.
“This defendant spent years sexually abusing and exploiting a child and went so far as to record that abuse for his own gratification,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Despite the defendant’s years of grooming and threats, the victim came forward, bravely reporting the abuse and cooperating fully with authorities. No sentence can undo the harm Raymond Clinton, Jr. caused, but this sentence ensures that he will spend decades in prison and will never again harm another child. This sentence also sends an unmistakable message: those who prey on children will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“What Raymond Clinton did was absolutely horrific and this sentence ensures he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “That said, no sentence can erase the lasting harm this predator inflicted on this 14-year-old girl who will now have to live the rest of her life with the trauma of having been repeatedly sexually assaulted. Her courage to come forward in the name of accountability helped us ensure that other children won’t fall victim to this defendant. The FBI will continue to investigate and bring to justice anyone victimizing innocent kids in this way.”
Clinton began sexually abusing the victim when she was 11 years old and repeatedly assaulted her until she was 14. The abuse occurred in several locations in and outside Massachusetts. Clinton also threatened to harm the victim if she disclosed the abuse.
Clinton also took sexually explicit photographs of the victim and directed her to pose for photographs. In one message recovered during the investigation, Clinton solicited sexually explicit photographs from the victim. When she refused, Clinton continued to press her to send photographs without her face visible.
In May 2025, Clinton recorded his sexual exploitation of the victim. . The victim did not appear to know that she was being recorded.
Clinton was arrested in Brockton on June 1, 2025. During an interview with investigators, Clinton denied sexually assaulting the victim and denied taking nude photographs of her. When confronted with a sexually explicit message he had sent the victim, Clinton acknowledged sending it but claimed it was a joke. During a search of Clinton’s cellphone, a password-protected folder was located and found to contain sexually explicit photographs of the victim, including nude images; photographs and videos of Clinton; and the videos documenting Clinton’s sexual abuse of the victim.
U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI SAC Docks and Brockton Police Chief Brenda I. Perez made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Mansfield Police Department and Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division.
Boston Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of a Loaded Semi-Automatic Pistol and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for being a felon in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol as well as cocaine base, methamphetamine and oxycodone.
Brevin Dossantos-Wellington, 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to nine years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In March 2025, Dossantos-Wellington pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, methamphetamine and oxycodone. In August 2024, Dossantos-Wellington was indicted by a federal grand jury.
On May 5, 2024, law enforcement conducted a motor vehicle stop of Dossantos-Wellington, during which time Dossantos-Wellington tried to flee. Subsequently, a loaded Springfield Armory XD-9 9mm pistol, along with 8 baggies of cocaine base, methamphetamine and oxycodone were found in his pants. Dossantos-Wellington recently completed a sentence for a prior federal drug trafficking conviction and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Baldwin Park Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Two U.S. Postal Service Mail Carriers and Unlawfully Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Gabriel Valley man pleaded guilty today to robbing two United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers, later using stolen keys to enter apartment complexes and steal mail in Baldwin Park, and assaulting federal officers who arrested him, injuring one of them.
Ruben Baca Lopez, 34, a.k.a. “Monster” and “Loony,” of Baldwin Park, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States by use of a dangerous weapon, and one count of being a felon and prohibited person in possession of ammunition.
Baca Lopez has been in federal custody since April 22.
According to his plea agreement, in April 2024, Baca Lopez approached a victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his USPS mail delivery truck in front of a residence in Baldwin Park while carrying out his duties delivering mail on USPS’s behalf. Baca Lopez instructed the victim to “give him everything,” and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun in his right waistband.
Baca Lopez demanded and took from the victim a smartphone, the keys to the USPS vehicle, a USPS-issued key, and keys to access apartment complexes in the area. In the following weeks, Baca Lopez used the keys he stole from this victim to access mailboxes and steal mail in the Baldwin Park area.
In May 2024, Baca Lopez robbed a second USPS letter carrier as the victim was placing mail inside a mailbox at an apartment complex. Baca Lopez accessed the area where this victim was standing by using an apartment key he stole from the previous month’s victim during that earlier robbery. Baca Lopez forcibly took from this victim his cellphone, wallet, smartwatch, a USPS-issued badge and two USPS-issued keys.
Two weeks after the second robbery, Baca Lopez forcibly assaulted two U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspectors who were arresting him. He refused to comply with their verbal commands, assaulted both inspectors and injured one of them.
On the day of his arrest, Baca Lopez knowingly possessed ammunition that was loaded inside of the chamber and magazine of a ghost gun – a privately manufactured firearm lacking a serial number – that he carried on his person.
Baca Lopez is legally barred from possessing ammunition because his criminal history includes felony convictions, including in April 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court for domestic violence and false imprisonment, and another assault-related conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in November 2021. Baca Lopez also was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Los Angeles Superior Court in February 2016.
United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a December 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Baca Lopez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison on each robbery count and a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on the ammunition possession count.
United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Sebastian Bellm of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to 78 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christopher Donte McLean, 37, of Concord, N.C., was sentenced to 78 months in prison today followed by three years of supervised release for armed bank robbery, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on March 26, 2025, McLean entered the branch of Fifth Third Bank located at 2822 South Boulevard in Charlotte. McLean was wearing a hat and a surgical mask. McLean first posed as a customer and inquired about opening a business account. A little while later, McLean pulled out a black handgun, pointed it at bank employees, and demanded $30,000 in U.S. currency. A bank employee gave McLean the cash. Court records show that during the investigation, investigators were able to determine that McLean was the bank robber.
Then on April 17, 2025, McLean entered the Truist Bank branch at 2222 South Blvd and passed a note to the bank teller demanding $40,000. McLean warned the teller that if anyone activated the silent alarm he would shoot. As the teller went to withdraw the cash, the teller hit the alarm and McLean fled the scene. McLean was arrested the following day.
In March 2026, McLean pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery. At the sentencing hearing, McLean was also ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to Fifth Third Bank and $5,000 to a victim. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.
This investigation was led by the FBI and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
2 Defendants Employed at L.A.-Area Homeless Nonprofits Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging Misuse of Millions of Taxpayer DollarsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement today arrested two defendants out of three total charged in separate federal homelessness corruption and fraud cases, including a founder of a Culver City-based nonprofit who allegedly misappropriated more than $7.5 million in taxpayer funds, and used this money for commercial real estate and to finance the construction of a nightclub and adjacent bingo hall.
Today’s enforcement action is the latest effort by the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force to investigate, combat, and prosecute fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption involving funds allocated toward the eradication of homelessness within the seven-county jurisdiction of the Central District of California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
“Today the Department of Justice, with the full force of the federal government, is announcing charges in a major fraud takedown targeting schemes that stole millions from programs meant to house California’s homeless,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “As alleged, Michael Young, through Home at Last, received more than $100 million in taxpayer funds and misappropriated more than $12 million, diverting that money into shell companies, real estate, and even a nightclub and bingo hall. That scheme is now halted in its tracks. My message to every fraudster who steals from the vulnerable is clear: We will track you down, bring charges where the evidence leads, and work relentlessly to reclaim every taxpayer dollar you stole.”
“Today’s arrests mark a major success for our Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force and this Administration’s commitment to protecting taxpayers,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The scale and brazenness of these fraudsters expose a profound failure by the State of California and Los Angeles County to safeguard public funds. Millions intended to house the homeless allegedly financed private real estate, a nightclub, a bingo hall, and personal expenses. Taxpayers deserve accountability. We will follow the money, expose the corruption, and prosecute those who exploit the American people for personal gain.”
“When taxpayer-funded programs are exploited for personal gain, it undermines public trust and diverts critical resources away from the people who need them most,” said Robert Molvar, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Our work does not stop with these arrests. We remain committed to identifying fraud, protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding programs designed to help those experiencing homelessness.”
“Today’s actions reflect our commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability of public funds,” said Darren Lian, Special Agent in Charge with IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The evidence uncovered by IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners reveals a deliberate scheme to defraud government programs designed to support vulnerable community members who are experiencing homelessness. We will continue to pursue those who steal from the public and hold them accountable.”
“Stealing from programs meant to feed, shelter, and support people experiencing homelessness isn’t just a financial crime – it’s an attack on the most vulnerable communities provided for by HUD programs,” said Brian D. Harrison, Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG). “HUD-OIG is steadfast in pursuing those who exploit federal housing programs, and this case underscores the strength of our partnerships with law enforcement and prosecutors. Together, we protect taxpayer dollars and deliver justice for victims.”
“Fraudsters like Alexander Soofer, who steal money meant to assist the homeless, are despicable, greedy, and shameless,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “Their actions are nothing short of a slap in the face to taxpayers who have generously and compassionately funded efforts to help the unhoused put a meal in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. These fraudsters who have stolen millions of dollars of homeless funds should know that they will be arrested, prosecuted and punished. The only question that should be going through their minds is when. My office’s Public Integrity Division stands with our federal partners to ensure that those who steal from our most vulnerable community members face justice.”
The two defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
The three new criminal cases being announced today are described below:
United States v. Young
Michael Young, 46, of Baldwin Hills, a founder of the Culver City-based nonprofit Home At Last (HAL), was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging he engaged in a years-long, complex scheme to defraud taxpayers and public entities providing funding for homeless housing. Some of the affected programs were administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the lead agency that coordinates housing and social services for the homeless in Los Angeles County.
Young is charged with wire fraud, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Young used a web of shell corporations and fraudulent billing practices to misappropriate millions of dollars in taxpayer funds earmarked for homeless housing, including through programs administered by LAHSA.
Among other gross misuses of taxpayer money, Young spent more than $1 million to open and operate a high-end restaurant and nightclub in Inglewood called Six Seven Five Lounge.
Through numerous contracts with LAHSA and other public entities, Young received more than $118 million in public funds from LAHSA, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. LAHSA alone paid HAL over $75 million for homeless housing services. Young allegedly used a sham vendor fraud to misappropriate more than $7.5 million of these funds.
Young lied repeatedly during the fraud, according to allegations in the complaint, claiming funds would be used for homeless housing or for vendors providing services for homeless housing, when he diverted large amounts of taxpayer money for personal use and unrelated businesses. He created sham vendors to hide self-dealing transactions, submitting fake bids, forged signatures, and fraudulent invoices to make it appear the sham vendors were legitimate, third-party companies, offering fair market services, when in reality, the vendors had no employees, no locations, no legitimate operations, and existed only to funnel public money back to Young.
Young allegedly controlled the sham vendors’ bank accounts and used millions in taxpayer funds for his personal enrichment, including spending millions for his lounge, luxury vacations, vintage car restorations, and commercial properties unrelated to homeless housing.
In June 2026, LAHSA cancelled its contracts with HAL.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kerry L. Quinn, Sarah E. Spielberger, and James C. Hughes of the Major Frauds Section, and Tara Vavere of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
United States v. Mitchell
Donye Mitchell, 55, a.k.a. “Danya Mitchell,” of Orange, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based homelessness nonprofit, is charged in a federal criminal complaint alleging he was fraudulently awarded more than $1.2 million in grant money from a Los Angeles County-funded nonprofit.
Mitchell is charged with wire fraud, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. He is considered a fugitive.
According to the complaint, Mitchell is the CEO and executive director of The Big Blue Umbrella (BBU), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit. In January 2024, Mitchell allegedly applied for over $9 million in grant money – and several months later was awarded over $1.2 million – from a separate nonprofit funded by the County of Los Angeles called Epidaurus, which does business as Amity Foundation, to provide housing and mental health services to vulnerable people.
The complaint alleges that Mitchell falsely claimed to Amity that BBU was a major homeless housing provider and misrepresented its work with Special Service for Groups (SSG), through its HOPICS division, a nonprofit administering large amounts of LAHSA funds, despite having no contract and previously displacing SSG clients by failing to pay rent.
After receiving grant funds from Amity Foundation, Mitchell allegedly lied about staffing and spending, instead using the money for personal expenses including inflated salary payments, paying his own bail bond costs, credit card debt, family transfers, rent, and PlayStation charges.
In May 2025, after Amity had disbursed approximately $315,000, it terminated BBU’s contract over concerns that Mitchell was misrepresenting his spending and failing to meet agreed-upon milestones.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah E. Spielberger and Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
United States v. Malone
Lakiya Malone, 48, of South Los Angeles and an employee of SSG, was arrested on a 21-count federal indictment accusing her of taking more than $180,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Alexander Soofer, the executive director of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings, who is separately charged and has agreed to plead guilty.
In exchange for the bribes and kickbacks, Malone allegedly provided priority referrals of homeless housing participants, including “ghost” participants who never lived at the sites.
Malone’s role at SSG involved referring homeless individuals to housing sites funded by HUD, LAHSA, and the City and County of Los Angeles. According to the indictment, Soofer paid her through checks made out to her and an entity she controlled, Grateful Hearts Realty & Consulting, disguising the payments as consulting fees. In reality, the payments were tied to the number of referrals Malone sent and to “ghost clients” whose files she helped fabricate with fake welcome letters, forged sign in sheets, and falsified eligibility forms.
Soofer allegedly received more than $17 million from SSG during the scheme, inflated substantially by these fraudulent referrals. Malone faces up to 20 years per wire fraud count, 10 years per bribery count, and five years on the conspiracy charge.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
Indictments and complaints merely contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States v. Soofer
Relatedly, Soofer has agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Soofer admitted in a plea agreement filed today to his role in the bribery scheme with Malone.
He further admitted that he obtained $23 million in public money intended to combat homelessness, at least some of which he admits he obtained through fraud, pocketing at least $2 million in taxpayer money for his own personal enrichment and for businesses unrelated to homeless housing.
Soofer has agreed to forfeit his ill-gotten gains to the U.S. government and is expected to plead guilty to the felony charges in the coming weeks.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section, Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Mariam Kaloustian and Thi Ho of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and HUD-OIG are investigating these cases.
15 September 2026
Zuni Woman Charged with AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni woman is facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting a victim with a knife.
According to court documents, on August 5, 2026, Sally Ann Marie Eriacho, 29, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zun, assaulted John Doe with a knife and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury.
Eriacho is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. She will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Eriacho faces up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins DOJ Fraud Division in Surge Takedown Exceeding $245 Million in COVID-era Loan FraudRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas today announced its role in a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Western District of Texas was a key participant in this surge effort.
From June 12 to Sept. 1, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning over 160 criminal defendants, including approximately 80 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $245 million dollars in intended loss to American taxpayers.
“Six years after our first PPP fraud case was charged in Austin, we are still finding fraudsters and holding them accountable for their greed-driven schemes that undermined a federal program and stole from American taxpayers in the midst of the chaos that was the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This surge, led by the National Fraud Enforcement Division, highlights our commitment to protecting the integrity of our government programs and ensuring no one gets away with defrauding the public.”
“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications— but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”
“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.”
“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”
In the Western District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced that two defendants pleaded guilty in two separate PPP-related fraud cases involving approximately a combined $1.2 million in alleged losses.
According to court documents, Arun Mago was an accountant in Austin and a known money launderer. Mago laundered $150,000 in cash represented by an undercover agent to be the proceeds of cocaine distribution. In addition to his money laundering activities, he also engaged in repeated loan fraud during the pandemic, applying for and receiving several fraudulent PPP loans for several business entities totaling $905,264. Mago pleaded guilty in July. IRS-CI investigated the case.
In a separate case, Eve Zou, an employee of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, made false and fraudulent promises and representations to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants that were purportedly for legitimate business purposes, but, in truth and fact, the loan proceeds were used by Zou for her own personal use and benefit, including the purchase of real estate and for investment in brokerage accounts. Zou also made multiple false statements in those loans, including using her daughter’s identity without her daughter’s knowledge or permission, falsely claiming to have 50 employees, and falsely claiming lost rental income. She fraudulently obtained three SBA loans, for a combined total of $319,800. Zou also pleaded guilty. IRS-CI investigated the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Washington DC Felon Sentenced for Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Washington, DC, felon received a federal-prison term for firearm-possession charges.
Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Kevin Darnell Ayers, 44, to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Jarod J. Towers, Hyattsville Police Department (HPD).
According to court documents, on December 5, 2024, security personnel discovered a loaded handgun in Ayers’s bag as he went through security at the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County. Law enforcement subsequently learned that Ayers was at the courthouse to attend his own trial for domestic-related charges. The handgun contained approximately six rounds of ammunition.
Ayers’s previous felony convictions prohibited him from possessing a firearm and ammunition. Additionally, Ayers was on supervised release for an assault conviction, along with pretrial release for his pending state charges, at the time he possessed the handgun.
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 HPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle A. Li and Kenneth S. Clark who prosecuted this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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WDNY joins DOJ Fraud Division, SBA, and SBA OIG in surge takedown exceeding $245 million in covid-era loan fraudRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NY--The Western District of New York today announced the sentencing of an Oklahoma woman as part of a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). WDNY was a key participant in this surge effort.
From June 12 to September 1, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning over 160 criminal defendants, including approximately 80 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $245 million dollars in intended loss to American taxpayers.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to act as a safety net for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic by helping them maintain payroll and cover essential expenses,” stated Michael DiGiacomo, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. “This defendant abused the program and defrauded the American taxpayer to the tune of more than $30-million dollars. While the COVID epidemic is behind us, my office remains focused on pursuing those individuals who defraud any government program.”
“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications— but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”
“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.”
“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”
In the WDNY, U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo announced that Amanda J. Gloria, 49, of Altus, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve 98 months in prison for attempting to defraud the PPP Program of over $43 million in COVID-19 relief loans. Gloria admitted that she conspired to submit at least 153 fraudulent PPP applications seeking a total of approximately $43 million on behalf of at least 111 entities between approximately May 2020 and June 2021. Gloria admitted that she falsified or aided and assisted with falsifying various information on these loan applications, including the number of employees, payroll expenses and documentation, and federal tax filings. Gloria then submitted or aided and assisted with the submission of the fraudulent PPP applications to financial institutions. In total, the recipient entities unlawfully obtained approximately $31 million in PPP funds. From those fraudulently obtained funds, Gloria personally received at least approximately $1.7 million.
In April 2022, Gloria pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived proceeds. At sentencing, Gloria was ordered to pay more than $30 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $523,661.
Trial Attorney Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kruly for the Western District of New York prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis, II, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Harry Chavis, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Justin Page, and the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Amy Connelly, Boston New York Field Division.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Vergennes, Vermont Man Charged with Hobbs Act RobberyRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Brayden Hemingway, 18, of Vergennes, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with interfering with commerce by robbery, specifically the robbery of the Stewart’s Shop in South Burlington, Vermont on September 13, 2026.
On September 15, 2026, Hemingway appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Hemingway was ordered detained, pending a detention hearing, which is currently scheduled for September 22, 2026.
According to court records, at approximately 7:00 pm on September 13, 2026, South Burlington Police were dispatched to the Stewart’s Shop on Shelburne Road in South Burlington, Vermont, following an armed robbery. Security footage showed a male—later identified as Hemingway—arrive at the store in a white Kia Soul, enter the store, point an apparent handgun at store clerks, demand money, and then leave the store with cash. A man matching Hemingway’s description and apparel robbed the Winooski Champlain Farms convenience store approximately an hour earlier in a similar manner. Hemingway is further suspected of engaging in three burglaries in Burlington and South Burlington between September 12 and 14, 2026.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the criminal complaint contains allegations only and that Hemingway is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Hemingway faces up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Burlington Police Department, the Burlington Police Department, the Milton Police Department, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the Vermont Highway Patrol, and the Winooski Police Department. Ophardt added: “I am extremely grateful for the coordinated, diligent, and swift work of the officers and agents who investigated these crimes, and who safely apprehended Hemingway.”
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Hemingway is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
University of Hawaii Agrees to Resolve Allegations of Insufficient Oversight of AmeriCorps GrantsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced yesterday that it reached a civil settlement agreement with the Hawaii Commission for National and Community Service (“HCNCS”) and the University of Hawaii (the “University”) whereby the University will pay $499,950 to resolve allegations that HCNCS and the University violated the False Claims Act by making false certifications to AmeriCorps that the agency’s grant and sub-grant funds were used for authorized purposes and in compliance with grant and sub-grant terms.
“AmeriCorps grant funds are designated to help enrich and strengthen people’s lives, but instead were misappropriated under the University of Hawaii’s watch,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “By requiring the University to pay half a million dollars, this settlement underscores a clear message: institutions that receive federal grant money have a responsibility to ensure proper oversight and to report the use of those funds honestly and accurately.”
The Office’s investigation of HCNCS and University oversight of AmeriCorps grant and sub-grant funds arose from previous criminal prosecutions by this Office. In October 2021, a former Executive Director of HCNCS, Stacy Higa, pleaded guilty to embezzlement of AmeriCorps grant funds, which he used in part on personal expenses. In addition, Hanalei Aipoalani, Program Director for Olelo Community Media, an AmeriCorps subgrantee, pleaded guilty in March 2021 to embezzling AmeriCorps program funds. In April 2021, Aipoalani’s wife, Angelita Aipoalani, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle. AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General also found evidence of the improper use of AmeriCorps funds by another HCNCS subgrantee.
During the period in which AmeriCorps grant and sub-grant funds were being misappropriated, the University submitted semi-annual Federal Financial Reports to AmeriCorps certifying the grant and sub-grant funds were used for authorized purposes and in compliance with grant and sub-grant terms. The United States contends that those certifications were knowingly false as a consequence of the HCNCS and the University conducting inadequate oversight and supervision.
AmeriCorps is a federally funded network of national service programs that address critical community needs, such as increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more.
“The egregious crimes committed by Aipoalanis and Higa could have been mitigated by the University with proper oversight of AmeriCorps programs and HCNCS staff,” said Michael Pritchard, Official Performing the Duties of the Inspector General. “This settlement demonstrates that when an organization accepts AmeriCorps grant funding, it has the responsibility to have the people, policies, and procedures in place to ensure that funding is spent appropriately. We appreciate the USAO-DC's partnership in protecting the integrity of national service.”
The settlement built on the previous work of the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General, the FBI Honolulu Field Office, and criminal prosecutors of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The resolution of this Office’s False Claims Act investigation resulted from the work of Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Tepe and Auditor Timothy J. Hurley.
The claims resolved by the civil settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
uh_and_hcncs_settlement_agreement_-_fully_executed_9-11-26.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office announces convictions in 2 Dayton felon firearms casesRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Two men charged with illegally possessing firearms as previously convicted felons pleaded guilty in federal court here.
Kaylon Bradley, 34, pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.
Bradley was arrested in late March during operations conducted by the Ohio Investigative Unit, Dayton Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative between the City of Dayton and the State of Ohio.
On March 27, investigators observed Bradley at Salem Beverage and Market on Salem Avenue in Dayton. A pistol grip and magazine baseplate were visible in Bradley’s pants pocket as he entered the liquor store. The store had “no firearms” signage, which made it a crime under state law for Bradley to enter the business with a weapon. Officers stopped Bradley and recovered a loaded 9mm pistol.
Bradley has prior felony convictions of burglary, possession of heroin, weapons under disability and failure to comply causing serious physical harm. He was also on federal supervised release at the time of his most recent crime after being convicted as a co-defendant in a 2025 narcotics case.
Yesterday, Jason Smith, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. According to his court documents, Dayton police officers encountered Smith on April 15 and, when asked if he had a firearm on him, the defendant fled on foot. Smith was apprehended and officers discovered a loaded 9mm pistol.
Smith has prior felony convictions of robbery, felonious assault with a deadly weapon and trafficking in drugs.
Possessing a firearm or ammunition as a previously convicted felon is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jorge Rosendo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dayton Police Chief Eric Henderson and officials with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Investigative Unit announced the guilty pleas. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth L. McCormick and Erica D. Lunderman are representing the United States in these cases.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins in Takedown of COVID-Era Loan Program Fraud Exceeding $245 MillionRead the Press Release
Two Cuban nationals have been indicted in Cedar Rapids as part of a nationwide enforcement action targeting fraud in the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The enforcement effort is led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the SBA, and the SBA Office of Inspector General.
From June 12 to August 31, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions involving more than 160 defendants, roughly half of whom were newly charged, and approximately $245 million in actual and attempted theft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa was a key player in this effort.
“People who defraud government programs are thieves just as much as if they’d stolen cash from an armored truck,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “We’re committed to identifying, prosecuting, and convicting these criminals. And our civil lawyers are committed to using civil suits and forfeitures of property to recover every dollar possible from these crooks.”
Statements of Department of Justice Officials
“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications—but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”
Statements of Small Business Administration Officials
“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.”
“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”
Cedar Rapids Indictment
The indictment charges two defendants, Adrian Rafael Pupo Perez and Helen Yaima Leyva Santiesteban, both Cuban nationals, with 47 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. It alleges that, beginning in July 2020, the defendants and more than one hundred other Cuban immigrants attempted to obtain fraudulent PPP loans and other COVID-era benefits. Each falsely claimed to be self-employed and to have earned approximately $100,000 in gross income in 2019. In truth, each participant actually worked elsewhere, most of them at the same northern Iowa meatpacking plant. In total, the defendants submitted roughly 470 fraudulent PPP loan applications in the names of more than 100 individuals across the United States. Their fraudulent applications sought $4.5 million in loan funds, and they actually obtained about $2.4 million. Pupo Perez and Leyva Santiesteban are currently fugitives from justice, believed to have returned to Cuba.
The case is being investigated by the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FDIC Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tim Vavricek, Matt Cole, and Dan Chatham. As with any criminal case, an indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case number is 24-CR-3013. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins DOJ Fraud Division, SBA, and SBA OIG in Surge Takedown Exceeding $245 Million in COVID-Era Loan FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO--The U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners announced today a guilty plea and a sentencing as part of a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and its law enforcement partners were key participants in this surge effort.
From June 12 to September 1, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning over 160 criminal defendants, including approximately 80 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $245 million dollars in intended loss to American taxpayers.
“Every dollar stolen from the PPP program was a dollar that could have, and should have, gone to a hard-working family when they needed it the most,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “Yet, as alleged, these defendants exploited a national tragedy and stole from the American taxpayer. Our office will continue to do all we can to protect the integrity of the PPP program and programs like it by identifying and prosecuting anyone who tries to cheat the system.”
“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications— but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”
“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.”
“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the following cases in connection with the surge:
United States v. Dory Lindsay Ford
On August 31, 2026, Dory Lindsay Ford pleaded guilty to Count Two of an indictment charging him with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Ford, 59, of Monterey, was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 25, 2024. According to the plea agreement, Ford admitted to devising a scheme to obtain funds from COVID-19 relief programs.
Ford submitted a Restaurant Revitalization Funding (RRF) application to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In his RRF application, Ford admitted to knowingly making material misrepresentations. Ford certified that his catering business, Aqua Terra Culinary, Inc., was operational and that he would use the funds for eligible uses, such as business expenses. Ford admitted that these certifications were false. As a result of his fraud, Ford received $3,313,398 from the SBA.
Ford’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 7, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila. Ford faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The court could also order restitution. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant United State Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is a result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and SBA Office of Inspector General.
United States v. Raouf Bouzidi et al.
On August 6, 2026, Raouf Bouzidi was sentenced to eight months in federal prison and a three-year term of supervised release for using SBA funds for unauthorized purposes and laundering proceeds from his impermissible use of the funds. Bouzidi was also ordered to pay $1,275,539.99 in restitution. U.S. District Judge William Orrick handed down the sentence.
Bouzidi, 53, of San Francisco, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 17, 2024. On April 9, 2026, he pleaded guilty to two counts of conversion of government property and one count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 641 and 1957. According to the plea agreement, Bouzidi admitted to obtaining approximately $500,000 from the SBA through an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and approximately $775,000 from the SBA through its Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant program. The funds were obtained on behalf of a business that operated a San Francisco restaurant named Chez BeeSen.
Bouzidi admitted that although he knew the SBA funds could only be used for authorized business purposes related to the operation of Chez BeeSen, he nevertheless caused the funds to be used for impermissible purposes. In particular, Bouzidi purchased a Mercedes vehicle using SBA funds that he then shipped overseas. Bouzidi also directed a co-defendant to purchase a residential property in Sausalito, California, for approximately $960,000 using SBA funds. Bouzidi then managed renovations of the property and caused it to be sold for a profit as part of a real-estate flipping scheme, with the proceeds being deposited in the co-defendant’s personal account at Bouzidi’s direction. After the Sausalito residence was sold, Bouzidi directed his co-defendant to use the proceeds to purchase a second residential property in Novato, California. Bouzidi again managed the renovations of this property and caused it to be sold for a profit. After the Novato residence was sold, the FBI executed a warrant and seized more than $1 million in misappropriated funds.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Buszin is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kevin Costello. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS-CI.
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On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Two Robinhood Employees Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, 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 Complaints charging HEFU CHAI and HUAISONG XIANG, a/k/a “Jerry Xiang,” with commodities fraud and wire fraud arising from a scheme to misappropriate confidential business information from their employer, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (“Robinhood”), and use that information to trade perpetual futures on Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives exchange. CHAI will be presented today in the Northern District of California. XIANG will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.
“Misappropriating confidential information to trade in the derivatives markets for personal benefit is illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “That is exactly what we allege Hefu Chai and Huaisong Xiang have done. Today’s charges make clear that corporate insiders cannot evade the securities and commodities laws by trading based on misappropriated information in derivatives like perpetual futures, tokenized securities, or other similar financial instruments.”
“Hefu Chai and Huaisong Xiang are charged with commodities fraud and wire fraud for allegedly exploiting confidential business information taken from their employer to trade perpetual futures,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “These charges make clear the FBI with its partners will act when individuals access sensitive business information for their own benefit.”
According to the Complaints unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:(1)
CHAI and XIANG were employed as engineers at Robinhood. In connection with their roles at Robinhood, CHAI and XIANG had access to nonpublic information regarding whether and when Robinhood would support additional cryptocurrencies for trading on Robinhood Crypto, a Robinhood subsidiary that operates a digital asset trading platform.
Hyperliquid markets itself as a decentralized exchange for trading a wide range of derivative products, including cryptocurrencies and derivatives tied to other underlying assets. Investors on Hyperliquid can purchase, among other things, perpetual futures (“perpetuals”). Perpetuals are derivative products that allow investors to take positions on the price movements of an underlying asset, whether a cryptocurrency or another asset, without owning the asset itself. Unlike traditional futures contracts, Hyperliquid’s perpetuals do not expire and can be maintained indefinitely. To keep a position open, however, traders must make or receive periodic funding payments, which align the perpetual’s price with the spot price of the underlying asset. A trader can settle the perpetual at any time and realize their gain or loss.
Between 2025 and 2026, CHAI and XIANG repeatedly bought perpetual futures linked to cryptocurrency tokens on Hyperliquid in advance of Robinhood’s public announcements that the underlying cryptocurrency tokens would be listed on Robinhood Crypto. On each occasion, CHAI and XIANG possessed material nonpublic information that Robinhood would list the cryptocurrency token on Robinhood Crypto, and CHAI and XIANG traded on that information in breach of the duties that CHAI and XIANG owed to Robinhood to maintain the confidentiality of this information. CHAI and XIANG each profited more than $50,000 from their illicit trading.
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CHAI, 36, of Menlo Park, California, and XIANG, 30, of Jersey City, New Jersey, are charged with one count of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and one count of wire fraud, 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 defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. McDonald further thanked Robinhood for its cooperation with the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra N. Rothman is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
^
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaints and the description of the Complaints set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.
Twin Lake Woman Sentenced for Disaster FraudRead the Press Release
Claimed beach house in Florida was her primary residence to steal
emergency funds meant for persons displaced by Hurricane Ian.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Toni M. Fisher, 61, of Twin Lake, MI was sentenced to 6 months in prison after a jury convicted her of Major Disaster Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1040. During sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou said, this kind of crime “harms every taxpayer, but specifically those who have lost their primary home.”
In September 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Florida coast, causing significant property damage and displacing thousands of year-round residents. Fisher, a landlord with numerous rental properties in Muskegon County, filed a fraudulent application for disaster benefits from FEMA in which she claimed her vacation home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, was her primary residence. In fact, she was living at her lakeside home in Twin Lake, Michigan, when the hurricane struck. As a result of the fraud, she received nearly $50,000 in cash, including money that was to be used for rent and emergency living expenses.
Fisher called FEMA repeatedly from Michigan to check on the status of her application. She falsely claimed she had missed a housing inspection in Fort Myers Beach because she was “out of town at [her] second residency” since her home was destroyed. Fisher was actually at home in Twin Lake and had just returned from a vacation in Aruba with $13,500 in cash on her person the day before she filed the application for FEMA assistance.
When Fisher was interviewed by federal agents, she denied claiming the beach house was her primary residence, and falsely suggested that she lived more than half of each year in Fort Myers Beach. She testified at trial, and repeated the same claims. Bank, airline, and casino records admitted at trial, however, established that she was a “snowbird” who only spent the winters in Florida.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “The FEMA program is an example of how generous Americans are when disaster strikes, and we try to get financial help to our neighbors quickly. But the availability of this money also attracts people who are willing to lie about being a victim in order to make an easy buck. Toni Fisher revealed herself to be one of those people, and today she paid the price for it. The public should know we are keeping a close eye on government program fraud and will not hesitate to bring serious criminal charges when we find it.”
The case was investigated by Special Agent Justin Efthemiou of the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (DHS-OIG) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nils Kessler and Julia Rugg.
Twice Deported Peruvian National Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CESAR RUBEN YLLESCAS, 52, a citizen of Peru, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 15 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the U.S.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 1995 and 2015, Yllescas was arrested, convicted, and sentenced multiple times in Connecticut Superior Court and Chicopee, Massachusetts District Court for narcotics offenses, threatening, assault, failure to appear in court, and illegal operation of a motor vehicle. In June 2016, Yllescas was deported to Peru. He subsequently reentered the U.S., was convicted in federal court of unlawful reentry and, in December 2019, was sentenced to 10 months of imprisonment. In May 2020, Yllescas was again deported to Peru.
Yllescas again illegally reentered the U.S. and, on March 20, 2026, he was arrested by the West Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department for motor vehicle-related charges and on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court in 2015 for a violation of probation. After Yllescas was released on bond on those state charges, he was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on March 23, 2026, in West Springfield.
Yllescas has been detained since his arrest. On June 23, 2026, he pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Michael S. Deel.
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.
Twelve People Charged in $10 Million Home Daycare Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Twelve people are facing federal fraud charges after an investigation revealed that more than $10 million intended to help low-income families pay for childcare was instead funneled to bogus daycare providers.
In a coordinated takedown early Thursday morning, more than 250 federal, state and local law enforcement officials arrested all 12 defendants and executed 12 search warrants at homes in San Diego purported to be used as daycare facilities.
“These charges underscore a simple truth: anyone who steals from programs meant to support children will face swift and uncompromising accountability, said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Fraud against these programs is an attack on vulnerable families, and law enforcement will continue to dismantle schemes that exploit them. I want to thank the prosecutors and agents in the Southern District of California whose relentless work exposed this scheme and ensured that those responsible are being held accountable.”
“Today is a bad day for home daycare fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “These are the first charges alleging this type of fraud since the formation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. These fraudsters may have criminally gamed the system before. But today, the game is over.”
“Programs that help families access childcare are intended to support children and working parents, not to enrich fraudsters,” said Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Director Michael Krol. “HSI is proud to stand with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and disrupt schemes that steal taxpayer-funded benefits from the communities they are meant to serve. These arrests reflect our commitment to protecting public programs, safeguarding children, and holding accountable those who exploit systems designed to help vulnerable families.”
“Today’s takedown exposes a sprawling fraud scheme that siphoned more than $10 million from programs designed to help low-income families who depend on subsidized childcare. By following the money, IRS Criminal Investigation uncovered patterns of deceit that revealed twelve ghost daycare operations billing for children who were never present. This was not a victimless crime. It deprived working parents of critical support and eroded trust in programs meant to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. We remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding federal funds and ensuring that those who exploit public programs for personal gain are held fully accountable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Jarod Koopman.
“Shameless attempts to steal taxpayer‑funded childcare funds for personal gain endanger support for some of our nation’s most vulnerable children,” said Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to pursue these schemes relentlessly to protect these funds and the families who depend on them.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides federal funding to California to help low-income families pay for childcare. In San Diego County, the County of San Diego, Child Development Associates (CDA), and the YMCA administer childcare subsidy programs.
When CDA or the YMCA determines that a family qualifies for subsidized childcare, the organizations pay the eligible childcare provider directly after the provider submits required monthly attendance records documenting the care provided. The records must be signed by both the provider and parent under penalty of perjury and include the dates and times children are in care.
California law also requires licensed childcare providers to be present and ensure that children are supervised at all times, except for limited temporary absences when a qualified substitute is present.
While the 12 federal complaints are unrelated, the scheme was essentially the same: Defendants obtained a California license to operate a home childcare facility and registered with Child Development Associates (CDA) and the YMCA to provide subsidized childcare to eligible families. To receive government-funded payments, the defendants were required to submit monthly attendance records accurately documenting the dates and times they provided care to each child.
Instead, the defendants knowingly submitted false attendance records claiming they provided childcare on dates and at times when they did not. They also falsely certified, under penalty of perjury, that the information was true and correct. CDA and the YMCA relied on those fraudulent records and issued payments with federal funds intended to pay for childcare actually provided to low-income families.
The complaints describe how surveillance recordings of the defendants’ licensed facilities conflicted with what the defendants claimed in their attendance records. For example, Abdulrahman Ayman Alawad submitted attendance records claiming to have provided childcare to 23 children in March 2026 and 25 children April 2026, and that he provided childcare every day of those two months. But surveillance recordings covering 57 days of those months showed children entering or exiting Alawad’s facility on just one day—coincidentally, the day a state inspector showed up for an unannounced inspection, when children and Alawad himself arrived at the facility after the inspector arrived.
Additionally, Alawad and several other defendants submitted attendance records claiming to have provided childcare at their homes when border crossing records shows they were not even in the United States. For example, according to a complaint charging Turkiya Mamdouh Alawad, border crossing records show that she departed the United States on or about on January 1, 2024, and returned to the United States around January 30, 2024. Despite not being in the United States, Alawad submitted attendance records to CDA and YMCA for the month of January 2024 and afterwards received eight direct deposits from CDA and YMCA that totaled $14,970.00 in February 2024.
It’s a lucrative scam, the complaints indicate. Each defendant brought in between $538,000 and $1.2 million during various time periods that range from months to years. According to the complaints, Alawad received over $300,000 in payments from San Diego County, CDA, and YMCA in 2025 alone, and several defendants have each received over $1 million in payments in the course of their respective schemes.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric R. Olah, with prior assistance from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Siddharth Dadhich (National Fraud Enforcement Division) Assistant U.S. Attorney Oleksandra Johnson, Trial Attorney Sarah Fix (Antitrust Division).
DEFENDANTS
- Fosiya Mohamoud 26-mj-05074
Age: 50 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Abdulrahman Alawad 26-mj-05174
Age: 25 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Zetun Abdi 26-mj-05184
Age: 43 City of Residence: San Diego, CA
- Ikramullah Mohmmand 26-mj-05185
Age: 25 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Khetam Haouash 26-mj-05187
Age: 37 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Khatera Hashimi 26-mj-05188
Age: 39 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Mariam Khamis 26-mj-05189
Age: 42 City of Residence: San Diego, CA
- Mohamad Alawad 26-mj-05190
Age: 29 City of Residence: San Diego, CA
- Mazin Alawad 26-mj-05191
Age: 22 City of Residence: San Diego, CA
- Turkiya Alawad 26-mj-05194
Age: 63 City of Residence: San Diego, CA
- Zaryab Daudzai 26-mj-05195
Age: 25 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
- Cezar Yaqoob 26-mj-05215
Age: 36 City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine
*Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine
*While defendants are charged with wire fraud, not all are charged with money laundering.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
IRS-Criminal Investigation
Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
San Diego County Sheriff’s Office
El Cajon Police Department
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
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.
Twelve Individuals Charged in $10M Home Daycare Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Twelve individuals are facing federal fraud charges after an investigation revealed that more than $10 million intended to help low-income families pay for childcare was instead funneled to bogus daycare providers.
In a coordinated takedown early Thursday morning, more than 250 federal, state and local law enforcement officials arrested all 12 defendants and executed 12 search warrants at homes in San Diego purported to be used as daycare facilities. The defendants are naturalized U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents originally from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
“These charges underscore a simple truth: anyone who steals from programs meant to support children will face swift and uncompromising accountability,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Fraud against these programs is an attack on vulnerable families, and law enforcement will continue to dismantle schemes that exploit them. I want to thank the prosecutors and agents in the Southern District of California whose relentless work exposed this scheme and ensured that those responsible are being held accountable.”
“Today is a bad day for home daycare fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “These are the first charges alleging this type of fraud since the formation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. These fraudsters may have criminally gamed the system before. But today, the game is over.”
“Programs that help families access childcare are intended to support children and working parents, not to enrich fraudsters,” said Assistant Director Michael Krol of Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI is proud to stand with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and disrupt schemes that steal taxpayer-funded benefits from the communities they are meant to serve. These arrests reflect our commitment to protecting public programs, safeguarding children, and holding accountable those who exploit systems designed to help vulnerable families.”
“Today’s takedown exposes a sprawling fraud scheme that siphoned more than $10 million from programs designed to help low-income families who depend on subsidized childcare,” said Chief Jarod Koopman of IRS Criminal Investigations. “By following the money, IRS Criminal Investigation uncovered patterns of deceit that revealed twelve ghost daycare operations billing for children who were never present. This was not a victimless crime. It deprived working parents of critical support and eroded trust in programs meant to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. We remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding federal funds and ensuring that those who exploit public programs for personal gain are held fully accountable.”
“Shameless attempts to steal taxpayer‑funded childcare funds for personal gain endanger support for some of our nation’s most vulnerable children,” said Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to pursue these schemes relentlessly to protect these funds and the families who depend on them.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides federal funding to California to help low-income families pay for childcare. In San Diego County, the County of San Diego, Child Development Associates (CDA), and the YMCA administer childcare subsidy programs.
When CDA or the YMCA determines that a family qualifies for subsidized childcare, the organizations pay the eligible childcare provider directly after the provider submits required monthly attendance records documenting the care provided. The records must be signed by both the provider and parent under penalty of perjury and include the dates and times children are in care.
California law also requires licensed childcare providers to be present and ensure that children are supervised at all times, except for limited temporary absences when a qualified substitute is present.
While the 12 federal complaints are unrelated, the scheme was essentially the same: Defendants obtained a California license to operate a home childcare facility and registered with Child Development Associates (CDA) and the YMCA to provide subsidized childcare to eligible families. To receive government-funded payments, the defendants were required to submit monthly attendance records accurately documenting the dates and times they provided care to each child.
Instead, the defendants knowingly submitted false attendance records claiming they provided childcare on dates and at times when they did not. They also falsely certified, under penalty of perjury, that the information was true and correct. CDA and the YMCA relied on those fraudulent records and issued payments with federal funds intended to pay for childcare actually provided to low-income families.
Locations of Executed Search Warrants in Daycare Fraud InvestigationThe complaints describe how surveillance recordings of the defendants’ licensed facilities conflicted with what the defendants claimed in their attendance records. For example, Abdulrahman Ayman Alawad submitted attendance records claiming to have provided childcare to 23 children in March 2026 and 25 children April 2026, and that he provided childcare every day of those two months. But surveillance recordings covering 57 days of those months showed children entering or exiting Mr. Alawad’s facility on just one day — coincidentally, the day a state inspector showed up for an unannounced inspection, when children and Mr. Alawad himself arrived at the facility after the inspector arrived.
Additionally, Mr. Alawad and several other defendants submitted attendance records claiming to have provided childcare at their homes when border crossing records shows they were not even in the United States. For example, according to a complaint charging Turkiya Mamdouh Alawad, border crossing records show that she departed the United States on or about on Jan. 1, 2024, and returned to the United States around Jan. 30, 2024. Despite not being in the United States, Alawad submitted attendance records to CDA and YMCA for the month of January 2024 and afterwards received eight direct deposits from CDA and YMCA that totaled $14,970.00 in February 2024.
This daycare scam is lucrative, the complaints indicate. Each defendant brought in between $538,000 and $1.2 million during various time periods that range from months to years. According to the complaints, Mr. Alawad received over $300,000 in payments from San Diego County, CDA, and YMCA in 2025 alone, and several defendants have each received over $1 million in payments in the course of their respective schemes.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric R. Olah for the Southern District of California, with prior assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Oleksandra Johnson for the Southern District of California, Trial Attorney Sarah Fix (Antitrust Division), and Senior Counsel Siddarth Dadhich (National Fraud Enforcement Division).
DEFENDANTS
1. Fosiya Mohamoud; (Country of Origin: Somalia) 26-mj-05074; Age: 50; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
2. Abdulrahman Alawad; (Country of Origin: Syria); 26-mj-05174; Age: 25; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
3. Zetun Abdi; (Country of Origin: Somalia); 26-mj-05184; Age: 43; City of Residence: San Diego, CA
4. Ikramullah Mohmmand (Country of Origin: Afghanistan); 26-mj-05185; Age: 25; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
5. Khetam Haouash; (Country of Origin: Syria); 26-mj-05187; Age: 37; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
6. Khatera Hashimi; (Country of Origin: Afghanistan); 26-mj-05188; Age: 39; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
7. Mariam Khamis; (Country of Origin: Sudan); 26-mj-05189; Age: 42; City of Residence: San Diego, CA
8. Mohamad Alawad; (Country of Origin: Syria); 26-mj-05190; Age: 29; City of Residence: San Diego, CA
9. Mazin Alawad; (Country of Origin: Syria); 26-mj-05191; Age: 22; City of Residence: San Diego, CA
10. Turkiya Alawad; (Country of Origin: Syria); 26-mj-05194; Age: 63; City of Residence: San Diego, CA
11. Zaryab Daudzai; (Country of Origin: Afghanistan); 26-mj-05195; Age: 25; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
12. Cezar Yaqoob; (Country of Origin: Iraq); 26-mj-05215; Age: 36; City of Residence: El Cajon, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine
*Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine
*While defendants are charged with wire fraud, not all are charged with money laundering.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
IRS-Criminal Investigation
Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tohatchi Man Charged with Murder in Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Tohatchi man is facing federal charges for allegedly shooting and killing another man during a confrontation in an arroyo.
According to court documents, on September 8, 2026, law enforcement officers responded to an arroyo near Yah-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation, where they found the victim deceased with an apparent gunshot wound to the torso.
Investigators determined that the previous day, Jason Duboise, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and several members of his family had gone looking for the victim following an incident involving another family member. According to witnesses, members of the group chased the victim toward the arroyo, and at least one person was carrying a rope.
Duboise told investigators that he and another man followed the victim into the arroyo to confront him. Duboise alleged that the victim picked up a rock and attempted to throw it at the other man, at which point Duboise drew a firearm and fired at the victim. Duboise claimed that he intended to fire a warning shot but admitted that he pointed the pistol at the victim when he discharged the weapon.
Duboise left the victim in the arroyo without contacting law enforcement. Investigators later recovered the firearm that Duboise identified as the one used in the shooting from a vehicle parked outside his residence.
Duboise is charged with second degree murder. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Duboise faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Three men were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a cocaine and marijuana conspiracy. One man was also sentenced for his possession of a firearm as a felon and in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, between November 2021 to March 2025, three men engaged in distribution of cocaine base and marijuana across the Quad Cities area.
- On June 10, 2026, Davon Ryan Orr, 26, of Rock Island, was sentenced to a 70-month prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release. Orr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing cocaine base and marijuana.
- On July 8, 2026, Tyrelle Alexander Richardson, 34, of Rock Island, was sentenced to a 13-year prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release. Richarson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing cocaine base and marijuana.
- On September 10, 2026, Dumonta Eric Terrell, 33, of Maquoketa, was sentenced to a 15-year prison term, followed by an eight-year term of supervised release. Terrell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing cocaine base and marijuana, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm.
There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.