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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
28 April 2026
Sacramento County Woman Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO Calif. — Monique Marie Gonzales Grado, 32, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to four years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
As a part of her sentence, Gonzales Grado was also ordered to pay $82,142 in restitution to her victims. Gonzales Grado pleaded guilty to these charges on Sept. 9, 2025.
According to court documents, between Aug. 7, 2022, and Oct. 3, 2022, Gonzales Grado executed a scheme to defraud credit unions. She unlawfully used the identity of a victim to obtain a car loan to buy a Mercedes-Benz, a second car loan to buy a Jaguar, and a personal loan for purported “medical expenses.” In a credit union account associated with these loans, Gonzales Grado also deposited two checks that had been stolen and altered to reflect the name of the victim as payee, thus allowing Gonzales Grado access to the funds. She also used the victim’s identity to open an account with a mobile phone provider and to lease an apartment. And she provided law enforcement authorities with the victim’s driver’s license in order to avoid a traffic citation. Gonzales Grado was caught when she drove to a meeting with law enforcement regarding probation terms and drove the fraudulently obtained Jaguar to the meeting. On searching the Jaguar, law enforcement found a driver’s license, Social Security card, and several other debit and credit cards in the victim’s name, among other items.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with assistance from the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma prosecuted the case.
Peruvian National Unlawfully in U.S. Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Distraction Theft and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANGEL GIANCARLO BELLIDO COSIO, also known as “Jesus Requejo,” 36, a citizen of Peru unlawfully residing in the U.S., was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment for his participation in a distraction theft and identity theft scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation into a series of distraction thefts of wallets from victims, typically elderly women, at Trader Joe’s grocery stores, TJ Maxx stores, and other retail stores in Connecticut and elsewhere. The investigation revealed that Bellido Cosio and at least two other Peruvian nationals rented vehicles to travel throughout the U.S. in order to steal wallets from unwary victims and then use the victims’ credit and debit cards to purchase electronic devices and other items at other stores. Bellido Cosio and his co-conspirators stopped at shipping providers along their route to ship the goods they purchased to a co-conspirator’s address in New Jersey. Bellido Cosio was living in Paterson, New Jersey, at the time of the offense.
Court documents detail Bellido Cosio’s role in the theft from at least 10 victims in Connecticut, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and the purchase of more than $53,000 in goods using the victims’ credit or debit cards.
Rental records reveal that Bellido Cosio and his co-conspirators rented vehicles 14 times for a total of 144 days and drove the vehicles more than 65,000 miles around the U.S. during the scheme.
Bellido Cosio and a co-conspirator, Angel Eugenio Bances Chaponan, were arrested on March 13, 2024, shortly after they stole a wallet from a victim at store in Orange, Connecticut, and used the victim’s credit card to purchase a MacBook for approximately $2,850 and an iPad Pro for approximately $1,050.
On January 30, 2026, Bellido Cosio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He has been detained since his arrest and faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Bances Chaponan and a third co-conspirator, Erick Christian Luna de la Cruz, pleaded guilty to related charges. On September 17, 2024, Bances Chaponan was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment. Luna de la Cruz awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manchester (Conn.) Police Department, with the assistance of the Orange (Conn.) Police Department, the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department, the Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, the Spartanburg Police Department, the Warwick (R.I.) Police Department, the Cary (N.C.) Police Department, and the Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and Michael S. McGarry.
Pensacola Mail Handler Federally Indicted for Drug and Postal CrimesRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Divincent M. Madison, Jr., 25, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for one count of delay or destruction of U.S. Mail, one count of theft of U.S. Mail by U.S. Postal employee, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Madison, Jr. appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for May 18, 2026, at 8:30 am before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Madison, Jr. faces up to 5 years imprisonment on each count.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A tribal member pleaded guilty on April 28, 2026, to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office.
According to court documents, Jehovah Horace Dixon, 25, of the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation, was found in possession of a firearm on June 4, 2025. Dixon had previously been convicted of felony fleeing in the Circuit Court of Neshoba County in October of 2023. Dixon’s arrest was a result of the collaborative work of the FBI’s Safe Trails Task Force.
In June of 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Dixon on the firearms charge. Dixon is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2026, and he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years of incarceration. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) is a collaborative effort between the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in Indian Country and surrounding communities. The STTF works with a variety of partners, including tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The STTF has been a key part of the FBI’s partnerships in Indian Country for almost 30 years and has been a presence on the Choctaw Indian Reservation since 2022.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger commended the work of the Safe Trails Task Force, which included the FBI, the Choctaw Police Department, and the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department, who all investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne, Brian K. Burns, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.
Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma Sentenced for Fraud and Kickback ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, NJ — Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP (Purdue) was sentenced today in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, and ordered to pay criminal penalties of over $5 billion for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
“Purdue made billions by unlawfully marketing dangerous opioid products, and deceiving the DEA and the American people. Purdue profited by paying illegal kickbacks to induce providers, including those who diverted opioids to drug abusers, to prescribe even more opioids. Today’s multi-billion-dollar sentence holds Purdue accountable for its criminal conduct.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Purdue Pharma put profits over patient health and safety,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The company willfully rejected the law and ignored the diversion of their highly addictive prescription drugs. Their actions contributed to the opioid crisis that claimed countless lives and destroyed entire families and communities. Today's sentence is a prime example of the Department’s effort to redress past wrongs by rooting out and punishing unlawful conduct by companies that have contributed to the national crisis.”
“The opioid epidemic in the United States is a plague that has ruined lives and destroyed families,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Purdue Pharma complicitly contributed to this national epidemic in the name of their own greed by blatantly ignoring the health and safety of patients putting countless lives at risk. The FBI and our DOJ partners will always work tirelessly to ensure that companies, like Pharma, pay for the harm they have inflicted and warn others that they will not get away with violating the law for personal gain.”
“Purdue Pharma undermined the government’s efforts to ensure compliance and prevent prescription drug diversion,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Their actions fueled a surge in addiction and cost many Americans lives. The prescription opioid epidemic directly paved the way for today’s fentanyl crisis. DEA remains committed to working with registrants, communities, faith-based organizations, and schools to address the damage and end the opioid epidemic that has gripped our nation for far too long.”
“Purdue Pharma put profit ahead of American lives and, in doing so, helped engineer a public health catastrophe that has left a trail of suffering for families and communities across this nation,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “No penalty can undo the widespread devastation Purdue has inflicted, but today’s sentence serves long‑overdue accountability for its reckless and unlawful conduct. HHS‑OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate large corporations and conglomerates when they violate the Anti‑Kickback Statute and other federal laws designed to protect patients and the integrity of federally funded health care programs.”
“This generational case against Purdue Pharmaceuticals is one of the most important corporate enforcement cases ever brought by the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The opioid epidemic was and continues to be a national tragedy that has destroyed far too many lives, families, and communities. Purdue callously focused on profits when it knew that providers were prescribing these addictive opioids to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. While good progress has been made in combating the national opioid crisis, today’s sentencing is a reminder that there is much additional work to be done. Companies like Purdue that place illicit profits over the obligation to be a good and honest corporate citizen will be investigated and prosecuted. Today’s sentencing reflects Purdue’s role in fueling the opioid crisis and concludes the Department’s efforts to hold Purdue accountable for diversion of its products. The Criminal Division remains steadfast in our mission to seek justice on behalf of the American people.”
According to court documents, from 2007 and 2017, Purdue illegally marketed its opioid products to hundreds of prescribers the company had good reason to believe were prescribing these addictive drugs without a legitimate medical purpose. Purdue defrauded the DEA by misrepresenting the effectiveness of its programs designed to prevent illegal diversion, and used prescriptions written by problematic prescribers to justify its fraudulent requests to the DEA to increase the amount of its products it was permitted to manufacture. In order to induce doctors to prescribe more of its addictive opioid products, Purdue also paid kickbacks to prescribers through its doctor speaker program and to an electronic health record platform.
The court ordered Purdue to pay a criminal fine of $3.544 billion, which will be assessed in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings, and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture. The Department will credit up to $1.775 billion against the $2 billion forfeiture amount based on the value conferred to state, local, and tribal governments through Purdue’s bankruptcy if Purdue ceases to operate in its current form and emerges from bankruptcy as a public benefit company (PBC) or entity with a similar mission designed for the benefit of the American public. The proceeds of the PBC will be directed toward state and local opioid abatement programs. In addition, Purdue is required to host a public document repository containing documents relating to the criminal charges.
On Nov. 24, 2020, Purdue pleaded guilty to a three-count felony information charging it with one count of a dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The FBI’s Washington, D.C. and Newark field offices investigated the case, with assistance from investigators from HHS-OIG and the DEA.
The government is represented in the District of New Jersey by Deputy U.S. Attorney R. David Walk, Jr. and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan M. Anger and Robert Toll. Trial Attorney Maryann McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles for the District of Vermont also prosecuted the case.
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Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma Sentenced for Fraud and Kickback ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP (Purdue) was sentenced today in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, and ordered to pay criminal penalties of over $5 billion for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
“Purdue Pharma put profits over patient health and safety,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The company willfully rejected the law and ignored the diversion of their highly addictive prescription drugs. Their actions contributed to the opioid crisis that claimed countless lives and destroyed entire families and communities. Today's sentence is a prime example of the Department’s effort to redress past wrongs by rooting out and punishing unlawful conduct by companies that have contributed to the national crisis.”
“The opioid epidemic in the United States is a plague that has ruined lives and destroyed families,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Purdue Pharma complicitly contributed to this national epidemic in the name of their own greed by blatantly ignoring the health and safety of patients putting countless lives at risk. The FBI and our DOJ partners will always work tirelessly to ensure that companies, like Pharma, pay for the harm they have inflicted and warn others that they will not get away with violating the law for personal gain.”
“This generational case against Purdue Pharmaceuticals is one of the most important corporate enforcement cases ever brought by the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The opioid epidemic was and continues to be a national tragedy that has destroyed far too many lives, families, and communities. Purdue callously focused on profits when it knew that providers were prescribing these addictive opioids to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. While good progress has been made in combating the national opioid crisis, today’s sentencing is a reminder that there is much additional work to be done. Companies like Purdue that place illicit profits over the obligation to be a good and honest corporate citizen will be investigated and prosecuted. Today’s sentencing reflects Purdue’s role in fueling the opioid crisis and concludes the Department’s efforts to hold Purdue accountable for diversion of its products. The Criminal Division remains steadfast in our mission to seek justice on behalf of the American people.”
“Purdue Pharma undermined the government’s efforts to ensure compliance and prevent prescription drug diversion,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Their actions fueled a surge in addiction and cost many Americans lives. The prescription opioid epidemic directly paved the way for today’s fentanyl crisis. DEA remains committed to working with registrants, communities, faith-based organizations, and schools to address the damage and end the opioid epidemic that has gripped our nation for far too long.”
“Purdue Pharma put profit ahead of American lives and, in doing so, helped engineer a public health catastrophe that has left a trail of suffering for families and communities across this nation,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “No penalty can undo the widespread devastation Purdue has inflicted, but today’s sentence serves long‑overdue accountability for its reckless and unlawful conduct. HHS‑OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate large corporations and conglomerates when they violate the Anti‑Kickback Statute and other federal laws designed to protect patients and the integrity of federally funded health care programs.”
“Purdue made billions by unlawfully marketing dangerous opioid products, and deceiving the DEA and the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “Purdue profited by paying illegal kickbacks to induce providers, including those who diverted opioids to drug abusers, to prescribe even more opioids. Today’s multi-billion-dollar sentence holds Purdue accountable for its criminal conduct.”
“By prioritizing profits over people, Purdue prolonged the suffering of patients, leaving them trapped in opioid addiction long after their initial pain subsided,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt for the District of Vermont. “While no resolution adequately could reflect the struggles of people across New England who lost their lives and their loved ones to addiction, today’s sentence takes a substantial step toward recognizing and redressing the harm Purdue caused.”
According to court documents, from 2007 and 2017, Purdue illegally marketed its opioid products to hundreds of prescribers the company had good reason to believe were prescribing these addictive drugs without a legitimate medical purpose. Purdue defrauded the DEA by misrepresenting the effectiveness of its programs designed to prevent illegal diversion, and used prescriptions written by problematic prescribers to justify its fraudulent requests to the DEA to increase the amount of its products it was permitted to manufacture. In order to induce doctors to prescribe more of its addictive opioid products, Purdue also paid kickbacks to prescribers through its doctor speaker program and to an electronic health record platform.
The court ordered Purdue to pay a criminal fine of $3.544 billion, which will be assessed in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings, and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture. The Department will credit up to $1.775 billion against the $2 billion forfeiture amount based on the value conferred to state, local, and tribal governments through Purdue’s bankruptcy if Purdue ceases to operate in its current form and emerges from bankruptcy as a public benefit company (PBC) or entity with a similar mission designed for the benefit of the American public. The proceeds of the PBC will be directed toward state and local opioid abatement programs. In addition, Purdue is required to host a public document repository containing documents relating to the criminal charges.
On Nov. 24, 2020, Purdue pleaded guilty to a three-count felony information charging it with one count of a dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The FBI Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from investigators from HHS-OIG and the DEA.
Trial Attorney Maryann McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Walk, Jordan Anger, and Robert Toll for the District of New Jersey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles for the District of Vermont prosecuted the case.
Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma Sentenced for Fraud and Kickback ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP (Purdue) was sentenced today in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, and ordered to pay criminal penalties of over $5 billion for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
“Purdue Pharma put profits over patient health and safety,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The company willfully rejected the law and ignored the diversion of their highly addictive prescription drugs. Their actions contributed to the opioid crisis that claimed countless lives and destroyed entire families and communities. Today's sentence is a prime example of the Department’s effort to redress past wrongs by rooting out and punishing unlawful conduct by companies that have contributed to the national crisis.”
“The opioid epidemic in the United States is a plague that has ruined lives and destroyed families,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Purdue Pharma complicitly contributed to this national epidemic in the name of their own greed by blatantly ignoring the health and safety of patients putting countless lives at risk. The FBI and our DOJ partners will always work tirelessly to ensure that companies, like Pharma, pay for the harm they have inflicted and warn others that they will not get away with violating the law for personal gain.”
“This generational case against Purdue Pharmaceuticals is one of the most important corporate enforcement cases ever brought by the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The opioid epidemic was and continues to be a national tragedy that has destroyed far too many lives, families, and communities. Purdue callously focused on profits when it knew that providers were prescribing these addictive opioids to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. While good progress has been made in combating the national opioid crisis, today’s sentencing is a reminder that there is much additional work to be done. Companies like Purdue that place illicit profits over the obligation to be a good and honest corporate citizen will be investigated and prosecuted. Today’s sentencing reflects Purdue’s role in fueling the opioid crisis and concludes the Department’s efforts to hold Purdue accountable for diversion of its products. The Criminal Division remains steadfast in our mission to seek justice on behalf of the American people.”
“Purdue Pharma undermined the government’s efforts to ensure compliance and prevent prescription drug diversion,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Their actions fueled a surge in addiction and cost many Americans lives. The prescription opioid epidemic directly paved the way for today’s fentanyl crisis. DEA remains committed to working with registrants, communities, faith-based organizations, and schools to address the damage and end the opioid epidemic that has gripped our nation for far too long.”
“Purdue Pharma put profit ahead of American lives and, in doing so, helped engineer a public health catastrophe that has left a trail of suffering for families and communities across this nation,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). “No penalty can undo the widespread devastation Purdue has inflicted, but today’s sentence serves long overdue accountability for its reckless and unlawful conduct. HHS OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate large corporations and conglomerates when they violate the Anti Kickback Statute and other federal laws designed to protect patients and the integrity of federally funded health care programs.”
“Purdue made billions by unlawfully marketing dangerous opioid products, and deceiving the DEA and the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “Purdue profited by paying illegal kickbacks to induce providers, including those who diverted opioids to drug abusers, to prescribe even more opioids. Today’s multi-billion-dollar sentence holds Purdue accountable for its criminal conduct.”
“By prioritizing profits over people, Purdue prolonged the suffering of patients, leaving them trapped in opioid addiction long after their initial pain subsided,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt for the District of Vermont. “While no resolution adequately could reflect the struggles of people across New England who lost their lives and their loved ones to addiction, today’s sentence takes a substantial step toward recognizing and redressing the harm Purdue caused.”
According to court documents, from 2007 and 2017, Purdue illegally marketed its opioid products to hundreds of prescribers the company had good reason to believe were prescribing these addictive drugs without a legitimate medical purpose. Purdue defrauded the DEA by misrepresenting the effectiveness of its programs designed to prevent illegal diversion, and used prescriptions written by problematic prescribers to justify its fraudulent requests to the DEA to increase the amount of its products it was permitted to manufacture. In order to induce doctors to prescribe more of its addictive opioid products, Purdue also paid kickbacks to prescribers through its doctor speaker program and to an electronic health record platform.
The court ordered Purdue to pay a criminal fine of $3.544 billion, which will be assessed in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings, and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture. The Department will credit up to $1.775 billion against the $2 billion forfeiture amount based on the value conferred to state, local, and tribal governments through Purdue’s bankruptcy if Purdue ceases to operate in its current form and emerges from bankruptcy as a public benefit company (PBC) or entity with a similar mission designed for the benefit of the American public. The proceeds of the PBC will be directed toward state and local opioid abatement programs. In addition, Purdue is required to host a public document repository containing documents relating to the criminal charges.
On Nov. 24, 2020, Purdue pleaded guilty to a three-count felony information charging it with one count of a dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The FBI Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from investigators from HHS-OIG and the DEA.
Trial Attorney Maryann McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Walk, Jordan Anger, and Robert Toll for the District of New Jersey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles for the District of Vermont prosecuted the case.
New charges added against Dayton man who allegedly had multiple kilograms of narcotics in safeRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Three new charges have been added via a superseding indictment against a Dayton man who had multiple kilograms of suspected fentanyl in a safe.
Ke-Shawn Rivers, 46, now faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison.
According to the charging documents, between September 2025 and January 2026, Rivers, who also goes by “JayZ,” distributed fentanyl on multiple occasions.
On March 11, law enforcement executed a search warrant and seized narcotics, a firearm and a safe. The safe contained multiple kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine, and cutting agent, bulk amounts of cash, and an additional firearm.
Rivers’s original indictment in March charged him with 13 counts of distributing fentanyl, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Those 13 counts remain in addition to the new charges of possessing with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck and members of the Regional Area Narcotics and Gun Enforcement Task Force (RANGE) announced the charges. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Amy M. Smith is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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New Jersey Company Sentenced for Failing to Report Dangerously Defective Air Conditioners to the Consumer Product Safety CommissionRead the Press Release
Royal Sovereign International Inc., a New Jersey corporation that sold office and home appliances, was sentenced today to pay $395,786 in restitution to victims and a criminal fine of $8 million for failing to report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) dangerously defective air conditioners allegedly linked to more than 40 fires and one death.
According to court documents, Royal Sovereign, which also did business as Royal Centurian Inc., imported and sold more than 33,000 defective air conditioners manufactured in China between 2008 and 2014. The air conditioners used a faulty drain motor that could short circuit, causing them to catch fire and burn uncontrollably. Royal Sovereign recalled the defective air conditioner models in 2021.
Royal Sovereign pleaded guilty in August 2025 to a criminal information charging the company under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). In pleading guilty, the company admitted that it willfully failed to report information about the air conditioners immediately to the CPSC. According to the information, the company misled the CPSC in November 2010 by telling the agency that it was aware of only two fire incidents related to the air conditioners, and that it was no longer selling them. In reality, as alleged, the company knew of at least 16 fires and continued to sell the air conditioners. According to the CPSC recall notice, a woman died in August 2016 from smoke inhalation and her two children were injured after their Royal Sovereign air conditioner caught fire.
In addition to pleading guilty in the criminal case, Royal Sovereign previously agreed to a civil settlement with the United States that included a $16,025,000 civil penalty, the maximum authorized by the CPSA. The company has permanently ceased all operations involving the marketing, sale or distribution of consumer products.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey, and Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Ethan Carroll of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano for the District of New Jersey provided valuable assistance.
Actions involving violative products imported into the United States are coordinated through the Department of Justice Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort involving the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the Civil Division, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Criminal Division, in coordination with the Task Force, leverages all the department’s tools and authorities to fight fraud on the federal government and recover funds for the public fisc.
New Albany man pleads guilty to threatening more than 30 public officialsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A New Albany man who sent 92 threatening communications targeting more than 30 public officials pleaded guilty in federal court here today.
Ronald Lidderdale, 40, admitted guilt to 31 counts of federal crimes including mailing threatening communications, transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce, false information and hoaxes and cyberstalking. As part of his conviction, law enforcement seized two 9mm pistols, ammunition, a lock-picking kit and tactical gear from Lidderdale’s residence.
“Threatening political violence against public officeholders is antithetical to our system of government and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Public officials must be permitted to carry out their duties free from threats that cause concern for their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones. Perpetrators like Lidderdale, who use mail or the internet to engage in such conduct, will be taken at their word and prosecuted accordingly.”
“Ronald Lidderdale violently threatened public officials because he didn’t agree with their views,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie. “Threats of political violence have no place in our society and Lidderdale will be held accountable for his criminal actions.”
According to court documents, Lidderdale sent the communications threatening to kill and injure public officials in Ohio and elsewhere between July 2024 and May 2025. At the state level, the victims included the governor, attorney general, secretary of state, members of the supreme court, state senators and representatives, and a gubernatorial candidate. Federally, Lidderdale threatened several members of the United States Congress.
Lidderdale often mailed letters to the victims’ offices and homes. Several letters were addressed to public officials and their spouses. Return addresses were for staffers, law firms and other individuals in the community. Many of the letters contained a white powder purported to be poison.
One letter included a single round of 9mm ammunition with the Ohio Attorney General’s name etched on it.
In January 2025, Lidderdale mailed letters containing white powder to seven different locations threatening to kill the Ohio Governor. In total, Lidderdale sent nearly 50 letters containing a white powder that he sometimes referred to as ricin, a deadly toxin.
Lidderdale used an email service based in Switzerland to create encrypted emails to anonymously send threatening electronic communications.
Throughout his messages, Lidderdale threatened to kill the officials by shooting them in the head and/or by poisoning them with a type of chemical agent. He repeatedly referred to his victims as “fascists” and “pedophiles.”
The defendant anonymously submitted an online tip to the FBI stating, in part: “My urge to act has hit a boiling point. I believe that by removing those parasites will bring a renewed peace to all of Ohio…This is a fair warning that my urge to kill will break my patience…”
A forensic review of Lidderdale’s devices revealed that he used the AI-powered chat bot to discuss his criminal conduct and its legal implications. Lidderdale stated he had mailed threatening letters to politicians and described sending a bullet with the victim’s name etched on it. He asked ChatGPT about the charges he could face, the sentence that could be imposed and what to expect while in federal prison.
Lidderdale was arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint in May 2025.
Mailing threatening communications carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison per count. Making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, conveying false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking are all federal crimes punishable by up to five years in prison per count.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and David Cunningham, Acting Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); as well as the U.S. Capitol Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol and several Ohio police departments; announced the plea entered into today before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez and Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz are representing the United States in this case.
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Michigan Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base in Burlington, VermontRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on April 28, 2026, Deandre Watson, 35, of Sterling Heights, Michigan, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 60 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 4-year term of supervised release. Watson previously pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base.
According to court records, on October 9, 2025, the Burlington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant at a residence on Sherman Street in Burlington, Vermont. During the execution of the warrant, officers located Watson standing alone in the bathtub, behind the shower curtain, fully clothed and holding multiple large chunks of cocaine base (also known as crack) in his hands. Additional chunks of cocaine base were found in the bottom of the bathtub, along with a red dinner plate and razor blade. In the dining room of the Sherman Street residence, law enforcement located an additional 38 grams of cocaine base, a quantity of which was individually packaged for sale. In close proximity to this cocaine base were a digital scale, plastic baggies, scissors, and a cellular phone, the contents of which revealed the phone belonged to Watson. In total, approximately 138 grams of cocaine base were found in the residence. A cellphone found on Watson’s person revealed evidence of drug sales dating back to September 1, 2025. Watson’s criminal history in Michigan includes multiple prior felony drug trafficking convictions and a felony firearm conviction.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Burlington Police Department. “For-profit drug trafficking brings people from great distances to Vermont, with the sole purpose of distributing poison in our communities. Drug trafficking causes substantial harm to our communities, destroying families by feeding addiction and causing collateral crime that impacts their neighbors, friends, and families. Those willing to engage in serious crime for quick profits should face stiff, incarcerative sentences. I am extremely grateful for the excellent investigation done by our law enforcement partners.”
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Arra. Watson was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Charles N. Curlett, Jr.
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.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Northampton CompanyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Michigan man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to a scheme to defraud a Northampton construction company.
Jonathan McCormack, 41, of Lapeer, Mich., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Aug. 17, 2026. In May 2024, McCormack was indicted by a federal grand jury.
McCormack was employed as a project supervisor for BluRoc, LLC., a construction company based in Northampton, Mass. McCormack also owned and operated JDM Site Services, LLC (JDM), a Michigan-based company that rented heavy equipment to BluRoc. McCormack used his positions at BluRoc and JDM to conduct a scheme to divert labor, equipment and material to conduct work and renovate a hunting lodge in Lake City, Mich.
Between April 2020 and August 2020, McCormack directed four of his BluRoc crew members, including his brother, to work at the hunting lodge while approving their time (as well as his own) into BluRoc’s computer tracking system as work on BluRoc projects, thereby ensuring that they were paid by BluRoc. This work included laying approximately 300 timber mats, hay and seed that McCormack took from a BluRoc worksite without payment. Specifically, on April 4, 2020, McCormack falsely approved the time for himself, his brother and three crew members for BluRoc projects in Indiana when they were actually working for McCormack at the hunting lodge.
McCormack agreed to forfeit six snowmobiles and repay BluRoc $98,087.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil Desroches and Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
Metairie Pastor Indicted for Access Device Fraud and Obstruction of a Federal InvestigationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced today that DALE SANDERS (“SANDERS”), 56, from Kenner, Louisiana, was charged in an eleven-count indictment for access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1029(a)(2), 1029(c)(1)(A)(i), and 1519.
According to the indictment, from approximately April 2020 through April 2024, SANDERS used an unauthorized access device, specifically the debit card for Company A’s bank account and obtained U.S. currency of approximately $343,293.00. SANDERS faces up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man is headed to federal prison for 13 years for his role in an armed robbery spree.
U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Derek Lynn Davis, 36, of Greenbelt, Maryland, to 13 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for interfering with interstate commerce by robbery and using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Davis and his co-conspirators stole more than $3,000, from multiple businesses they robbed, and terrorized nine victims.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to court documents, beginning in July 2023, and continuing through August 2023, Davis, with the assistance of different co-conspirators, robbed six businesses at gunpoint. Sometimes the co-conspirators robbed multiple businesses within one day.
Davis and his co-conspirators typically entered these establishments, armed with firearms, and then demanded victims to open the cash register. In fear of their lives, victims complied with Davis’s demands, giving him access to the cash registers. Additionally, during one robbery, Individual-1 discharged his firearm as a victim opened the cash register. The round struck the ground near where two victims were standing.
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 FBI and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn Williams who prosecuted this case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Marion County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Meet A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Shawn Adampeter Grunther (42, Marion County) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Grunther pleaded guilty on November 17, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, in July 2025, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent posed online as a 14-year-old girl (UC). Grunther messaged the UC account and, after learning the minor’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. On July 24, 2025, Grunther was arrested after he traveled to a location in Marion County to meet the UC to engage in sexual activity.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Who Escaped from Residential Reentry Center Sent Back to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who escaped from the Gerald R. Hinzman Center was sentenced today to serve two months in federal prison.
Robert Fleming, age 61, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a guilty plea to escape from custody.
At the guilty plea, Fleming admitted that in July 2025, while confined to the Gerald R. Hinzman center, he escaped from custody. At the time, Fleming was serving a federal prison sentence after being convicted of possession and aid abet the possession with intent to distribute cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a protected location after a prior felony drug conviction.
Fleming was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Fleming was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Fleming is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-00065.
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Madison Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Donald Smith, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on April 24, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to one year and one day in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Smith pleaded guilty to this charge on February 13, 2026.
On July 2, 2025, law enforcement searched Smith’s residence and found a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun. Officers also saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in a cell phone and a spent projectile under the counter. The Wisconsin State Crime lab determined that Smith’s DNA was present on the firearm. Smith is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction for first degree reckless use of a dangerous weapon.
At sentencing, Judge Conley remarked on the serious nature of Smith’s prior felony conviction, and the potentially devastating consequences of him possessing firearms. Judge Conley noted that Smith has overcome a lot in his life and encouraged him to pursue counseling to deal with unresolved issues.
The charge against Smith was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force comprised of federal agents from ATF as well as state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Madison Man Sentenced for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender, Food Stamp Fraud, and Use of a Counterfeit PassportRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Mark F. Brummitt, 69, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 6 years in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender, illegally obtaining food stamps, and using a false passport. Brummitt pleaded guilty to these charges on February 4, 2026.
“Such systemic deceit will not be tolerated with regard to individuals seeking to steal benefits meant for low-income families that help them afford nutritious essentials for their health and well-being,” said Inspector General John Walk for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. “USDA OIG is proud to support Project Safe Childhood. I thank and commend the work of this office, our law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the efforts to ensure that this dangerous individual is held accountable and will go to prison for his crimes.”
Between 1989 and 2005, Brummitt was convicted of various sex offenses against children. He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. In late 2022, after having his supervised release revoked four times, Brummitt was released from federal prison. He spent time in Mexico and Mozambique. In February 2025, he returned to Wisconsin. He did not tell the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry about his change in residence and instead submitted paperwork stating he still lived in Africa.
While living in Wisconsin, Brummitt applied for and received $1,512 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. He misrepresented his identity and his income when applying for those benefits. In August 2025, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services told Brummitt he needed to come to the local agency and present photo identification to continue receiving benefits. Brummitt presented a counterfeit passport.
Judge Peterson said that Brummitt stood apart from other offenders because of his “systematic deceit” and his resolute resistance to any form of supervision. The judge found Brummitt represented a threat to public safety because of his sexual interest in children.
The charges against Brummitt were the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. State Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Stelljes prosecuted this case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Madison Felon Sentenced to 9 ½ Years for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Gairitt Schad, 28, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 ½ years in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Schad pleaded guilty to these charges on January 15, 2026.
On April 17, 2025, a law enforcement agent arranged to purchase crack cocaine from Schad at a local restaurant. When officers approached, Schad attempted to flee. Officers ultimately arrested Schad and in his vehicle, found approximately 114 grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of crack cocaine, 55 grams of cocaine, 24 grams of heroin, counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills, and 24 Xanax pills. In the vehicle’s center console was a a loaded .40 caliber handgun. Schad’s DNA was recovered on the slide of the handgun.
Schad was prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions for first degree recklessly endangering safety, robbery, and eluding. He was on state probation at the time of his federal offenses.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson said that Schad was aware that his conduct could result in federal charges but committed the offenses anyway. Judge Peterson expressed concern that Schad would return to crime when released.
The charges against Schad were the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Narcotics Task Force and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF as well as state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Lynn Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a years-long drug conspiracy and a January 2023 armed robbery of a drug distributor, during which the defendant and another individual stole approximately $24,000 in drug trafficking proceeds intended for the purchase of cocaine.
Harvey Rodriguez, a/k/a “Big Opp,” 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2026, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of conspiracy interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery). In August 2025, Rodriguez was arrested and charged.
Rodriguez was a participant in a multi-year drug conspiracy that took place in the Lynn area and on the North Shore of Massachusetts. As described in the court papers, Rodriguez conspired with numerous other distributors including those he supplied, and others who have been previously charged with federal drug offenses, including Vincent Caruso, a/k/a “Fatz”, Lawrence Michael Nagle, Jr. and Schuyler Oppenheimer, a/k/a “SK”. The drug conspiracy involved the manufacturing of counterfeit prescription pills and the sale of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in Lynn and throughout Massachusetts. Over the course of the investigation, Rodriguez distributed cocaine and methamphetamine to a cooperating witness and confidential informant on four occasions.
Rodriguez also participated in an armed robbery of a drug customer. On Jan. 30, 2023, a drug transaction was scheduled to take place at an apartment in Woburn, during which an associate of Rodriguez was to deliver a kilogram of cocaine in exchange for approximately $24,000. During the transaction, Rodriguez and Claudio Melo entered the apartment and pointed semiautomatic pistols at the drug customer before taking the $24,000 in cash, which was proceeds of drug trafficking activities the drug customer was engaged in. Rodriguez and Melo then forced the drug customer to open a safe in his bedroom, which was empty. Shortly thereafter, both robbers departed with the $24,000 cash.United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Little Water Man Pleads Guilty to Assault for 2024 ShootingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Little Water man pleaded guilty to shooting another man during a drunken altercation.
According to court documents, on July 29, 2024, Anthony Sandoval, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo nation, and John Doe were intoxicated when they got into disagreement. During the altercation, Sandoval shot John Doe. After shooting him, Sandoval called for assistance and admitted to shooting him before fleeing the scene and hiding the firearm.
Sandoval was apprehended that night and the firearm was recovered. John Doe was hospitalized and underwent surgery to repair injuries sustained during the shooting.
Sandoval pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Jury Finds Man Guilty of Threatening a Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida - Christopher Summers, 58, an inmate at the Florida Department of Corrections, was found guilty in federal court of mailing threatening communications to a federal judge. The conviction was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “When threatening statements exceed the legal bounds of constitutional Free Speech, my office will not hesitate to aggressively prosecute those criminal threats to ensure they do not have the opportunity to ripen into acts of violence. Criminal threats directed at public officials are becoming alarmingly more common, and this must stop now. We have zero-tolerance for such criminality in the Northern District of Florida and will seek maximum punishments to keep our public officials safe.”
Court documents and evidence presented at trial revealed that in October 2024, Summers sent a handwritten letter addressed to a Federal District Judge at the Federal Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. In the letter, Summers wrote in relevant part:
“I am writing this letter to you in hopes that you will know what it feels like to be helpless when you know for fact that you’re going to either be beaten so badly you’ll never function like a normal person again, or be killed. I’m very driven to have you killed, even if I’ve got to do it myself when I get out and back to Pensacola. I thought I’d have to wait until I got out, but now that I’ve thought about it I realize that I can have it done now. As soon as I leave this prison and get back to my perminet [sic] camp I’ll get on one of the many cell-phones there and green light a hit on you … Hell if I have to I’d shoot your head off as you pull in to that gate at the Court house, I can do it from that park next door. I don’t care if I get more time or even killed. As long as I get you first. So how dose [sic] it feel to know who is going to be responsible [sic] for your life, yet not be able to stop it or do anything about it?”
At trial, counsel for Summers claimed that Summers wrote the letter as part of his mental health therapy, and that Summers never intended to mail the letter. However, the Government’s case revealed that mental health therapy did not include threatening letters; that the prison takes steps to ensure that inmates do not inadvertently send letters to the courts; and that Summers told another inmate his desire to have the Judge killed. The jury swiftly returned a guilty verdict.
The defendant faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for August 6, 2026, before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II, in Pensacola, Florida.
This conviction was the result of a joint investigation by the United States Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo is prosecuting the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Jefferson County woman charged in federal tax return fraud schemeRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont woman has been charged in connection with federal tax return fraud in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Chrysantha Wilson was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with 40 counts of assisting in the preparation of fraudulent federal tax returns. Wilson appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on April 28, 2026, for an Initial Appearance and Arraignment.
Wilson faces up to three years in federal prison for each count if convicted.
This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raynaldo P. Morin.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Incarcerated Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in Separate Fentanyl Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that KEROME LENDON PAISLEY was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring, while already imprisoned, to traffic more than a kilogram of fentanyl. PAISLEY’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, who also presided over his guilty plea.
“After serving nearly 22 years in federal prison for a prior narcotics conspiracy, Kerome Paisley was given a chance to reenter society,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Instead, he brazenly chose to traffic more than 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from behind bars, potentially endangering countless New Yorkers. Those who are committed to dealing deadly drugs as a way of life—even from prison—will earn themselves substantial federal prison time.”
According to the Complaint, the Indictment, and other documents in the public record:
During February 2025, as part of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy, PAISLEY used a contraband cellphone to organize the sale of over 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills that resembled legitimate 30 mg oxycodone pills. After a co-conspirator of PAISLEY’s brought the pills to Peekskill, New York, to sell them, law enforcement officers found and seized them. At the time, PAISLEY was approaching the end of a nearly 22-year federal prison sentence due to his role in a prior narcotics trafficking conspiracy. After determining PAISLEY’s identity, law enforcement officers arrested PAISLEY on the day he was due to be released from his prior sentence.
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In addition to the prison term, PAISLEY, 49, of Jamaica, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler is in charge of the prosecution.
Illegal Alien Who Fired Shots Near Border Agents During Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An illegal alien has pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge after he fired shots near U.S. Border Patrol agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last fall.
HECTOR GOMEZ admitted in a plea agreement that he was driving a Jeep Wrangler in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago on Nov. 8, 2025, when he discharged at least two rounds from a handgun. Gomez fired the shots in proximity of Border Patrol agents who were engaged in the performance of their official duties, the plea agreement states. Gomez had previously been convicted of a felony firearm offense in the Circuit Court of Cook County and was prohibited under federal law from possessing a gun.
Gomez admitted that later the same day, he brandished the handgun at an individual in a parking lot a few blocks from where he fired the shots.
Gomez pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The conviction is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for July 20, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.
Gomez, 46, is a citizen of Mexico who had been residing in Chicago. He has no claim to United States citizenship or lawful permanent residence and is now subject to removal.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill J. Bhalakia.
gomez_plea_agreement.pdfIllegal Alien Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possessing, Distributing Fentanyl in AllentownRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Wilson Rosario, aka “Joshua,” 36, a Dominican national who had been illegally residing in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, 10 years’ supervised release, a $3,000 fine, and a $300 special assessment by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for possessing and distributing significant quantities of fentanyl.
The defendant was charged by indictment in May 2025 and pleaded guilty in January of this year to drug distribution conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a protected location — specifically, an Allentown elementary school and playground.
“After entering the United States illegally, the defendant wasted no time in acquiring bulk quantities of fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He stored tens of thousands of doses of this deadly drug steps from an elementary school — and peddled that fentanyl to as many people as he could, profiting off the misery of addiction. Wilson Rosario has endangered countless Pennsylvanians and repeatedly insulted the rule of law. Today’s sentence will keep him behind bars for over a decade, right where he belongs.”
“This investigation and prosecution stopped an upper-level drug trafficker who was storing his poisonous products within walking distance of an elementary school and public park,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “I commend our partners for collaboration that removes another predatory trafficker from the community.”
As detailed in court filings and statements, from April 2023 to August 2023, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigation (“BNI”) worked with a confidential source to arrange multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from the defendant.
On August 26, 2023, BNI agents executed a state search warrant at a residence on the 800 block of West Chew Street in Allentown, which Rosario used to store and package fentanyl. During their search of this location, which is approximately 100 feet from a city elementary school and playground, agents seized nearly 300 grams of suspected fentanyl, a hydraulic press, respirator, digital scales, and other paraphernalia consistent with preparing fentanyl for distribution.
The same day, agents secured a search warrant for another location used by Rosario on the 1300 block of West Chew Street, approximately 300 feet from Allentown’s Franklin Park. In that apartment, investigators recovered more than four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, Narcan, a respirator, and empty vacuum seal bags.
Subsequent testing of the suspected fentanyl recovered at the search warrant locations was performed by the Pennsylvania State Police Forensic Laboratory. Testing concluded that approximately 4,272.76 grams contained fentanyl or a mixture containing xylazine and fentanyl. Combined with the 62.17 grams of fentanyl recovered from the four controlled purchases conducted by law enforcement in this case, the total amount of fentanyl that the defendant is responsible for in this case is 4,334.93 grams.
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 case was investigated by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf.
Houston business owner sent to prison for failing to pay over $1.6 million in taxesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A former certified public accountant has been ordered to prison for failing to pay taxes withheld from employee wages, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Harry Lamar Curtis III pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Curtis to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
Curtis was the owner of Information Advisory Group LLC, a cybersecurity and IT company based in Houston. As such, he was required to withhold and pay over all employment taxes withheld from employee paychecks. These included federal income taxes, FICA taxes and employer matching amounts.
As part of his plea, Curtis admitted that despite being trained as a CPA, he failed to file any business tax returns for IAG since 2016. He improperly withheld $1,647,142 over this time period that was due to the IRS.
Curtis also admitted he had not filed any individual tax returns for himself since 2008.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray prosecuted the case.
The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.
Homeland Security Task Force Investigation leads to seven defendants sentenced to prison in methamphetamine trafficking ring tied to MexicoRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation into a drug trafficking ring connected to a Mexican drug cartel resulted in convictions and prison sentences for defendants in the Kansas City metro area.
In January 2020, federal agents opened an investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking operation headed by Jose Santos Macias-Roman, 46, a Mexican national residing illegally in the United States after overstaying his visa. Investigators learned that Macias Roman arranged the transportation of liquid methamphetamine from Sinaloa, Mexico to the Kansas City, Kansas area. Between February 2020 and July 2023, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled methamphetamine purchases from Macias Roman and members of his drug trafficking organization. Investigators learned the traffickers converted the methamphetamine from liquid into crystal form before distributing the finished product to customers.
Over time, law enforcement identified several members of the drug trafficking network and their stash houses, two of which contained active methamphetamine conversion labs. As a result of the investigation, law enforcement seized over 70 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately $35,000 in cash, and three firearms.
“The Homeland Security Task Force model is directly focused on targeting transnational criminal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “This case is a perfect example of coordinated law enforcement resources to achieve justice. We will continue to build collaborative relationships with state, local, and federal partners to eliminate transnational and other threats to our communities here in Kansas and elsewhere.”
Macias Roman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 300 months in prison.
Juan Ramirez-Gonzalez, 37, an illegal alien from Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 300 months in prison.
Ezequil Castro-Aviles, 40, a Mexican national residing illegally in the United States after overstaying his visa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 172 months in prison.
Manuel Alexis Soltero-Alvarez, 31, an illegal alien from Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 168 months in prison.
Manuel Arturo Faudoa, 26, of Dodge City, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 144 months in prison.
Gerardo Sierra-Martinez, 21, an illegal alien from Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of money laundering. He was sentenced to 97 months in prison.
Marcos Antonio Valencia, Jr., 35, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 72 months in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jackson County, Missouri Drug Task Force, Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Nebraska Highway Patrol, and the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug prosecuted the case.This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. 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 Kansas City comprises agents and officers from FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
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Harvey Man and New Orleans Woman Indicted for Obtaining Fraudulent Loans by Impersonating Professional Athletes and Threatening VictimsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ALBERT PAUL WEBER (“WEBER”), age 42, of Harvey, Louisiana, and CYNTRELLE LASH (“LASH”), age 39, of New Orleans, were indicted on April 24, 2026, for their roles in a scheme to impersonate professional athletes and take out loans in their names, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
As alleged in court documents, WEBER, LASH, and their coconspirators impersonated athletes who were on the cusp of being drafted by NBA and NFL teams and paid multimillion dollar contracts. At least as early as 2016, WEBER and LASH stole the identities of the athletes, their family members, and others to defraud businesspeople and lenders who believed they were dealing with the athletes themselves. In total, over the course of several years, WEBER and LASH defrauded these victims into transferring over $3.5 million to WEBER, LASH, and their coconspirators, which they then laundered through multiple bank accounts. In May of 2025, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested WEBER and LASH for one instance of this scheme in which WEBER and LASH were caught using fake identification to sign notarized documents for loans for an athlete. After they were released on bond, WEBER began a new part of the scheme to defraud athletes involving trips overseas for basketball players. When WEBER’s victims confronted him about defrauding them by keeping money he took for trips that never happened, WEBER threatened the victims, demanded more money, and warned them against talking to others about his scheme.
WEBER and LASH were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. WEBER is charged with six counts of aggravated identity theft, and LASH is charged with WEBER in one of those counts. WEBER was also charged with interstate transmission of a threat.
For both the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and the conspiracy to commit money laundering, WEBER and LASH face up to 20 years of imprisonment. Each aggravated identity theft is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any sentence for other charges, followed by up to one year of supervised release. For the interstate transmission of a threat, WEBER faces up to five years in prison per count, followed by up to three years of supervised release. For each charge, WEBER and LASH also face a fine of up to $250,000, or $500,000 in the case of the money laundering charge, or twice the gross gain to the defendants or loss to any party, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely an allegation and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Attorney Courcelle thanked the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for its assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Moses of the Public Integrity Unit and Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
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Guatemalan National Sentenced to over Eight Years for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Marlon Jefferson Fajardo-Paiz (22, Guatemala) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to eight years and one month in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. Fajardo-Paiz pleaded guilty pleas on November 13, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Fajardo-Paiz is a citizen and national of Guatemala. He was previously removed from the United States on July 20, 2018, and has never received permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States. On April 24, 2025, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Fajardo-Paiz during an investigation of a Cybertip relating to an upload of CSAM to the internet. Fajardo-Paiz told investigators that he had participated in viewing, downloading, and transmitting CSAM. A subsequent search of Fajardo-Paiz’s cellphone revealed at least 20 items of CSAM in his possession.
This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Gloucester man sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing a foreign exchange student and receiving child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Gloucester man was sentenced today to life in prison following his conviction for coercion and enticement of a child and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Anthony George Ruggiero, 42, and his family hosted a foreign exchange student who arrived at their home in Gloucester in 2021. After returning to her home country in 2022, the student disclosed to medical professionals that she had been sexually abused and exploited by Ruggiero in 2021 through 2022.
Ruggiero also engaged in sexually explicit messages with the student through social media accounts that indicated that Ruggiero was sexually abusing the student while she was 15 and 16 years old. The sexually graphic conversations continued after she returned to her home country. Ruggiero asked her for sexually explicit photos, offered her sexually explicit photos, and engaged in sexually explicit conversations both reminiscent of past sexual encounters and fantasies of future encounters.
Ruggiero was also found guilty of receiving five videos of CSAM of an identified victim in Texas.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon E.A. Heath and Peter G. Osyf prosecuted 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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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. 4:24-cr-39.
French National Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Laundering Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Using Shell Companies and Crypto AccountsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, D.C., Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Cynthia Hearn, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today that MAXIMILIEN DE HOOP CARTIER was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a sophisticated international money laundering network that laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds, including the proceeds of drug trafficking, through the United States. CARTIER was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. On October 23, 2025, CARTIER pled guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
“Maximilien de Hoop Cartier exploited his knowledge of U.S. and international financial systems to launder drug money and other crime proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “De Hoop Cartier created a network of shell companies and crypto accounts to wash and conceal criminal proceeds. He used that network to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars from the United States to overseas criminal organizations, fueling their continued illicit operations. Stopping money laundering stops crime more broadly. This federal prison sentence sends a clear message that those who launder criminal proceeds will face serious consequences.”
“Today’s announcement demonstrates IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to disrupting the illicit flow of money that enables narcotics traffickers to illegally launder millions in illicit drug money,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Hearn. “Our Global Illicit Financial Team is proud to have provided its financial expertise in this investigation. CI and our law enforcement partners are committed to aggressively investigating individuals who engage in money laundering and other financial crimes.”
“Maximilien de Hoop Cartier exploited U.S. companies and banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in support of international criminal enterprises,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners on the New York Homeland Security Task Force remain determined to stopping illegal cash flow into foreign countries.”
According to charging documents and other filings and statements made in court:
Since at least 2018 through the date of the defendant’s arrest, CARTIER, a descendant of the Cartier family known for luxury jewelry, ran an unlicensed money transmitting business that operated an over-the-counter (“OTC”) cryptocurrency exchange to buy and sell cryptocurrency on behalf of his clients. This operation played a key role in a sophisticated international money laundering network that exploited the U.S. financial system to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal proceeds through the United States to Colombia, among other countries.
CARTIER’s OTC cryptocurrency exchange consisted of a large network of U.S.-based shell companies that CARTIER operated and controlled for the sole purpose of converting cryptocurrency into hard currency. CARTIER opened more than a dozen accounts at U.S. banks, lying to the banks about the nature of his businesses and the purposes of the bank accounts. CARTIER fraudulently claimed the businesses operated in the software publishing and software development industries, when in fact they existed for the sole purpose of receiving and transmitting drug money and other crime proceeds. CARTIER used forged contracts, invoices, and other business records to make it appear to banks that the funds related to legitimate business rather than crime. CARTIER received drug money in the form of cryptocurrency, converted that cryptocurrency into hard currency, deposited it into shell company accounts that CARTIER opened and controlled, and then transmitted the funds to other nodes in the money-laundering network to further conceal their nature and origin before the funds were ultimately withdrawn in local currency in Colombia. CARTIER knew that he was operating a money services business for criminals but did not register as a money transmitting business or follow the anti-money laundering protocols required by law. In total, CARTIER personally helped launder more than $470 million through his shell companies.
In April 2021, as part of a separate investigation, a court issued warrants to seize three accounts held by CARTIER’s shell companies because they had received approximately $937,000 in drug trafficking proceeds from an undercover law enforcement account. After the seizure, CARTIER and his lawyer met with federal agents and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to persuade law enforcement to return the seized funds. During this meeting, CARTIER admitted that he told banks he was in the business of technology software services—instead of stating that he operated as a cryptocurrency exchange—and also acknowledged that he was operating as an unlicensed money remitter. CARTIER also lied to the federal agents, however, falsely claiming that he had know-your-customer and other compliance procedures and that he was in the process of applying for a money transmitting license; and provided forged business records to support his claim to the funds. Based on CARTIER’s lies and forged records, a portion of the seized money was returned to him.
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In addition to his term of prison, CARTIER, 58, a resident of France and citizen of Argentina, was ordered to pay $2,362,160.62 in forfeiture, representing funds CARTIER kept as a commission for his work with the Network converting cryptocurrency to hard currency. He was additionally ordered to forfeit certain of his shell companies’ bank accounts.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and its New York Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations’ New York El Dorado Task Force; and IRS-Criminal Investigation, Global Illicit Financial Team. Mr. Clayton also thanked the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Colombia, the Colombian National Police, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Embassy in Colombia.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer N. Ong, Eli J. Mark, and David A. Markewitz are in charge of the prosecution.
Fort Gibson Resident Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Katrina Dawn McCroskey, age 52, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information of one count of Bank Fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
The Information alleged that beginning in January 2016 and continuing until February 28, 2023, McCroskey knowingly executed a scheme to obtain moneys, funds, credits, assets, securities, or other property owned by or under the custody or control of BancFirst, a federally insured financial institution, by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
As part of the plea, McCroskey admitted that, without the authority of her employer, she utilized her position as office manager for a medical doctor to commit the fraud.
The charge arose from an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
McCroskey was released on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.
Former USPS employee pleads guilty to stealing and hiding mailRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A former employee at a Kansas post office pleaded guilty to illegally taking mail that was supposed to be delivered to customers.
According to court documents, Gayli Harman, 44, of Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado, formerly of Manhattan, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of mail.
Harman worked for the U. S. Postal Service in Westmoreland in the Sales, Service, and Distribution department. Between June 2021 and March 2023, Harman opened mail that wasn’t addressed to her and removed items from some of the packages. She also hid mail causing it not to be delivered. Investigators found 16 pieces of mail hidden throughout the Westmoreland Post Office. Harman also issued herself a post office box without paying.
The estimated loss value to customers is approximately $530.00.
“Even with the heavy usage of email, Americans still depend on the mail system numerous ways in their daily lives. Although the total dollar amount here might not be overwhelming, the damaged trust in our mail system cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “We encourage customers to report when their packages don’t arrive or items are missing, because the follow up investigations can help to root out bad actors for prosecution.”
The U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting the case.
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Former U.S. Postal Service Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing MailRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Burns, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for repeatedly stealing mail while working as a U.S. Postal Service employee at the Hines, Oregon Post Office.
Patrick Wright, 44, was sentenced to 45 days in federal prison and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $2000 in restitution.
According to court documents, from January 2024 through June 2024, while working as a U.S. Postal Service employee, Wright opened mail and stole the contents, including money and gift cards.
On April 17, 2025, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a one-count indictment charging Wright with theft of mail by a postal employee.
Wright pleaded guilty today to Count One.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Sweet.
Former Sun Prairie High School Dean of Students Sentenced to 18 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier, 31, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 18 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 25 years of supervised release. Gilkey-Meisegeier was also ordered to pay a $10,000 assessment. He pleaded guilty to this crime on February 6, 2026.
“Make no mistake, Gilkey-Meisegeier is a predator,” said U.S. Attorney Elgersma. “He used his position as the Dean of Students to target, groom, and exploit students in his care. I commend the courage of the victims and the diligence of investigators who worked tirelessly to hold Gilkey-Meisegeier responsible for his crimes. Today’s sentence sends a clear message – anyone who sexually exploits children will face serious consequences.”
Gilkey-Meisegeier originally joined the Sun Prairie School District in July 2022 as a youth advocate. Two years later, in August 2024, the school district promoted him to Dean of Students, a position that he held until the district terminated him on June 9, 2025.
In the spring of 2023, two individuals complained to school district personnel about Gilkey-Meisegeier’s concerning behavior towards certain students. In April 2025, a third individual submitted an anonymous tip to district personnel alleging that Gilkey-Meisegeier was having an inappropriate relationship with a student. He denied the allegation.
In May 2025, Sun Prairie law enforcement became aware that Gilkey-Meisegeier may have solicited child pornography from a student. An investigation ensued and law enforcement officers found sexually explicit videos of a female student on Gilkey-Meisegeier’s phone. Communications recovered from the phone further revealed that the minor produced the images at Gilkey-Meisegeier’s direction. Gilkey-Meisegeier also had a folder on his phone labeled “my eyes only” containing pornographic images of a 12-year-old female downloaded from the internet.
Further investigation revealed that Gilkey-Meisegeier’s superimposed the faces of female students onto hundreds of pornographic images, and surreptitiously took pictures at the high school that focused on clothed female students’ pubic areas, buttocks, and feet.
Law enforcement recovered communications that Gilkey-Meisegeier had with one student discussing the anonymous tip in April 2025. He told the student that he found out the identity of the tipster and said that he wanted to “ruin their life.”
At sentencing, Judge Conley noted Gilkey-Meisegeier had engaged in an ongoing pattern of predatory and manipulative behavior in which he groomed students to engage in inappropriate relationships, including sexual contact at school. Judge Conley also noted that Gilkey-Meisegeier’s clear lack of remorse, including his use of phone accounts of other inmates while in custody to contact minor victims, factored into his sentencing decision.
The charge against Gilkey-Meisegeier was the result of an investigation conducted by the Sun Prairie Police Department with assistance from the University of Wisconsin Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted this case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former St. Louis Alderman Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Fraud, Lying to the FBIRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley to 16 months in prison for insurance fraud and lying to the FBI.
Bosley will be on supervised release for three years after his release from prison. Judge Autrey also ordered Bosley to pay restitution of $6,253.90 to the insurance company that he defrauded.
Bosley, 38, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January of three felony wire fraud charges and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. Evidence and testimony at trial showed that after an auto accident, Bosley hatched a scheme to defraud an insurance company by falsely inflating the cost of needed repairs and then lied when FBI agents asked him about it.
In September of 2021, Bosley’s 2010 Toyota Prius, which was parked, was hit by another vehicle. The drivers’ insurance company contacted Bosley in February of 2022 and told him that they would pay for the damage. Bosley then asked the auto repair shop owner who had sold him the used Prius for the deeply discounted price of $500 to prepare and submit an inflated repair estimate in exchange for a bribe, evidence and testimony showed. “Mark that (expletive) all the way up,” Bosley told the business owner during the conversation, which was captured on audio and video. Bosley also had discussions with the business owner about buying the car back if it was totaled and then paying the estimated repair costs of $2,000 to $2,200, thus retaining the car while fraudulently netting thousands of dollars, evidence and testimony showed.
After the insurance company balked at a $6,800 repair estimate, Bosley caused a second estimate of $4,333 to be submitted, the trial showed. The insurance company ultimately totaled the car and paid Bosley $7,978.90. At the time, he had $14.93 in his bank account. He lived off the insurance proceeds for about six weeks.
When FBI agents interviewed Bosley in the presence of his lawyer in March of 2023, Bosley repeatedly lied, jurors found during the trial. He falsely stated to agents that he never saw the two fraudulent repair bills that were prepared. He falsely claimed the repair estimates were not inflated and denied asking the business owner to inflate the repair estimates.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memo that “this criminal scheme was instigated, planned, designed, and carried out by Defendant once he was advised by the insurance carrier that there was money to be had for repairs to the damaged Prius automobile. From his very first conversation with the auto repair shop owner, without any idea of the extent of the necessary repairs, Defendant indicated that he wanted the Prius considered a total loss.” Bosley “used his position as an elected official in discussions with representatives of the insurance company, presumably to influence their decision on his claim,” the memo says. During the sentencing hearing, in requesting a sentence of imprisonment, Goldsmith advised the Court that, “the public is frustrated and fed up with these ticky-tacky fraud and bribery schemes committed by their elected officials,” “the public deserves some sense of justice here, and only a fair and just punishment will achieve that.”
The government’s sentencing memo also cites Missouri Ethics Commission findings from December that concluded that Bosley failed to report hundreds of improper expenditures for personal expenses, including gas, groceries and meals, made from two separate campaign accounts, at the time he was engaged in this insurance fraud. In recordings made by the business owner, Bosley also showed himself to be a racist and an antisemite, the memo adds.
“A federal jury unanimously agreed the evidence proved Brandon Bosley committed fraud. He initiated the scheme to bilk his auto insurance company. He directed the auto shop owner to inflate the cost to repair his car,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “In addition, Bosley used his position and made it clear to the insurance company that he is an elected official.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.
Former Senior NIAID Official Indicted for Concealing Federal Records During COVID-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
A former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) employee is facing indictment for his role in a scheme to evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in connection with COVID-19 research grants.
David M. Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, is charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting. Morens served as a senior advisor in NIAID’s Office of the Director from 2006 through 2022.
“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19. Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest — not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.”
“Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.”
“When public officials deliberately circumvent the law to hide their communications from the public, they undermine the public’s trust and the integrity of our institutions. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic when transparency was needed most,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Our office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to evade their legal obligations for their own gain.”
“Public officials who disregard their legal obligations undermine the transparency that keeps our federal programs strong. The deliberate mishandling and concealment of records in a federal investigation is not just a breach of duty, it is a betrayal of public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone who seeks to evade the law is held fully accountable.”
As a senior advisor, Morens counseled Senior NIAID Official 1 and other senior-level NIAID staff on senior-level policies, developed recommendations and solutions for issues impacting the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and wrote and edited manuscripts. Morens also provided guidance and expertise to senior staff members on epidemiological studies and issues related to infectious disease planning and management. Additionally, Morens gathered information from grantees and others in the scientific community to establish facts about the nature of COVID-19. This enabled Morens to understand NIH and NIAID’s historical activities in coronavirus research, assist in formulating policy and procedures, and brief Senior NIAID Official 1 so he could then relay information to the President of the United States, Congress, and the public.
According to the indictment, Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, Co-Conspirator 2, and others conspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud and commit several offenses against the United States after NIH terminated Co-Conspirator 1’s grant. NIH terminated the grant, Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence (bat coronavirus grant), based on allegations that COVID-19 emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China. NIAID awarded the grant to Company #1 and Co-Conspirator 1, who made a subaward to the WIV.
Following the termination, Morens and Co-Conspirator 2 pledged to help Co-Conspirator 1 restore the termination of the bat coronavirus grant and counter the narrative that COVID-19 leaked from a lab. In anticipation that their communications would be requested through a FOIA Request, Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, and Co-Conspirator 2 agreed in writing to intentionally hide from public view their communications by corresponding using Morens’s personal Gmail account, rather than his official NIH email account.
The indictment alleges that the conspirators used Morens’s personal Gmail account to exchange non-public NIH information; correspond about their efforts to influence NIH to fund Company #1; exchange edits to drafts of letters addressed to NIH leadership for Company #1 and Co-Conspirator 1; and “back-channel” information to Senior NIAID Official 1. According to the indictment, each of these matters fell within Morens’s role as senior advisor and constituted federal records that needed to be created, maintained, and exchanged on government systems.
Additionally, the indictment further alleges that Morens and Co-Conspirator 1 conspired to pay illegal gratuities. The indictment states that Co-Coconspirator 1 gifted Morens wine for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans,” and arranged for its delivery to Morens’s residence in Maryland. Morens then allegedly identified an official act that he could perform to “deserve” the gift, which was a scientific commentary in a prominent medical journal advocating that COVID-19 had natural origins. The indictment further alleges that Co-Conspirator 1 suggested he would provide Morens with additional things of value, including meals at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, New York, and Washington, D.C.
If convicted, Morens faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy against the United States, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations, and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of concealment, removal, or mutilation of records. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Bijon A. Mostoufi for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Senior NIAID Official Indicted for Concealing Federal Records During COVID-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) employee is facing indictment for his role in a scheme to evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in connection with COVID-19 research grants.
David M. Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, is charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting. Morens served as a senior advisor in NIAID’s Office of the Director from 2006 through 2022.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche; FBI Director Kash Patel; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Inspector General T. March Bell, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most—during the height of a global pandemic,” Blanche said. “As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19. Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest—not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.”
“Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,” Patel said. “Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.”
“When public officials deliberately circumvent the law to hide their communications from the public, they undermine the public’s trust and the integrity of our institutions. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic when transparency was needed most,” Hayes said. “Our office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to evade their legal obligations for their own gain.”
“As a public official, Morens was held to a higher standard and expected to dutifully follow the law,” Paul said. “Morens allegedly violated the law by circumventing the required processes for retaining official documents.”
“Public officials who disregard their legal obligations undermine the transparency that keeps our federal programs strong. The deliberate mishandling and concealment of records in a federal investigation is not just a breach of duty, it is a betrayal of public trust,” Bell said. “HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone who seeks to evade the law is held fully accountable.”
As a senior advisor, Morens counseled Senior NIAID Official 1 and other senior-level NIAID staff on senior-level policies, developed recommendations and solutions for issues impacting the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and wrote and edited manuscripts. Morens also provided guidance and expertise to senior staff members on epidemiological studies and issues related to infectious disease planning and management.
Additionally, Morens gathered information from grantees and others in the scientific community to establish facts about the nature of COVID-19. This enabled Morens to understand NIH and NIAID’s historical activities in coronavirus research, assist in formulating policy and procedures, and brief Senior NIAID Official 1 so he could then relay information to the President of the United States, Congress, and the public.
According to the indictment, Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, Co-Conspirator 2, and others conspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud and commit several offenses against the United States after NIH terminated Co-Conspirator 1’s grant. NIH terminated the grant, Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence, based on allegations that COVID-19 emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China. NIAID awarded the grant to Company #1 and Co-Conspirator 1, who made a subaward to the WIV.
Following the termination, Morens and Co-Conspirator 2 pledged to help Co-Conspirator 1 restore the termination of the bat coronavirus grant and counter the narrative that COVID-19 leaked from a lab. In anticipation that their communications would be requested through a FOIA Request, Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, and Co-Conspirator 2 agreed in writing to intentionally hide their communications, from public view, by corresponding using Morens’s personal Gmail account, rather than his official NIH email account.
The indictment alleges that the conspirators used Morens’s personal Gmail account to exchange non-public NIH information; correspond about their efforts to influence NIH to fund Company #1; exchange edits to drafts of letters addressed to NIH leadership for Company #1 and Co-Conspirator 1; and “back-channel” information to Senior NIAID Official 1. According to the indictment, each of these matters fell within Morens’s role as senior advisor and constituted federal records that needed to be created, maintained, and exchanged on government systems.
Additionally, the indictment further alleges that Morens and Co-Conspirator 1 conspired to pay illegal gratuities. The indictment states that Co-Conspirator 1 gifted Morens wine for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans,” and arranged for its delivery to Morens’s residence in Maryland. Morens then allegedly identified an official act that he could perform to “deserve” the gift, which was a scientific commentary in a prominent medical journal advocating that COVID-19 had natural origins. The indictment further alleges that Co-Conspirator 1 suggested he would provide Morens with additional things of value, including meals at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, New York, and Washington, D.C.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
If convicted, Morens faces up to five years in prison for conspiracy against the United States, 20 years for each count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations, and three years for each count of concealment, removal, or mutilation of records. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and HHS-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Bijon A. Mostoufi who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Former National Basketball Association Player and Coach Damon Jones Pleads Guilty for His Participation in Fraudulent Sports Betting and Rigged Poker ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Damon Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy in two separate cases: one count for his role in a scheme to use inside information derived from multiple National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, players and coaches, to profit from illegal betting activity; and one count for participating in a scheme to rig illegal poker games across the country. The loss amount for both cases totals more than $10 million. Jones was a professional basketball player with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. After his playing career, Jones served on the coaching staffs of the Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. The proceedings were held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo.
Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Phoebe S. Sorial, Executive Director, New York Waterfront Commission, announced the guilty pleas.
“As shown by his guilty pleas today, Damon Jones converted his fame and ties to professional basketball into a multi-faceted criminal betting operation. He used private locker room and medical information from multiple NBA teams to cheat legitimate sportsbooks. He also, separately, lured unsuspecting victims to high-stakes rigged poker games,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Jones will now face the consequences for his corrupt conduct. Insider betting and rigged poker schemes erode the integrity of American sports and fair contest. This Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to profit through fraud and corruption.”
“Former NBA player Damon Jones admitted to exploiting his profession and fame to help others cheat in two separate rigged betting schemes. With our federal and local law enforcement partners, the FBI continues to hold accountable those who threaten the integrity of American sports,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“As today's plea makes clear, Damon Jones used his presence at underground card tables to fuel fraudulent betting and fixed poker schemes that stole millions from victims. Status, access, and a high-profile career do not exempt any individual from answering for criminal conduct. This outcome is the product of a sustained, coordinated effort by HSI New York and our law enforcement partners, who together traced the money, unraveled the cheating technology, and exposed the full scope of these schemes,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso.
“The defendant in this case traded his reputation for greed and fraud,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “By exploiting his access to the NBA, and rigging illegal poker games across the country, Damon Jones attempted to orchestrate a scheme that defrauded victims of millions of dollars. Thanks to our investigators, law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, we are upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring accountability for those who break the law and betray the public’s trust.”
“While his unsuspecting victims believed Damon Jones was playing by the rules, he was playing an entirely different game. He used his celebrity as the opening bet and when it was time to cash in, he enriched not only himself but also some of the most notorious La Cosa Nostra crime families. His guilty plea today sends a clear message: exploiting trust for personal gain is not a game you can win,” stated New York Waterfront Commission Executive Director Sorial. “The Waterfront Commission will continue to work side by side with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to combat organized crime and corruption, and to dismantle criminal enterprises in the New York metropolitan area by severing the illicit revenue streams that fuel them.
United States v. Earnest, et al.As detailed in court filings, transcripts of court proceedings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, between December 2022 and March 2024, Jones and his associates obtained and misused non-public information about upcoming NBA games to place fraudulent sports wagers for profit. Specifically, Jones used his NBA insider status to obtain confidential information from multiple NBA teams, players and coaches, and distributed that information through a network of bettors. These bettors placed wagers through online sportsbooks and retail betting outlets, falsely representing that their wagers complied with the betting companies’ rules—which included, as relevant here, not betting on non-public information or using straw bettors—while concealing that their wagers were based on confidential team information.
United States v. Aiello, et al.Beginning as early as 2019, the charged defendants engaged in a series of schemes to use wireless cheating technology to rig illegal poker games in the Eastern District of New York and across the United States. Co-conspirators in the scheme included game organizers, who arranged for unwitting victims to play in underground illegal poker games that were secretly rigged; suppliers of the rigged cheating technology; former professional athletes, who were enlisted as “Face Cards” in the scheme to entice the victims’ participation in the games; cheating teams who worked together using the cheating technology to defraud the victims; money launderers; and members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families who backed games in the New York area and took a percentage of the crime proceeds from those games. Jones admitted at his guilty plea hearing that he acted as a “Face Card” to entice victims to play in high-stake rigged games and also was a member of cheating teams who defrauded victims at poker tables.
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The government’s Earnest, et al. case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin Farrell, Benjamin Weintraub and David Berman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Liam McNett and Erika Ellis. The government’s Aiello, et al. case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael W. Gibaldi, Irisa Chen, Sean M. Sherman and Kamil R. Ammari are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist John Schneider. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters.
The Defendant:
DAMON JONES (also known as “Dee Jones”)
Age: 49
Houston, Texas
E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 25-CR-314 (RER) and 25-CR-323 (LDH)Former Missouri State Trooper Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Searching Women’s Phones for Nude ImagesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper to 21 months in prison for searching women’s cell phones for nude images during traffic stops.
David McKnight, 40, unlawfully searched the cell phones of nine women without a warrant or probable cause from Sept. 12, 2023, to July 30, 2024, to find nude images of the victims or their loved ones. He was on duty, in uniform and in a marked Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) vehicle at the time. He used his own cell phone to take photographs of images he found in the phones of seven victims. In all but one of the cases, McKnight took the victims’ phones back to his vehicle, falsely claiming that he needed to confirm their identification, insurance coverage or other information. In the remaining case, McKnight searched the phone of a woman that he arrested and took a photo of one of her images.
After two victims became suspicious of his actions, they reported him to the MSHP. Forensic analysis revealed that McKnight had searched through their phones, including folders that contained nude photographs of them. Subsequent investigation revealed the other victims. McKnight had deleted the photos, but they were recovered from his phone.
McKnight’s “conduct in this case was inexcusable and demands a sentence of incarceration,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug wrote in a sentencing memo.
McKnight pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in December to nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.
Former East St. Louis Librarian and Public Aid Eligibility Assistant sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $100,000 from government employersRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – a district judge sentenced the former director of the East St. Louis Public Library to 15 months’ imprisonment after she admitted to embezzling more than $100,000 from the East St. Louis Public Library and the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Kenyada T. Harris, 42, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to eight counts for wire fraud, theft from federally funded programs, and bank fraud. Following imprisonment, she will serve two years on supervised release. The judge also ordered Harris to pay $102,249 in restitution.
“Those who abuse a position of trust and steal taxpayer funds must be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Public resources belong to the community, not to those who believe they are above the law.”
According to court documents, between March 2022 and March 2023, Harris was employed as a Public Aid Eligibility Assistant at the St. Clair County Family Community Resource Center through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Harris was responsible for replacing lost, stolen, or damaged LINK cards and issuing new LINK cards to low-income IDHS customers to use to obtain food and cash assistance benefits. Instead of providing new customers with a LINK card, Harris would use the cards for herself, her family members and friends. Over the course of her scheme, records report that Harris used 98 distinct cards for her own personal gain. In total, her actions resulted in loss of over $10,000 to IDHS.
“Kenyada Harris abused the public’s trust with decisions she made to help herself to money belonging to others,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “Her 15-month prison sentence represents the collective effort of several law enforcement agencies committed to bringing fraudsters to justice and holding them accountable.”
Around March 2023, Harris began working at the East St. Louis City Library as the Library Director. From July 31, 2023 through June 6, 2024, Harris knowingly used the Library’s credit card to make personal purchases, including to pay for her personal vehicle repairs and to obtain cash advances. Harris’ actions resulted in a loss amount to the East St. Louis Public Library in the amount of $91,937.
"Public service is a privilege, not an opportunity for self-enrichment," said FBI Springfield Field Office's Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley. "By diverting funds meant for essential library services and food assistance, the defendant prioritized her personal interests over the needs of her neighbors. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure public resources remain in the hands of citizens they are intended to serve."
FBI Springfield’s Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Former Brink’s, Inc. Employee Sentenced to 171 Months in Federal Prison for Robbing Two Brink’s Armored TrucksRead the Press Release
A former Brink’s, Inc. employee was sentenced to 171 months in federal prison for robbing two Brink’s armored trucks, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Isaiah Warren, 25, was sentenced today, April 27, 2026, by Senior United States District Judge David C. Godbey for interfering with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Warren was ordered to pay $696,700 in restitution, among other conditions.
According to court documents, on November 30, 2024, at approximately 12:06 p.m., a Brink’s armored truck driver was completing his assigned route when he arrived at DolEx Dollar Express located at 1788 W. Irving Boulevard, in Irving, Texas. DolEx is a check cashing and money transfer business. The Brink’s driver collected the deposits from DolEx and placed the deposits in a Brink’s tote bag. Warren, who was wearing all black, including a ski mask and a Loomis branded jacket, approached the driver as he was returning to the Brink’s armored truck. Then, Warren pressed a handgun underneath the driver’s body armor and removed the driver’s Brink’s issued firearm from his holster. Warren then took the tote bag from the driver that contained approximately $34,700, which had just been collected from DolEx. Warren then fled from the location in a vehicle.
Court records also revealed that Warren admitted that on December 31, 2024, he and another individual robbed a second Brink’s armored truck. On that day, a Brink’s armored truck driver was beginning her assigned route refilling ATM machines with United States (U.S.) currency. At approximately 9:54 a.m., the Brink’s driver arrived at the Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) located at 9350 Clifford Street, in Fort Worth, Texas. The driver parked the Brink’s truck in front of EECU and exited the truck. Warren and another individual then approached the driver while armed with handguns and wearing face coverings.
The Brink’s driver was forced back into the Brink’s truck at gunpoint. Once inside, both Warren and the other individual entered the secure area of the truck where the U.S. currency was kept in bags, and Warren took two Brink’s cash bags containing approximately $662,000. After exiting the Brink’s truck, he and the other individual were confronted by a security guard employed by EECU. Warren pointed his firearm at the security guard and then he and the other individual fled on foot with the bags of stolen money.
Court records further revealed that on January 3, 2025, Warren and a female passenger were pulled over on a traffic stop after running a red light in Gainesville, Texas. Warren was found to be in possession of a Springfield XD .40 caliber handgun that he used in both robberies, multi-gram quantities of marijuana, and $98,785 in stolen U.S. currency.
The FBI Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert is prosecuting the case.Five Time-Removed Honduras Man Who Attempted to Lure Children into Wilkinsburg Residence Charged with Another Illegal Reentry into U.S.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A Honduras citizen illegally residing in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal reentry of a removed alien, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Ever Antonio Cerrato-Orellano, 41, as the sole defendant.
“Ever Cerrato-Orellano has remained undeterred from criminal conduct despite his numerous removals from the United States and multiple convictions here,” said United States Attorney Rivetti. “Our office remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to prosecute recidivist offenders like Cerrato-Orellano who blatantly disregard the laws of the United States and pose an unacceptable danger to innocent members of our communities.”
“Protecting children and safeguarding our communities is the core of the ICE mission,” said Acting Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia Field Office Director John Rife. “ERO Philadelphia is proud to work alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our local partners at the Wilkinsburg Police Department to identify, arrest, and remove illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety, and we will continue to use every tool available to help protect Pennsylvania’s families and children.”
According to the Indictment, on or about June 29, 2025, Cerrato-Orellano was found in the United States after having been previously deported and removed on five separate occasions between 2010 and 2016. Immigration officials encountered Cerrato-Orellano following the defendant’s arrest by the Wilkinsburg Police Department, who charged Cerrato-Orellano with five counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle or structure and one count of impersonating a public servant after Cerrato-Orellano attempted to lure a group of children into a Wilkinsburg residence. When the children tried to ride away on their bicycles, Cerrato-Orellano chased them and ordered them to stop, claiming that he was a police officer.
Cerrato-Orellano was previously convicted in both Texas and New Mexico of illegal reentry into the United States, in addition to convictions for possession of marijuana (Florida), theft of property (Texas), and tampering with government records and driving under the influence (Texas). Immigration officials removed Cerrato-Orellano from the United States after his convictions for these offenses.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Hillary M. Weaver and Lee A. Fry are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Wilkinsburg Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Felon Sentenced to More than 22 Years for Selling Dangerous Drugs in North Central West VirginiaRead the Press Release
A Detroit, Michigan man has been sentenced for leading a drug trafficking organization, selling methamphetamine and fentanyl in Harrison County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Emmitt Renand Richardson, 53, was sentenced to 275 months in prison. Following a trial in September 2025, a federal jury found Richardson guilty of multiple methamphetamine and fentanyl charges. Richardson has a history of drug related convictions and was operating under an alias.
“Richardson’s ability to sell deadly poison to our community has come to an end,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “Because of the great work of our drug task force, a jury found him guilty and now he will spend more than two decades in prison.”
For nearly a year, the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force investigated a drug operation led by Richardson centered in Clarksburg West Virginia. Richardson was responsible for drug sales that took place on city streets, as well as from several residences Richardson used to further the operation. Richardson was responsible for nearly two kilograms of methamphetamine and more than three grams of fentanyl sold in the area.
The other three defendants in this case admitted guilt. Randy Joe Jones of Clarksburg was sentenced to 136 months in October 2025 for his role. The remaining defendants will be sentenced at a later date.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Cogar and Will Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Felon Sentenced for Possessing a Shotgun and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A prior felon living in Tulsa was sentenced for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Marcus Antonio Jones, 46, to 51 months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release.
In July 2025, Tulsa Police officers were dispatched to an apartment where Jones was seen discharging a firearm. Upon arrival, officers spoke with several residents who stated Jones had been drinking earlier in the day. They told officers that Jones discharged a shotgun in the occupied apartment, with a juvenile present. Officers executed a search warrant and seized a 12-gauge shotgun from Jones’s bedroom, along with the spent shell and three rounds of ammunition.
Court records show that Jones has a lengthy criminal history, including being convicted of first-degree manslaughter, and domestic assault and battery by strangulation.
Jones will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Tulsa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Richard prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses on the most pressing violent crime issues facing our communities. This nationwide initiative brings together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to strategically address and reduce violent crime, in collaboration with other agencies and organizations that serve communities.
Federal Investigation into Violent Home Invasion in Winnetka, Ill. Leads to Arrests of Seven IndividualsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted six men on robbery and kidnapping offenses for allegedly participating in a violent home invasion in Winnetka, Ill., last month. A seventh defendant was arrested this morning, and federal charges are forthcoming against him. Working with its law enforcement partners, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained court-authorized arrest warrants within 12 days of the home invasion but kept the warrants under seal while it continues to obtain evidence to identify and arrest additional defendants involved in the violent incident.
A superseding indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court charges DASHUN BROWN, 24, of Chicago, DAVID FRANKLIN, 24, of Chicago, ANTHONY RAMSEY, 22, of Chicago, ISAIAH DUKES, 28, of Los Angeles, Calif., KHIELL DUKES, 30, of Elgin, Ill., and JALEN CHAMBERS, 24, of Bourbonnais, Ill., with conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping in connection with the alleged home invasion, which occurred in Winnetka, Ill., on the afternoon of March 8, 2026. Brown, Ramsey, and Franklin were taken into federal custody on March 22, 2026, while Isaiah Dukes, Khiell Dukes, and Chambers were taken into federal custody on April 10, 2026. All six defendants charged in the superseding indictment have been ordered detained pending trial. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A seventh defendant was arrested this morning and a criminal complaint will be submitted to the Court for his alleged role in the home invasion.
According to the superseding indictment, Brown posed as a food delivery driver to cause an individual in the residence to open the front door. Armed with loaded firearms, Brown, Franklin, Chambers, and two other co-conspirators then forcibly entered the residence. Brown, Franklin, Chambers, and the two other co-conspirators kept the individual in the residence captive for approximately an hour and used firearms to physically restrain the victim, the charges alleged. The captors demanded access to a safe, computer, and online accounts holding cryptocurrency, the indictment states.
The conspirators eventually fled the residence, later meeting up with Isaiah Dukes, Khiell Dukes, Ramsey and other co-conspirators, who searched Brown, Franklin, and additional co-conspirators to ensure that all the proceeds from the robbery were collected, the indictment states.
The charges and arrests were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Brian O’Connell, Chief of the Winnetka Police Department. Valuable assistance has been provided by the Chicago Police Department, Northbrook, Ill. Police Department, Glencoe, Ill. Police Department, and Orland Park, Ill. Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Merin and Jessica Ecker. The officials noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
“By immediately deploying targeted federal resources to this investigation and working closely with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we were able to swiftly disrupt a violent criminal conspiracy and remove dangerous individuals from the streets in a matter of days,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “I will continue to push hard to crack down on violent crime in the Chicago area, which means the U.S. Attorney’s Office is going to federally prosecute significant violent offenses throughout the city and suburbs. The people of the Northern District of Illinois deserve our tireless and unwavering efforts to hold violent offenders accountable, and they will get it.”
“Home invasions strike at the core of an individual’s most basic right to safety, security, and privacy in their own home,” said ATF SAC Amon. “ATF and our partners were on this case from the very beginning, and let me be clear: No matter who you are, we will find you and hold you accountable. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners and the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office for their assistance and partnership in this investigation. Together, we will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice.”
“This indictment serves as a reminder of the FBI’s promise to leverage our prosecutorial and law enforcement partnerships against anyone seeking to harm or endanger those in our community," said FBI SAC DePodesta. "This investigation exemplifies the ways in which both local and federal law enforcement were able to deploy our agencies’ unique tools and resources as a collective group when apprehending the individuals identified in this scheme. The FBI stands ready to disrupt and investigate violent crime at a moment’s notice wherever it may be occurring in the world.”
“On behalf of the Winnetka Police Department, I’d like to recognize the diligent work and partnership of the ATF, FBI, other local agencies, and Winnetka’s investigations unit in the pursuit of the offenders in this case, and the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecuting violent criminals,” said Chief O’Connell. “These charges are a positive step forward toward resolution of this incident and they demonstrate our shared commitment to protecting our constituents. This is an example of the collaborative efforts between multiple federal, state, and local agencies working together, utilizing the best investigative technology available, and prosecuting offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
The kidnapping conspiracy count is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, while the robbery conspiracy count is punishable by up to 20 years. The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
brown_et_al_superseding_indictment.pdfFederal Grand Jury Indicts Former FBI Director James Comey for Threats to Harm President TrumpRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina today returned an indictment charging former FBI director James Comey with making threats to harm President Donald J. Trump.
The Indictment includes two counts, first in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 871, alleging that James Comey, 65, knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States. This charge alleges that on May 15, 2025, by publicly posting an image over the internet via Instagram depicting “86 47”, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.
The Indictment also charges Comey in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), that James Comey consciously disregarded a substantial risk that his communication would be viewed as threatening violence, and that he knowingly transmitted a communication in interstate commerce that contained a threat to injure the person of another, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to a person.
“Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials. The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.”
“James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “As the former Director of the FBI, he knew full well the attention and consequences of making such a post. This FBI and our DOJ partners pursued a rigorous investigation that followed the facts - and now Mr. Comey will be held fully accountable for his actions. Thank you to our investigators, Acting AG Todd Blanche, and the Eastern District of NC for their diligent and professional work.”
“No one is above the law in the Eastern District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “Our office regularly pursues threat cases including those against public officials. The Grand Jury examined the evidence in this case and found probable cause to indict Mr. Comey. We will continue to pursue the case as we regularly do every day to protect the people of this District and the United States.”
James Comey is charged with Threatening the President in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 871(a) and Transmitting a Threat in Interstate Commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c). If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Petracca is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Federal Charges Filed for Drug Trafficking in Perry, FloridaRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Nicholas Michael Freeman, 48, has been indicted in federal court for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, cocaine, and cocaine base. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Freeman appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for June 15, 2026, at 8:15 am before District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee, Florida.
Freeman faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years’, and up to 40 years’, imprisonment.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Perry Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Dubuque Man Found Guilty of Possessing Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute it After Four Day TrialRead the Press Release
A Dubuque man who possessed methamphetamine intending to distribute it was convicted by a jury on April 23, 2026, after a four-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Justin Noel Allen, age 43, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The verdict was returned following about four hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that law enforcement officers stopped Allen on March 24, 2025. During the stop, officers realized Allen had outstanding arrest warrants. Officers arrested Allen and located just over 15 grams of methamphetamine and one gram of fentanyl on his person. Allen was previously convicted of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine in 2017 in Illinois and a controlled substance violation in 2025 in Iowa. Expert witnesses established that 15 grams of methamphetamine was consistent with distribution amounts of methamphetamine, and not personal use.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Allen remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Allen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hudson and Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers, and was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dubuque Drug Task Force, the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-1029.
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