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24 April 2026
DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. On Saturday, April 25th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Location information is available from the DEA, along with items that cannot be accepted. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
This April’s event is DEA’s 29th nationwide event since its inception 16 years ago. Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 571,054 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 4,317 sites operated by the DEA and 4,263 from its state and local law enforcement partners.
The DEA will now accept vaping devices and cartridges at any of its drop-off locations during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It is important to note that DEA cannot accept devices containing lithium-ion batteries. If batteries cannot be removed prior to drop-off, DEA encourages individuals to consult with stores that recycle lithium-ion batteries. Concerns have been raised across the United States over illnesses and deaths caused by vaping and the high youth vaping initiation rates. To support a healthy lifestyle and energetic population, especially among America’s youth, DEA is committed to doing all it can to help safely dispose of vaping devices and substances.
The DEA’s “Take Back” day and “Get Smart About Drugs” initiatives address the vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses because of these drugs. Synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl, are the primary driver of the increase in overdose deaths. For information on DEA’s “Take Back” in Spanish, click here, or for more information on the “Get Smart About Drugs” publication, click for English or Spanish.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long. For more information, visit DEA’s year-round collection site locator. Participating in the next DEA Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25th, simply means cleaning out your medicine cabinet or anywhere you keep unused, unwanted, or expired medications and dropping them off at your nearest collection site.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 26th Take Back day event, go to DEA Drug Take Back eventor by calling 800-882-9539.
The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs.
More information is available here: English or Spanish.
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Convicted felon illegal alien convicted for unlawfully being in United StatesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 36-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Bryan has been found guilty of unlawfully reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G. E. Marck.
A federal jury deliberated less than three hours before finding Luis Alberto Banda Acosta guilty following a three-day trial.
The jury heard that on Feb. 4, 2024, authorities conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck Banda was driving.
Evidence showed Banda has multiple felony convictions, including failure to identify, possession of a controlled substance and driving while intoxicated. The jury also heard that he had been previously removed from the United States on two occasions.
The defense attempted to convince the jury Banda was involuntarily present in the country under duress, was kidnapped and forced to swim across the border. However, the jury heard evidence that he was freely and voluntarily residing in the United States to include his travel to many places, receiving pay stubs and making purchases at a lingerie store.
The jury did not believe Banda’s claims and found him guilty as charged. They also rejected testimony from a defense expert, disregarding his statements about kidnappings and forced entries into the United States.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen presided over trial and set sentencing for June 30. At that time, Banda faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Alum and Lauren Valenti prosecuted the case with research assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carrie Law and Robin Whitney.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Central District of Illinois Recognizes Crime Victims’ Rights Week and Welcomes New Facility DogRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois is recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 19-25, 2026. This year’s theme is “Listen. Act. Advocate”—reminding us of our ongoing responsibility to provide the highest level of service to victims in our community. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, which serves 46 counties, is proud to join the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and communities throughout the United States in raising awareness of victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and their advocates.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office works diligently to prosecute crimes and is equally committed to identifying the needs of victims and advocating for the most effective way to meet those needs. As part of this commitment, we have introduced Maisy, the nation’s first U.S. Attorney’s Office Facility Dog, to enhance the support services available to victims. Maisy works directly with victims coping with trauma, providing support and comfort as they navigate the criminal justice system.
Victims of crime deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. It is essential that we work together to empower survivors. We are grateful for the many law enforcement agencies, social service organizations and community partners who work with us each year to support victims in the Central District of Illinois.
If you would like to learn more about victim services and Maisy, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil. For more information about the Office for Victims of Crime and National Crime Victims’ Rights week you may visit https://ovc.ojp.gov/about.
California Money Launderer Sentenced in D.C. to 70 Months for Role in Scheme that Stole $263 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Evan Tangeman, 22, of Newport Beach, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison for laundering millions of dollars generated by an elaborate social engineering scheme orchestrated by a multi-state criminal enterprise that stole more than $263 million in cryptocurrency and used the proceeds to support the criminal enterprise’s fantastically extravagant lifestyles, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“This criminal enterprise was built on greed so brazen it borders on the cartoonish. They stole millions, spent it on half-million-dollar nightclub tabs, Lamborghinis, and Rolexes,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “But Evan Tangeman didn't just launder the money that fueled that lifestyle. When his co-conspirators were arrested, he moved to destroy the evidence. That is consciousness of guilt, and this office and the court have treated that accordingly."
Tangeman pleaded guilty Dec. 8, 2025, to participating in a RICO conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and admitted that he helped to launder at least $3.5 million for members of the enterprise. Tangeman’s admission of guilt was the ninth plea to result from this investigation. In addition to the 70-month prison sentence, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered Tangeman to serve three years of supervised release.
The criminal enterprise began no later than October 2023 and continued through at least May 2025. It grew from friendships developed on online gaming platforms and was comprised of individuals based in California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad.
Tangeman, aka "E," "Tate," "Evan|Exchanger," was a money launderer for the group that also included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers, and residential burglars targeting hardware virtual currency wallets.
Tangeman not only enabled his co-conspirators to dissipate millions in victim funds but also benefited directly and indirectly from the thefts himself, including receiving exotic automobiles as compensation for his work and using commissions earned for laundering on luxury goods. Finally, when the first members of the criminal enterprise – co-defendants Malone Lam and Jeandiel Serrano – were arrested and the massive scale of their fraud revealed, it was Tangeman who took it upon himself to direct co-defendant Tucker Desmond to destroy digital devices belonging to members of the enterprise.
Members and associates of the social engineering enterprise used stolen virtual currency to purchase, among other things, nightclub services ranging up to $500,000 per evening, luxury handbags valued in the tens of thousands of dollars which were given away at nightclub parties, luxury watches valued between $100,000 up to over $500,000, luxury clothing valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, rental homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami, private jet rentals for travel, a team of private security guards, and a fleet of exotic cars, ranging in value from $100,000 up to $3,800,000.
Tangeman converted the stolen cryptocurrency into fiat cash and worked with real estate agents in Los Angeles to procure large mansions for members of the social engineering enterprise. The members were unemployed young men, often under 20 years old and did not want to draw law enforcement attention for renting homes for $40,000 to $80,000 per month with no legitimate source of income. Some of those homes were valued between $4,000,000 up to nearly $9,000,000. Tangeman also arranged for rental homes in Miami when the group moved to Miami in September 2024.
Tangeman was well rewarded for his criminal conduct. Co-defendant Lam arranged for the purchase of a widebody Lamborghini Urus for Tangeman. At the time of the execution of the search warrant on Tangeman’s residence, law enforcement identified and seized additional vehicles, including one black 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost, valued at more than $300,000. The agents also seized a white and black Porsche GT3 RS.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. Significant investigative and operational support was provided by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Miami field offices as well as the United States Attorney’s Officers in the Central District of California, Southern District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg provided valuable assistance.
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Businessman and Two Attorneys Sentenced for Their Roles in Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Bribe Hawaii County Public OfficialRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Three men have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to pay bribes to a public official at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) in exchange for his official actions in connection with affordable housing development agreements worth more than $11,000,000. Hawaii (Big Island) attorney, Gary Charles Zamber, 56, of Keaau, Hawaii, was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Former Big Island businessman, Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, 65, of Morro Bay, California, was sentenced to 90 months in prison. Former Big Island attorney, Paul Joseph Sulla, 79, of Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
On June 4, 2025, a jury in the District of Hawaii convicted Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti on all counts of a superseding indictment. The three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud for their roles in a scheme to bribe Alan Scott Rudo, a Housing Specialist at the OHCD. Sulla was also convicted of money laundering.
“This wasn’t just corruption – it was a calculated betrayal of the very community the defendants were supposed to serve,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Instead of building homes for struggling families looking for an onramp to a better life, the defendants built a scheme to enrich themselves, paying millions in bribes and kickbacks while pretending to help those in need. That kind of greed doesn’t just break the law – it erodes trust, damages institutions, robs honest businesses of opportunities and harms American citizens. The Criminal Division is committed to pursuing those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”
“Driven by greed, the defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the Hawaiian community, diverting millions in much needed affordable housing resources intended to benefit Hawaii County’s poor and disadvantaged into the defendants’ own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “Public corruption undermines faith in our institutions and will not be tolerated. We pledge to hold accountable those who seek to victimize the people of Hawaii by compromising our public officials and institutions for their own greed and personal gain.”
“This sentencing marks another step toward accountability for those who pollute the integrity of our government institutions with bribes and kickbacks,” said Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “The defendants’ criminal schemes amounted to more than bribery and fraud — they stole opportunities from Big Island families and our community as a whole. The FBI, alongside our partners, will never stop working to pursue those who undermine the public’s trust and weaken the foundations of our community through corruption and deceit.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Rudo in exchange for Rudo’s agreement to use his official position to ensure that Hawaii County approved three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) benefitting the defendants’ development companies, Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit. Through the AHAs, the defendants fraudulently obtained more than $11,000,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs). From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.
Sulla was sentenced on April 23. Zamber and Budhabhatti were sentenced on January 30 and February 6, respectively. Rudo, who pleaded guilty and testified at trial, will be sentenced at a later date. Zamber’s and Sulla’s law licenses are currently suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawaii.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar and Trial Attorney William J. Gullotta of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.
Businessman and Two Attorneys Sentenced for Their Roles in Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Bribe Hawaii County Public OfficialRead the Press Release
Three men have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to pay bribes to a public official at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) in exchange for his official actions in connection with affordable housing development agreements worth more than $11,000,000. Hawaii (Big Island) attorney, Gary Charles Zamber, 56, of Keaau, Hawaii, was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Former Big Island businessman, Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, 65, of Morro Bay, California, was sentenced to 90 months in prison. Former Big Island attorney, Paul Joseph Sulla, 79, of Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
On June 4, 2025, a jury in the District of Hawaii convicted Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti on all counts of a superseding indictment. The three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud for their roles in a scheme to bribe Alan Scott Rudo, a Housing Specialist at the OHCD. Sulla was also convicted of money laundering.
“This wasn’t just corruption – it was a calculated betrayal of the very community the defendants were supposed to serve,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Instead of building homes for struggling families looking for an onramp to a better life, the defendants built a scheme to enrich themselves, paying millions in bribes and kickbacks while pretending to help those in need. That kind of greed doesn’t just break the law – it erodes trust, damages institutions, robs honest businesses of opportunities and harms American citizens. The Criminal Division is committed to pursuing those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”
“Driven by greed, the defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the Hawaiian community, diverting millions in much needed affordable housing resources intended to benefit Hawaii County’s poor and disadvantaged into the defendants’ own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “Public corruption undermines faith in our institutions and will not be tolerated. We pledge to hold accountable those who seek to victimize the people of Hawaii by compromising our public officials and institutions for their own greed and personal gain.”
“This sentencing marks another step toward accountability for those who pollute the integrity of our government institutions with bribes and kickbacks,” said Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “The defendants’ criminal schemes amounted to more than bribery and fraud — they stole opportunities from Big Island families and our community as a whole. The FBI, alongside our partners, will never stop working to pursue those who undermine the public’s trust and weaken the foundations of our community through corruption and deceit.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Rudo in exchange for Rudo’s agreement to use his official position to ensure that Hawaii County approved three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) benefitting the defendants’ development companies, Luna Loa Developments LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa LLC. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit. Through the AHAs, the defendants fraudulently obtained more than $11,000,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs). From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.
Sulla was sentenced on April 23. Zamber and Budhabhatti were sentenced on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, respectively. Rudo, who pleaded guilty and testified at trial, will be sentenced at a later date. Zamber’s and Sulla’s law licenses are currently suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawaii.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney William J. Gullotta of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.
Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Michael Bailey, 37, of Beckley, was sentenced today to one year and 11 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 22, 2024, Bailey sold approximately 57 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $480 to a confidential informant in Beckley.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-66.
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April Federal Grand Jury 2025-B Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the April Federal Grand Jury 2025-B Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Roberto Angul-Iribe. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of Firearms. Roberto Angulo-Iribe, 55, a Mexican national, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-152
Kevon Aldair Bautista-Marin. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Bautista-Marin, 29, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after previously being removed in August 2016, November 2020, November 2022, and May 2023. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-144
Leonel Cruz Perez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Cruz Perez, 34, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after previously being removed in October 2011 and August 2015. Further, Cruz Perez is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-146
Daniel Estrada. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Estrada, 28, a Mexican national, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Osborn is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-145
Michael Emilio Gonzalez. Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute. Emilio Gonzalez, 18, of Catoosa, is charged with knowingly possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-153
Perfecto Alejandro Lopez Carrera; Cristian Bernardo Zamora. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Lopez Carrera, 33, a Guatemalan national, and Bernardo Zamora, 26, a Mexican national, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from February 2026 through March 2026. They are additionally charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Lopez Carrera is further charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-140
Michael Keith Meeks. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Meeks, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing firearms and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 26-CR-154
Kevin Allen Pilon. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Pilon, 31, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-147
Arturo Uribe. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; Possession of Stolen Firearms. Uribe, 29, of Commerce, is charged with possessing firearms and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. Further, he is charged with knowingly being in possession of several stolen firearms. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Miami Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Flynn is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-141
Ramiro Vergara Urquiza. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of Firearms; Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Vergara Urquiza, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was unlawfully residing in the United States. He is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after previously being removed in March 2023. Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-142
Charles Alan Walker*. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography. Walker, 41, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is charged with knowingly attempting to coerce a minor child to engage in a sexually explicit activity. He is additionally charged with attempting to receive images of children being sexually abused. Homeland Security Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-143
*Charles Alan Walker was tried by a federal jury in July 2026 and acquitted of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography.
Anchorage man sentenced to 7 years for robbing two banks in 24 hoursRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for robbing two banks last year.
According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2025, Ezekiel Thomas, 38, was released on bail in several pending state cases, including a bank robbery in Bethel.
In the afternoon of Sept. 18, a man entered a bank in Anchorage and gave a demand note to a bank employee. The note implied people would be hurt if the employee did not provide money. The employee gave him $590, and the man left the bank.
The next day, agents with the FBI Anchorage Field Office received a call from the Palmer Police Department regarding a robbery at a bank in Palmer. Officers detained the bank robber and believed he was the same subject from the Anchorage bank robbery that occurred a day prior. Law enforcement identified the subject as Thomas.
According to court documents, the day of the robbery, Thomas entered the Palmer bank and gave an intimidating note to a bank employee. The employee gave Thomas roughly $2,270 and he left the bank before being detained by Palmer law enforcement.
“Mr. Thomas is a career criminal that chose to brazenly rob two banks while out on state bail over a span of 24-hours,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Thank you to Palmer Police Department for their swift response that resulted in Mr. Thomas’ arrest, and to the FBI for their diligent investigation that brought this reoffender to justice.”
“Spanning multiple communities in Alaska, Mr. Thomas carried out these bank robberies while he was already on state probation for a prior bank robbery conviction. His crimes demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and for the safety of others,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Following a collaborative investigation with local law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this sentence reflects our shared commitment to public safety and holding repeat offenders like Mr. Thomas accountable.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from Palmer Police Department and the Anchorage Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley prosecuted the case.
23 April 2026
York County Man Sentenced to 12 Months' Probation for Filing False Income Tax Returns That Omitted More Than $13 Million in Income from Digital Artwork SalesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Waylon Wilcox, age 46, of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months' probation and a fine of $150,000 by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for filing false individual income tax returns. Previously, in 2025, Wilcox paid the IRS $3,305,238 in tax due and owing to the United States plus $981,583.30 in interest.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Wilcox filed a false individual income tax return for tax year 2021 that underreported his income for tax year 2021 by approximately $8,511,238 and reduced Wilcox’s tax then due and owing by approximately $2,180,452. On October 10, 2023, in Cumberland County, Wilcox filed a false individual income tax return for tax year 2022 that underreported Wilcox’s income for tax year 2022 by approximately $4,599,532 and reduced Wilcox’s tax then due and owing by approximately $1,098,623.
Wilcox obtained most of this unreported income after acquiring and selling 97 pieces of digital artwork from the “CryptoPunks” collection of 10,000 unique art characters. Individual pieces from the digital artwork collection were referred to as “Punks.”
Each Punk was unique and contained digital proof of ownership that could be tracked on a blockchain, a digitally distributed, decentralized, public ledger. Two Punks from the same blockchain could look identical but were not interchangeable, meaning they were non-fungible. These so-called “non-fungible tokens” (or NFTs) could be traded and sold for money or cryptocurrency.
In 2021, Wilcox sold approximately 62 Punks for a total of approximately $7,402,935. In 2022, Wilcox sold approximately 35 Punks for a total of approximately $4,899,180. When a taxpayer sells an NFT, including a Punk, then the taxpayer must report sales proceeds and any gains or losses from the sale of the NFT on their tax return.
“When a U.S. taxpayer deliberately falsifies a tax return, it undermines the integrity of our tax system and contributes to the tax gap that impacts every American,” stated Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office. “In this case, Wilcox made millions from the sale of NFTs but willfully evaded paying the taxes he owed. Working alongside our partners at the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement, we are able to uncover complex schemes involving digital assets and hold offenders accountable. Let this case serve as a warning – whether income is earned through traditional employment or the sale of digital assets, all taxpayers are required to report their earnings and pay their fair share.”
The J5 is an international coalition that includes the Australian Taxation Office, the Canada Revenue Agency, the Dutch Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs from the United Kingdom, and IRS-CI from the United States. The investigation stemmed from a lead generated during the J5’s 2022 Cyber Challenge, which focused on NFTs. The J5 Cyber Challenge is an annual exercise where member agencies collaborate with partners to identify and develop investigative leads, analyze complex financial and cryptocurrency-related threats, and enhance joint operational capabilities to combat transnational financial crimes.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph J. Terz prosecuted the case.
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West Hartford Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that NELSON ALEJANDRO-CAPO, 37, of West Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain. The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy.
Investigators identified Alejandro-Capo as a supplier of cocaine to Ortiz. Alejandro-Capo, using co-conspirator Eli Samuel O’Farrill-Fernandez as a middleman, supplied Ortiz with approximately two kilograms of cocaine on September 24, 2024, and approximately four kilograms of cocaine on October 12, 2024.
Ortiz and several other members of this drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024. In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles.
Alejandro-Capo was arrested on November 22, 2024. On December 17, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Alejandro-Capo has been detained since February 6, 2026, when his bond was revoked.
Ortiz and O-Farrill-Fernandez pleaded guilty and are currently serving prison terms of 135 months and 120 months, respectively.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.
Viva Grocery Store Owner and Former Sacramento City Councilmember Pleads Guilty for His Role in Multiple Fraudulent SchemesRead the Press Release
loloee_plea_agreement.pdfSACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shahriar “Sean” Loloee, 55, of Granite Bay, pleaded guilty today to three fraud schemes he perpetrated as the owner and operator of Viva Supermarket, a Sacramento-area supermarket chain, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to the plea agreement, Loloee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct a Department of Labor investigation, one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, three counts of filing false tax returns, one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
Obstruction of Department of Labor Investigation: On three occasions between 2008 and 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor investigated Viva Supermarket stores for labor practices. Loloee and other co-conspirators were aware that many of the supermarket staff did not have authorization to work legally in the United States. Loloee and others took steps to discourage employees from complying with the investigations, including by directing them to lie about aspects of their employment. Additionally, to avoid revealing the extent of the undocumented staff, and in an effort to reduce the amount of back wages Viva Supermarket owed those workers, Loloee provided an employee list to DOL, knowing that many of the hire dates on the list were falsified to a later date. He also gave false statements to DOL about the company’s history of paying employees off the books.
Defrauding the IRS: Loloee used irregular payment methods that allowed him to underreport both his federal payroll tax and his own personal income tax. He, together with his co-conspirators, maintained two sets of books—one that was used to submit filings to the IRS and one that was dubbed “Excess Payroll” and used internally to track hidden payments to undocumented workers and others including to himself. Over time, the form of theses hidden payments included cash and an in-house check system called “Green Checks” that were redeemable only at the Viva stores. By using the second set of books, Loloee and his co-conspirators caused a tax loss of approximately $200,000 to the IRS. Loloee also avoided an individual tax liability of approximately $32,103 by not reporting wages he paid himself.
Fraudulent SBA Loans and Money Laundering: In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Small Business Administration offered a relief program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. In May 2021 Loloee fraudulently applied for $2.2 million in COVID-19 relief from the Fund and received $1.2 million. After receiving the $1.2 million, Loloee initiated the laundering of funds with 10 checks all bearing the same issue date of June 18, 2021, and then moving the money through multiple accounts he controlled. Loloee completed the laundering with three bank transfers totaling $949,900 to a trust account in the name of one of his family members. Loloee’s purpose in undertaking this movement of money was to hide that the source of the funds was the pandemic relief fraud scheme he had executed.
This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath, Matthew Thuesen, and Sam Stefanki are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated with the assistance of the Tax Recovery in the Underground Economy (TRUE) Task Force includes the California Department of Justice, the California Employment Development Department, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the Franchise Tax Board, the IRS Criminal Investigation and HSI. The TRUE Task Force was created to ensure multi-agency collaboration and to combat wage theft, tax evasion, and other crimes in the underground economy.
Loloee is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Loloee faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for conspiracy to defraud the Department of Labor, to commit immigration document fraud, and to obstruct justice; 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for conspiracy to defraud the IRS; three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for a filing a false tax return; 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for wire fraud; 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for money laundering. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Sacramento residents Karla Montoya, Mirwais Shams, and Ahmad “Shah” Shams are scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 28, 2026. Montoya is charged with conspiracy to defraud the DOL, possession of false immigration documents, and obstruction of agency proceeding. Mirwais Shams and Ahmad Shams are charged with conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing false tax returns. Ahmad Shams is additionally charged with perjury. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Vinita Man Convicted by Federal Jury for Raping a 16-Year-OldRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – After a three-day jury trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict convicting a Vinita man after he raped a 16-year-old in November 2025.
Garret Lee Monroe, 37, of Vinita and a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming, was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force in Indian Country.
On November 30, 2025, Vinita Police officers were dispatched to a fight in progress. When officers arrived, they broke up a fight between Monroe and another man. Officers spoke with the man, who stated that he was contacted by the 16-year-old minor victim, who asked him to come home as soon as possible, because something bad had happened. The man explained that the minor victim told him that Monroe had strangled and raped her and threatened to kill her. The man confronted Monroe for raping the minor victim and a fight ensued.
Officers then spoke with the 16-year-old minor victim. She told officers that Monroe woke her up in the middle of the night by covering her mouth and strangling her. When the minor victim testified, she explained to the jury that while Monroe was strangling her, she could not breathe and thought she was going to die. She began screaming and Monroe put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her. Monroe then proceeded to rape the minor victim. After he was finished, Monroe told the victim he was afraid he was “gonna go to prison” and offered to pay the victim $500 a week not to tell anyone.
When the SANE nurse testified, she went through her detailed reports and explained to the jury what the minor victim stated at the hospital. The nurse took DNA swabs and photographed the 16-year-old’s injuries. The photographs were shown to the jury, including photos of bruises and abrasions to her neck and of the petechiae in the victim’s eyes and on her face caused by the strangulation.
During the trial, a DNA expert with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the swabs taken from the minor victim matched the victim and Monroe’s DNA.
Court dockets show that Monroe is a prior felon and was previously convicted of serious offenses, including assault and battery on an officer, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and robbery. When Monroe was sentenced in 2007 for robbery, he was sentenced to 20 years in the Department of Corrections, with 16 years suspended. Monroe did not comply with the terms of his release. His suspended sentence was revoked. The court docket shows that he was released seven months prior to the rape.
The FBI, the Vinita Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Todd and Blithe Cravens prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted 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. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
United States Attorney’s Office Announces Recipients of Victims Services AwardsRead the Press Release
As part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 19–25, 2026, United States Attorney Leif Olson announced the recipients of awards for outstanding work in service to victims of crime.
Receiving the Victim Services Award is Sarah Harms, victim-witness coordinator of the Statewide Prosecution Section of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. Receiving the Law Enforcement Victim Services Award are Deputy Erin Bennett, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office; Special Agent Holly Witt, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; and Detective Christopher Wuebker, Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office.
The Award for Victim Services honors individuals or groups working in a victim-service role. The Law Enforcement Victim Services Award is the highest federal honor for victim services presented to law-enforcement officers in Iowa.
“These recipients are heroes,” said Olson. “Victims and their families don’t ask to be made part of our criminal-justice system, but the system can’t succeed without their help. Ensuring that they are safe, respected, and understood throughout investigation and trial is crucial to making sure that justice is done. Deputy Wuebker, Deputy Bennett, Special Agent Witt, and Ms. Harms are role models, going above and beyond even the high standards of the local, state, and federal law-enforcement and victim-services teams serving Iowans every day.”
Detective Christopher Wuebker, Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Detective Wuebker receives the Law Enforcement Victim Services Award for his work investigating a cold case involving a missing 15-year-old victim, Jade Colvin. Detective Wuebker coordinated a multi-agency investigation that spent countless hours putting together a case that resulted in a second-degree murder conviction.
Detective Wuebker’s investigation began after the U.S. Marshal’s Service determined that Jade had last been seen in Winneshiek County in 2017. She was in Winneshiek County for only five days and was never seen again. Detective Wuebker worked with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to conduct interviews all over the country after identifying a suspect who was living in Georgia, James David Bachmurski, Sr, and finding evidence linking him to Jade. Bachmurski had moved from Winneshiek County and left behind a cell phone that was recovered during the investigation. Information from that cell phone put Jade at Bachmurski’s home and provided photos and text messages that showed her last few days were spent with Bachmurski. Deputy Wuebker did not just organize and analyze a tremendous amount of information to make the case against Bachmurski. He also connected with Jade’s family members, who were spread across the country, doing so even before charges were filed and keeping them updated on the status of the case. His communication with the family facilitated not only their cooperation, but also their commitment to pursuing justice for Jade.
Deputy Erin Bennett, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office; Special Agent Holly Witt, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; Sarah Harms, Statewide Prosecutions Section, Iowa Attorney General’s Office. Deputy Bennett and Special Agent Witt receive the Law Enforcement Victim Services Award and Harms receives the Award for Victim Services for their work leading to the successful arrest of two predatory criminals alleged to have sexually abused a vulnerable young girl over a period of time.
Deputy Bennett began investigating when the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a vulnerable 18-year-old girl was being sexually abused. When she asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to assist, Special Agent Witt joined the investigation. Over several months, they built a case while building a close rapport with the victim. As a result of their work, the mother and mother’s boyfriend were arrested and charged with Human Trafficking, Kidnapping in the First Degree, Sex Abuse in the Second Degree, and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Harms was assigned as the victim-witness coordinator on the criminal case and immediately began supporting the victim and providing her with necessary resources.
When the victim signed herself out of the out-of-state residential facility where she had been placed, the team became concerned that she was again being victimized. They contacted local law enforcement while Harms travelled to the victim’s location. Thanks to their strong relationship with the victim, they were able to assist the local law-enforcement officers with calming and reassuring her while they arrested the man with whom she was found, and Harms remained on the phone with the victim for the duration of her trip to the site. Harms then accompanied the victim to a local hospital to support her during a sexual-abuse exam, and Special Agent Witt travelled to pick up the victim from the hospital to transport her personally to Des Moines (and stay with her overnight) so the victim would not have to suffer yet another lengthy, traumatic interaction with a stranger. Harms, Deputy Bennett, Special Agent Witt, continue to make sure the victim is getting the services and resources she needs while the criminal cases against those accused of abusing her are pending.
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U.S. Soldier Charged with Using Classified Information to Profit from Prediction Market BetsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a U.S. Army soldier, with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. The charges arise from an alleged scheme in which Van Dyke used sensitive classified information to make wagers on Polymarket, a prediction marketplace. As alleged in the indictment, Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” and Van Dyke used his access to classified information about that operation to personally profit. Van Dyke will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York.
“Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”
“Today’s announcement makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.”
“Prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “The defendant allegedly violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit. That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law. Those entrusted to safeguard our nation’s secrets have a duty to protect them and our armed service members, and not to use that information for personal financial gain. Our Office will continue to hold accountable those who misuse confidential or classified information in a way that undermines and exploits our national security.”
“Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly betrayed his fellow soldiers by utilizing classified information for his own financial gain,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. “Van Dyke profited more than $400,000 by trading various outcomes related to Venezuela after learning of the operation because of his role as a U.S. Army soldier. The FBI will continue to investigate threats to our nation's security especially from those entrusted to safeguard sensitive classified information and military operations.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, Van Dyke has been an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, a military base located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In connection with his work, Van Dyke signed nondisclosure agreements in which he promised to “never divulge, publish, or reveal by writing, words, conduct, or otherwise . . . any classified or sensitive information” relating to military operations. Starting around Dec. 8, 2025, and continuing through at least Jan. 6, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, a military operation to capture Maduro, and had access to sensitive, nonpublic, classified information about that operation.
In 2025, Polymarket, a prediction marketplace operated by Blockratize Inc., began offering binary event contracts related to whether certain events involving Venezuela and/or Maduro would, or would not, occur. Those event contracts included the future likelihood of “US forces in Venezuela by” certain dates, the future likelihood of Maduro being “out” of or removed from power by certain dates, the future likelihood of the U.S. invading Venezuela by on or before Jan. 31, and the future likelihood of President Trump “invoking War Powers against Venezuela” by a certain date.
As alleged, on or about Dec. 26, 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account, funded it, and began trading on Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets. In total, Van Dyke made approximately 13 bets from Dec. 27, 2025, through the evening of Jan. 26. Those bets all took the “YES” position on “U.S. Forces in Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026”; “Maduro out by . . . January 31, 2026”; “Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by . . . January 31,”; or “Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by . . . January 31.” Van Dyke bet a total of approximately $33,034 on those outcomes while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.
In the predawn hours of Jan. 3, the U.S. apprehended Maduro and his wife at a residence in Caracas, Venezuela, and hours later the President of the United States announced the successful operation. Following the President’s public announcement, Polymarket resolved several Maduro- and Venezuela-related contracts to “YES,” including the markets “Maduro out by . . . January 31, 2026,” and “US forces in Venezuela by . . . January 31, 2026.” As a result, Van Dyke won his wagers on those contracts. In total, Van Dyke allegedly profited approximately $409,881.
Following his successful trading relating to Maduro- and Venezuela-related contracts, Van Dyke allegedly sent most of his proceeds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a newly created online brokerage account. The same day of the operation, Van Dyke withdrew the majority of his allegedly unlawful proceeds from his Polymarket account. Shortly after the announcement of Operation Absolute Resolve, reports of unusual trading in Maduro-related contracts on Polymarket appeared in the press and on social media. Van Dyke then took steps to conceal his identity as the trader in the Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets. On or about January 6, 2026, for example, Van Dyke asked Polymarket to delete his Polymarket account, falsely claiming that he had lost access to the email address to which the account had been associated. That same day, Van Dyke changed the email registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account to an email address that was not subscribed to in his name, and which he had created on or about Dec. 14, 2025.
Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of an unlawful monetary transaction, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Ryan B. Finkel, and Juliana N. Murray for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Acting Deputy Chief Tanner Kroeger and Trial Attorney Eli Ross of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence & Export Control Section.
U.S. Soldier Charged with Using Classified Information to Profit from Prediction Market BetsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Kash Patel, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging GANNON KEN VAN DYKE, a U.S. Army Soldier, with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. The charges arise from an alleged scheme in which VAN DYKE used sensitive classified information to make wagers on Polymarket, a prediction marketplace. As alleged in the Indictment, VAN DYKE participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” and VAN DYKE used his access to classified information about that operation to personally profit. VAN DYKE will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York.
“Prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “The defendant allegedly violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit. That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law. Those entrusted to safeguard our nation’s secrets have a duty to protect them and our armed service members, and not to use that information for personal financial gain. Our Office will continue to hold accountable those who misuse confidential or classified information in a way that undermines and exploits our national security.”
“Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”
“Today’s announcement makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.”
“Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly betrayed his fellow soldiers by utilizing classified information for his own financial gain,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Van Dyke profited more than $400,000 by trading various outcomes related to Venezuela after learning of the operation because of his role as a U.S. Army soldier. The FBI will continue to investigate threats to our nation's security especially from those entrusted to safeguard sensitive classified information and military operations.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
VAN DYKE has been an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, a military base located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In connection with his work, VAN DYKE signed nondisclosure agreements in which he promised to “never divulge, publish, or reveal by writing, words, conduct, or otherwise . . . any classified or sensitive information” relating to military operations. Starting around December 8, 2025, and continuing through at least January 6, 2026, VAN DYKE was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, a military operation to capture Maduro, and had access to sensitive, nonpublic, classified information about that operation.
In 2025, Polymarket, a prediction marketplace operated by Blockratize, Inc., began offering binary event contracts related to whether certain events involving Venezuela and/or Maduro would, or would not, occur. Those event contracts included the future likelihood of “US forces in Venezuela by” certain dates, the future likelihood of Maduro being “out” of or removed from power by certain dates, the future likelihood of the U.S. invading Venezuela by on or before January 31, 2026, and the future likelihood of President Trump “invokeing War Powers against Venezuela” by a certain date.
As alleged, on or about December 26, 2025, VAN DYKE created a Polymarket account, funded it, and began trading on Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets. In total, VAN DYKE made approximately 13 bets from December 27, 2025, through the evening of January 2, 2026. Those bets all took the “YES” position on “U.S. Forces in Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026”; “Maduro out by . . . January 31, 2026”; “Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by . . . January 31,”; or “Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by . . . January 31.” VAN DYKE bet a total of approximately $33,034 on those outcomes while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.
In the predawn hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces apprehended Maduro and his wife at a residence in Caracas, Venezuela, and hours later the President of the United States announced the successful operation. Following the President’s public announcement, Polymarket resolved several Maduro- and Venezuela-related contracts to “YES,” including the markets “Maduro out by . . . January 31, 2026,” and “US forces in Venezuela by . . . January 31, 2026.” As a result, VAN DYKE won his wagers on those contracts. In total, VAN DYKE allegedly profited approximately $409,881.
Following his successful trading relating to Maduro- and Venezuela-related contracts, VAN DYKE allegedly sent most of his proceeds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a newly created online brokerage account. The same day of the operation, VAN DYKE withdrew the majority of his allegedly unlawful proceeds from his Polymarket account. Shortly after the announcement of Operation Absolute Resolve, reports of unusual trading in Maduro-related contracts on Polymarket appeared in the press and on social media. VAN DYKE then took steps to conceal his identity as the trader in the Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets. On or about January 6, 2026, for example, VAN DYKE asked Polymarket to delete his Polymarket account, falsely claiming that he had lost access to the email address to which the account had been associated. That same day, VAN DYKE changed the email registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account to an email address that was not subscribed to in his name, and which he had created on or about December 14, 2025.
* * *
VAN DYKE, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of an unlawful monetary transaction, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. Clayton also thanked the United States Department of War, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mr. Clayton also acknowledged Polymarket’s cooperation in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Ryan B. Finkel, and Juliana N. Murray are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Acting Deputy Chief Tanner Kroeger and Trial Attorney Eli Ross of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence & Export Control Section.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Partners with Judi’s Place for Kids for Therapy Dog to Support Crime Victims and WitnessesRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky has partnered with Judi’s Place for Kids, a children’s advocacy center, headquartered in Pikeville, Ky., for use of their certified facility dog throughout the district.
A highly trained facility dog used in proper circumstances can reduce the stress experienced by victims and witnesses, foster connections with the prosecution team, encourage communication, and inspire a sense of trust.
Leslee is the Facility Dog for Judi's Place. Leslee or "Les" has been serving with Judi’s Place for the past seven years. Les's role is to support the children at their office and in judicial proceedings. This involves cuddling with children before and after therapy sessions, walking them to their sessions, and accompanying children as they testify in court. Les also attends many education and community events for Judi's Place. Les knows over 50 commands. Before coming to Judi's Place, Leslee trained for two years to become certified through Canine Companions.
“Protecting children and pursuing those who exploit them remains a top priority for our Office,” said Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This partnership with Judi’s Place for Kids enhances our ability to support victims in a trauma-informed way, strengthening our cases and our commitment to justice. During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we are proud to take this step forward in better serving our communities.”
“Leslee and Judi’s Place for Kids are honored for a chance to serve even more children and victims throughout the Commonwealth,” said Judi’s Place for Kids. “We cannot wait to show the difference a canine can make in the life of child victim.”
Judi’s Place for Kids – a bright solution for abused children – is a community working together promoting safety and justice, offering hope and healing so that all may thrive and reach their full potential. Judi’s Place is a non-profit established in 1999 with locations in Pikeville and Prestonsburg, serving Pike, Floyd, Johnson, Martin, and Magoffin Counties in eastern Kentucky. Judi's Place for Kids provides two programs: accredited children's advocacy center services and CASA (court-appointed special advocates) of Eastern Kentucky.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Honors Advocates During National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
In recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Thomas E. Wheeler II, honored 18 members of federal, state, and local law enforcement at a private ceremony. The event celebrated professionals who have gone above and beyond advocating for the rights and well‑being of federal crime victims, demonstrating exceptional dedication to supporting survivors, raising awareness, and driving meaningful change in their communities.
The U.S. Attorney Office relies on a team of experienced victim‑witness professionals who listen to victims, help them navigate the criminal justice process, and ensure their voices are heard. Financial litigation and asset forfeiture teams act diligently to maximize asset recovery on behalf of victims. Every day, Assistant U.S. Attorneys appear in court to advocate for victims’ rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) and take action to protect those affected by federal crime.
In fiscal year 2025, our victim witness professionals contacted victims more than 14,000 times regarding services and court updates; asset forfeiture personnel collected more than $2.6 million in criminal restitution debts and forfeiture actions granted to victims via remission or restoration; and Financial Litigation Programs collected over $7.4 million in civil actions to enforce debts. This impressive work illustrates how our District listens, acts, and advocates on behalf of victims.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler also recognized Victim Witness Coordinators Stephanie Lloyd and Johnna Preidt, expressing gratitude for their leadership in organizing these annual efforts and for their unwavering, daily commitment to advocating for victims of crime in federal court.
The categories and honorees are listed as follows:
Victim Advocate Award honors the tireless efforts of victim advocates who work on the front lines, offering emotional support, resources, and guidance to those affected by trauma. Whether providing advocacy during legal proceedings, connecting victims with necessary services, or ensuring their voices are heard, the recipient of this award goes above and beyond to ensure that victims' rights are upheld, and their well-being is prioritized.
Awarded to:
- Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Centers
Federal Law Enforcement Victim Assistance Award recognizes the recipient’s commitment to ensuring victims' rights are upheld, providing them with compassionate support throughout investigations, and working to ensure they receive necessary resources and assistance. The recipient of this award demonstrates exceptional dedication to both the investigative process and the well-being of victims, working tirelessly to navigate the complex legal landscape while offering empathy and advocacy. It highlights their key role in bridging the gap between law enforcement and victims, helping to secure justice and support in the aftermath of crime.
Awarded to:
- Cassandra Jones, Special Agent, ATF
- Todd Bevington, Special Agent, ATF
- Kristen Hartman, Detective, IMPD
- Ryan Clark, Detective, IMPD (Retired)
Assistant United States Attorney Victim Assistance Award honors the outstanding efforts of an AUSA in providing exceptional support and advocacy for victims throughout the federal legal process. This prestigious award recognizes a deep understanding of the emotional and psychological challenges faced by victims, going above and beyond their legal duties to offer guidance, support, and resources. This distinction highlights the integral role AUSAs play in balancing the pursuit of justice with the compassionate treatment of victims.
Awarded to:
- Adam Eakman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
- Bradley Blackington, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
- Michelle Brady, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
Support Professional Victim Assistance Award recognizes exceptional contributions to supporting victims of crime throughout the legal process, particularly in cases involving trauma or violence. This award honors the recipient’s dedication to managing the logistical and administrative aspects of cases, while also offering emotional support and compassion to victims during often difficult and overwhelming legal proceedings.
Awarded to:
- Jennifer Ross, Financial Litigation Paralegal Specialist, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana
- Molly Waldrop, Criminal Paralegal Specialist, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana
- Maurine Bwambok, Victim Witness Assistant, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana
Victim Assistance Trial Team Award recognizes the exceptional collaboration and dedication of a team working to support victims throughout the trial process. This award honors the collective efforts of law enforcement, legal professionals, victim advocates, and support staff who work together to ensure victims are informed, supported, and treated with dignity during legal proceedings. The recipients of this award have demonstrated outstanding teamwork in navigating the complexities of criminal trials, while prioritizing the needs and well-being of victims.
Awarded to:
U.S. v. Cameron Love
- Brendan Sullivan, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
- Pam Domash, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
- Shane Penney, Paralegal Specialist
- Kathy Wells, IT Systems Manager
U.S. v. Ellen Corn
- Michael Moore, Special Agent, U.S. Secret Service
- Greg Brescher, Detective Sergeant, Jasper Police Department
- Matt Miller, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
- Tuesdae Suttles, Paralegal Specialist
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U.S. Attorney Capito to Hold Press Conference in Beckley to Announce Sentencing in over $1 Million COVID-19 Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Moore Capito will hold a press conference tomorrow, Friday, April 24, 2026, outside the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse and Federal Building in Beckley, following the sentencing of a Raleigh County man for theft of government money.
Ross Jay Bailey, 51, of Cool Ridge, admitted that he obtained a $2 million loan through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for his business and instead converted at least $1.4 million of the proceeds for his personal enrichment.
Bailey is one of three family members who pleaded guilty to stealing a total of more than $4 million in COVID-19 relief fund proceeds.
Capito will also provide an update on his office’s COVID-19 fraud prosecutions to date and announce the ongoing coordination with the recently established National Fraud Enforcement Division (NFED).
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Friday, April 24, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. or following the conclusion of the sentencing hearing (sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.)
WHERE: East Portico, Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse and Federal Building, 110 North Heber Street, Beckley.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Two Illegal Aliens Indicted for Trafficking 3 Kilograms of Fentanyl Powder Through Fresno CountyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Santos Eliodo Irias Lobo, 36, of El Salvador, and Dariel Antonio Florentino Moncada, 21, of Honduras, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on April 11, 2026, the defendants were traveling through Fresno County on I-5 to Oakland when law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop for speeding and other traffic violations. Lobo was the driver and presented the vehicle’s registration and an El Salvador ID card showing the name of another individual. Lobo consented to a search of the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of three 1-kilogram packages of fentanyl powder destined for Oakland.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sanchez is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a fine up to $10 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Twice-Deported El Salvadoran National Charged with Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Jose Adilio Anaya-Alas (36, El Salvador) has been charged by federal indictment with illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Anaya-Alas faces up to two years in federal prison and subsequent deportation and removal from the United States. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, on September 16, 2015, and again on November 19, 2015, Anaya-Alas was removed from the United States by immigration authorities. On March 25, 2026, Anaya-Alas was found to be voluntarily back in the United States and was arrested in the Middle District of Florida. Records checks confirmed that he had not applied to U.S. immigration authorities for permission to lawfully reenter the United States after his prior removals.
This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the United States Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and human trafficking.
Twenty-Nine Members and Associates of Jersey City Drug Trafficking Organization Arrested with Narcotics and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Twenty-nine members and associates of a Jersey City-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) were arrested this week with fentanyl and cocaine trafficking and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
This week’s charges are the result of a long-term wiretap investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office (HCPO); Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); the New Jersey State Police; and the Jersey City Police Department. The charges—against 31 individuals—include conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine; possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. (See chart below).
Twenty-nine defendants have been arrested in this operation so far. Twenty-six of the arrested defendants had their initial court appearances yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judges Jessica S. Allen and Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court. Three additional defendants had their initial court appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen.
“These defendants operated a large-scale drug trafficking enterprise that distributed massive quantities of dangerous drugs, like fentanyl and cocaine. That ended this week. Through the incredible, collaborative work of our federal, state, and local partners, we arrested 29 of these purveyors of poison, seized kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, and took numerous firearms off the street. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish our mission – protect the people of New Jersey, drive down violent crime, and shut the flow of dangerous drugs into this District.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Homeland Security Investigations Newark remains steadfast in its commitment to protect New Jersey communities from the threat of criminal organizations trafficking deadly drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, and in close partnership with our federal, state, and local counterparts, we are sharing intelligence and resources, identifying regional distributors and suppliers, and dismantling violent gangs linked to transnational criminal networks. Today’s operation marks a decisive step forward in our ongoing efforts to stem the flow of illicit opioids, secure our borders, and confront the fentanyl crisis that endangers lives across our state. New Jersey is safer as a result of these actions, and HSI Newark will continue to pursue those who threaten our communities with relentless determination.”
“These arrests send a clear message that ATF, alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners will not tolerate the dangerous combination of drug trafficking and firearms. This case exemplifies our dedication to dismantling criminal enterprises that threaten the safety of our communities and the lives of our citizens,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office is proud to have contributed to this operation alongside our federal, state, and local partners,” said New York Director of Field Operations Frank Russo. “More than 70 CBP officers, including SRT warrant entry teams, brought critical expertise to this effort, while CBP’s Air and Marine Operations provided essential aerial support. The arrest of dozens of suspected gang members and associates, along with the seizure of firearms, narcotics, and illicit proceeds reflects the professionalism and dedication of the task force teams. We remain committed to protecting our communities and disrupting violent criminal organizations.”
“This outcome is the direct result of law enforcement at all levels, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and ATF, working together to make neighborhoods safer. I commend the members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics and Gang Task Force for their professionalism throughout this investigation, and thank all of our law enforcement partners who made this operation a success,” said Prosecutor Wayne Mello of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
“This takedown sends a clear and unmistakable message: drug trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities. This operation is the result of seamless coordination among federal, state, county, and local law enforcement—standing united against those who profit from poisoning our streets,” said Jeanne Hengemuhle, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “These dangerous drugs destroy lives, fuel violence, and erode the safety of our neighborhoods. This operation strikes at the heart of that threat, but our work is far from over. We will relentlessly pursue, dismantle, and hold accountable those who endanger our communities, with unwavering resolve and an unyielding commitment to public safety.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants are members and associates of a Jersey City-based drug trafficking organization that operated and distributed narcotics in the areas of Mrytle Avenue and Mallory Avenue in Jersey City and elsewhere. During the investigation, law enforcement obtained multiple court orders authorizing the interception of wire and electronic communications occurring over multiple cell phones used for the drug trafficking organization’s activities. Law enforcement also used other investigative techniques including controlled drug purchases using confidential sources, mobile and fixed surveillance, and phone record analysis.
The investigation revealed that the DTO distributes large quantities of suspected fentanyl and cocaine. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted more than a dozen controlled drug buys, including substances that tested positive for fentanyl, from various members of the organization. On April 22, 2026, law enforcement executed dozens of search warrants for premises, vehicles, and other locations and seized more than approximately 15 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, three kilograms of suspected cocaine, a kilogram press, nineteen firearms, high-capacity magazines, a bulletproof vest, and more than $160,000 in cash. Two additional firearms were seized earlier in the investigation.
The count charging conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute carries a maximum potential penalty of 40 years’ imprisonment, a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $5 million. The counts charging possession with intent to distribute each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. The counts charging possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon carry a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents and task force officers with HSI, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy; special agents with ATF, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka; the HCPO, under the direction of Prosecutor Wayne Mello; special agents of the IRS-CI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; the Jersey City Police Department, led by Chief of Police Robert J. Kearns; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Jeanne Hengemuhle; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Port Director TenaVel Thomas, with the investigation leading to the charges in this case.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which 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.
This investigation is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Maloy with the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark, with invaluable assistance from Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Assistant Prosecutor Erica Bertuzzi.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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DEFENDANTS
Defendant NameChargesPotential PenaltiesDefense CounselJAMAAR MCGEACHY, a/k/a “Mooky”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsAidan O’Connor, Esq.JOHNEL DUNLAP, a/k/a, “Supreme”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsMichael T. Simon, Esq.ALBERT CLAWSON, a/k/a, “Pop”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsLaurie M. Fierro, Esq.ROBERT SAWH21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsJohn Azzarello, Esq.NAKIA WIGGINS21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsStacy Biancamano, Esq.KION AMAKER, a/k/a, “Scooby”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsMaximillian A. Novel, Esq.KENNETH HAYWARD, a/k/a, “Cutty” 21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsTBDJIMMY LEE COOPER, a/k/a “Flip”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsPasquale Giannetta, Esq.CHRISTOPHER DANGELO, JR.21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsJoseph Amsel, Esq.SHANE IRBY21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsAdrien Moncur, Esq.RAHEAN BROWN, a/k/a, “Rah Rah”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsTBDSHAON GRIFFIN21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsCharles Alvarez, Esq.DURAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a, “D Nice”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsDavid E. Schafer, Esq.OMAR SISAY21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsMichael Pappa, Esq.HENRY BEATO21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsRoberto Espinosa, Esq.KEVIN HAMPTON, a/k/a, “CB”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsJacqueline E. Cistaro, Esq.DWIGHT MCGEACHY21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsJulian Wilsey, Esq.BRUCE TAYLOR21 U.S.C. § 846, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)5 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 years; up to 15 yearsLinda Foster, Esq.JAMAHL DANIELS21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsCharles McKenna, Esq.THOMAS NESMITH21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsErnesto Cerimele, Esq.YUSEF GREENE21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsAlyssa A. Cimino, Esq.IKECHI ANAELE, a/k/a “Ike”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsBruce A. Levy, Esq.RASHONDA RIVERS21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsLaura K. Gasiorowski, Esq.SEQUANNA RIVERS21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsJoel Silberman, Esq.RAMERE PARKER, a/k/a “Parks”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsMichael Rubas, Esq.ABDUL RAMSEY21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsKathleen Theurer, Esq.JEREMY POWELL, a/k/a “O Dog"21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsWilliam Strazza, Esq.KASIB JOHNSON, a/k/a “Peso”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsKevin A. Buchan, Esq.BASHIR ALLEN, a/k/a “Barshir Allen”21 U.S.C. § 8465 year mandatory minimum, up to 40 yearsPerry Primavera, Esq.SHAYNE LOVE21 U.S.C. § 841Up to 20 yearsTBDMANEL SMITH21 U.S.C. § 841, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)Up to 20 years; up to 15 yearsTBDRASHID SALEEM21 U.S.C. § 841, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)Up to 20 years; up to 15 yearsTBDTuolumne County Man Convicted for Receiving and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Following a three-day jury trial, Stephen Tyler Prock, 58, of Jamestown, was found guilty today of receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, as well as testimony and evidence presented at trial, between May 2018 and March 2020, Prock used his desktop computer to receive and distribute over a hundred videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Prock used the peer-to-peer file sharing network Shareaza to download and share the CSAM with others. Additional CSAM was in the process of being downloaded to Prock’s computer when agents arrived at his residence to execute a search warrant.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany M. Gunter and Calvin Lee are prosecuting the case.
Prock is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on July 27, 2026. Prock faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Three sentenced for roles in deadly transnational human smuggling operation following HSTF and JTFA investigationRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – More sentences have been imposed in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the death of a Guatemalan man and several other dangerous events, including a rollover crash, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Dagoberto Mizzael Flores, 25, Laredo, and Mexican nationals David Alejandro Gomez-Flores, 30, and Martha Angelica Limon Parra, 30, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an illegal alien causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now imposed a 240-month-term of imprisonment for Gomez-Flores, while Parra and Flores received sentences of 135 months and 60 months, respectively. Not U.S. citizens, Gomez-Flores and Parra are expected to face removal proceedings, while Flores must also serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence describing numerous instances in which aliens transported by the organization had to be “rescued” or were otherwise injured during their journeys. The court also heard evidence regarding Gomez-Flores’ involvement with Los Fantasmas, a Laredo-based gang working with Cartel del Noreste to smuggle aliens once they reached the United States. In imposing sentence, Judge Marmolejo emphasized the extensive and lucrative nature of the operation—which involved the movement of thousands of aliens—and each defendant’s reckless disregard for human life.
Mexican national Cynthia Gabriela Muniz-Carreon, 31, and Guatemalan national Edy Lima-Flores, 38, also pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced to 135 and 240 months, respectively. Lima Flores was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.
All five were part of a transnational human smuggling organization responsible for moving illegal aliens across the southern border of Texas. In one week alone, the organization generated approximately $79,000 in smuggling proceeds.
Authorities identified Muniz-Carreon and Parra as Mexico-based coordinators for the organization. Evidence showed that both participated in a WhatsApp group chat titled “La Oficina,” which the organization used to coordinate human smuggling activity. The group maintained detailed ledgers and color-coded spreadsheets.
Although many of the aliens were from Guatemala, the smuggling group instructed them to falsely claim Mexican nationality. This tactic exploited U.S. immigration procedure by ensuring the aliens would be removed to Mexico instead of their home country which made it faster and easier for the organization to smuggle them back into the United States.
Lima-Flores was the organization’s Laredo-based transportation coordinator who hired Flores, while Gomez-Flores served as stash house coordinator responsible for receiving aliens from Mexico and illegally harboring them in Laredo. Gomez-Flores had been involved with the organization since at least 2022 and received more than $330,000 for helping conceal and transport aliens illegally.
On July 2, 2024, Flores was driving a Ford F-150 transporting aliens. He fled when authorities attempted a traffic stop. The aliens scattered into the brush, including a Guatemalan national who became separated from the group. The investigation revealed he had repeatedly contacted Lima-Flores and Muniz-Carreon asking for help and sharing his location. Muniz-Carreon told him to stay well hidden and be patient. Authorities later found him deceased. His cause of death was determined to be from heat exhaustion, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees that day.
The investigation also revealed additional smuggling incidents dating back to 2022, including one in which an alien became so weak and delirious that he could no longer walk through the brush. Authorities also linked the same organization to a smuggling event April 19, 2024, that resulted in a rollover crash near Laredo. A Guatemalan alien involved in the crash suffered serious back injuries and required hospitalization.
Gomez-Flores, Parra and Flores have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, Laredo Police Department Gang Unit, Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Encinal Police Department, Customs and Border Protection and CBP Air and Marine Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Day prosecuted the case.
This operation is now part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes 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 South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Invesitgations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation/IRS; Interpol/Department of State and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.
The investigation and charges are also a result of coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security which has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners.
To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Three Individuals Sentenced for Separate Federal Gun Crimes in Rapid CityRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced three individuals for separate gun crimes. The individuals were sentenced on April 20, 2026.
Oscar Ortiz-Romero, 34, a Mexican national, was convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person and sentenced to time served after having been held for over a year. Ortiz-Romero was pulled over by the Box Elder Police Department on March 15, 2025, for speeding. He was driving while intoxicated. Ortiz-Romero is in the United States unlawfully and is expected to be deported. In the vehicle, Ortiz-Romero had a loaded pistol and, in his pocket, had ammunition. It is unlawful for an illegal alien to possess a firearm or ammunition. Ortiz-Romero was immediately turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities.
Avalon Gayton, 23, of Rapid City, was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. On September 5, 2025, Rapid City police officers initiated a traffic stop on Gayton’s vehicle. Gayton had a pistol in her possession. She had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by over a year in prison. It is a federal felony to possess a firearm or ammunition after such a conviction.
Ashton Shaw, 20, of Rapid City, was convicted of Receipt of a Firearm While Under Indictment and sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. On June 12, 2025, Rapid City police officers responded to a report of shots fired from a vehicle. Law enforcement found the vehicle and determined Shaw had been inside it moments earlier. Officers found a stolen pistol with an extended magazine inside the car. Shaw received and possessed this pistol after being indicted with a felony in South Dakota State Circuit Court. It is a federal felony to receive a firearm while charged for such a crime.
“These cases reflect this Administration’s ongoing commitment to reducing gun violence and keeping our communities as safe as they can possibly be,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “It is illegal under federal law for a convicted felon to possess a gun or ammunition, for an illegal alien to possess a gun or ammunition, and for someone under indictment for a felony to acquire a gun or ammunition. If you are aware of a felon in possession of a gun, or any other violation of federal gun laws, please report it to law enforcement right away. You can do so without giving your name and you may well be saving someone’s life.”
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The first case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and the Box Elder Police Department. The second and third cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted these cases.
All three individuals were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Tallahassee Felon Indicted for Gun & Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Christopher Lamar Daniels, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession with intent to distribute multiple controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Daniels 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.
Daniels faces a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 10 years’, and up to life, imprisonment on the drug possession count, and a consecutive five years’ imprisonment for carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. If his prior felony convictions are determined to qualify him as an Armed Career Criminal, Davis faces a minimum mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to life, if convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Tallahassee 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.
St. Louis Nonprofit Executive Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $2.3 Million Dollar Student Meal FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced the woman who fraudulently obtained $2.3 million in funds intended to feed hungry Missouri children to 41 months in prison.
Judge Sippel also ordered Cymone McClellan, 33, of St. Louis, to forfeit the vehicles and real estate that she spent meal money to buy and pay back the rest of the money that she obtained.
McClellan operated a nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.), that submitted false and fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services from about January 2019 to June 2022. Terra Davis, now 44, was McClellan’s second-in-command at S.O.L.R. and aided in the scheme.
At the start of McClellan’s enrollment with the state program in 2019, she submitted fraudulent management plans falsely claiming that her finance director, who was not truly a signor on S.O.L.R.’s account, would sign all checks and provide financial oversight. “These lies demonstrate that Defendant McClellan made a calculated effort from the beginning of her participation in the state’s meal program to enrich herself at the expense of hungry children in our community,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman says.
McClellan and Davis submitted false reimbursement claims for a total of 860,876 meals that they purportedly supplied to Missouri children but S.O.L.R. only purchased enough food and milk to serve fewer than a quarter of those meals. McClellan also provided dozens of bogus attendance sheets to DHSS to bolster her false claims.
McClellan’s fraud spiked after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the state from conducting regular in-person audits—and after the state allowed non-profits to run drive-thru meal services, the sentencing memo says.
S.O.L.R. submitted management plans to DHSS falsely asserting that state meal reimbursement dollars were spent only in connection with the provision of meals to low-income children, and that the nonprofit did not use meal money to make purchases over $5,000. McClellan spent $60,000 for the down payment on a house in Collinsville, Illinois and another $86,172 on a house in Florissant, Missouri. She spent almost $135,000 in student meal money more to buy five vehicles: a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a 2012 Chevrolet Express G3500 van, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, a 2012 Ford E350 box truck and a 2018 Lexus RX SUV.
“Cymone McClellan caused lasting damage to the program meant to feed hungry Missouri children, not only by stealing $2.3 million that should have gone to student meals but by diminishing public support and increasing cynicism through her corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus.
“Fraud targeting programs designed to feed children is particularly egregious,” said Inspector General John Walk for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. “This non-profit owner exploited a USDA program meant to feed low-income children during the coronavirus pandemic by submitting $2.3 million in reimbursement claims for providing meals the organization never served. Instead, the defendant lived lavishly off tax-payer dollars by spending the funds on two homes and five vehicles. Stealing from an emergency relief program meant to provide food to needy children for personal gain is depraved. This guilty plea reflects USDA OIG’s commitment to aggressively pursue those who commit fraud against USDA nutrition programs. I commend SAC Matthew Wilkins for his work on this investigation and thank the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration in holding the defendant accountable.”
“For the second time in as many months, we are holding accountable individuals who exploited programs meant to feed children for their own personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Cymone McClellan diverted approximately 75% of the taxpayer funds entrusted to her nonprofit over a three-year period. While children in the St. Louis area went without meals, she used those funds to pay for homes, vehicles, and luxury items. Let this case serve as a clear warning: those who steal from programs designed to serve our most vulnerable will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”
McClellan pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.Judge Sippel sentenced Davis, who also pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, to five years of probation in June of 2025 and ordered her to repay $2.3 million.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman 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.
St. Francis Man Sentenced for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on April 20, 2026.
Julian Arcoren, age 37, was sentenced to time served through April 20, 2026, equal to approximately 15 months in custody, followed by three of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Arcoren was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 4, 2026.
On January 3, 2024, in St. Francis, Arcoren distributed methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Arcoren was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
South Texas woman arrested for posing as federal agent in two separate fraud schemesRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 29-year-old Brownsville resident is now in federal custody for impersonating a federal agent and wire fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Mayra Collins is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Hampton April 30 at 9:45 a.m.
According to the now unsealed five-count indictment, Collins fraudulently posed as a federal agent with various agencies in 2022 and again in 2025.
She had first allegedly posed as an immigration officer employed by the United States to carry out a Visa fraud scheme. The charges allege she falsely represented she could expedite the process for obtaining U.S. Visas and took money from four victims.
In 2025, Collins pretended to be a Border Patrol agent with influence in the hiring of employees, according to the indictment. She allegedly told another victim there were job positions available, but they would have to send money to her for uniforms and ballistic vests prior to beginning employment.
The charges allege Collins never worked for the United States and had no power to provide victims of her schemes with Visas or employment with BP.
If convicted, Collins faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the two wire fraud counts as well as another three years for the impersonation charges. She could also be ordered to pay a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
CBP - Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the investigation in a coordinated effort with the FBI’s McAllen Border Corruption Task Force with assistance from the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Tyler Foster are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Six Defendants Charged with Participating in Violent Spree of Carjackings and a Home Invasion Robbery in Queens, Brooklyn, and on Long IslandRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal court in Brooklyn, an 11-count indictment was unsealed charging Leny Cruz, Brandon Corona, Eddie Nunez, Jose Ramos, Savion Jones, and Justin Kenny with variously committing carjacking, attempted carjacking, Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and interstate transportation of stolen property. Nunez was arrested yesterday in Mount Vernon, New York, arraigned this afternoon before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon, and ordered detained pending trial. The other defendants are in state custody in New York City and Suffolk County and will be arraigned at a later date.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF), announced the charges.
“As alleged, these defendants used violence to threaten and intimidate, turning their victims’ everyday routines into terrifying ordeals,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Armed carjackings and robberies strike at the core of community safety, and our Office will continue to work tirelessly to protect our community from violent predators.”
“The pattern of violent carjackings and home invasion robberies alleged in this case is exactly the type of gun-related violence ATF and our partners are working to stop,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo. “Through coordinated enforcement and timely intelligence sharing, we are disrupting those responsible and preventing further harm. This case reflects the impact of strong partnerships and a shared commitment to protecting our communities. Special thanks to the diligent efforts of ATF/NYPD’s Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension (SPARTA) Group, NYPD’s Queens Robbery Squad, USAO Eastern District NY, Suffolk County DA and Suffolk County Police.”
As set forth in court filings, between July 12, 2025, and August 2, 2025, the defendants engaged in a sprawling and violent carjacking and robbery scheme, among other crimes, which involved stealing numerous luxury vehicles, cash, and other possessions from several victims.
On July 12, 2025, Cruz and Ramos carried out a carjacking of a BMW M240i from the driveway of a home in Malba, Queens. Less than a week later, on the evening of July 17, 2025, Cruz and Corona carried out a carjacking of another victim’s BMW M3 in the parking lot of a smoke shop in Queens, New York. Several hours later on July 18, 2025, Corona and Nunez carried out an armed carjacking of a BMW 540 stopped at a red light on Prince Street in Flushing, Queens, pistol-whipping the victim. The following day, on July 19, 2025, Corona shot a victim twice in the leg on Blake Avenue in Brooklyn. Then, on July 24, 2025, Corona and Nunez carried out carjacking of a BMW X5 luxury SUV from another victim in Bayside, Queens.
On July 30, 2025, Cruz engaged in an attempted home invasion robbery of an individual in Orlando, Florida, who was involved in drug trafficking. Cruz then fled from Florida to Brooklyn in a stolen vehicle used during the robbery. On August 2, 2025, Cruz, Jones, and Kenny engaged in a home invasion robbery of a residence in North Amityville, Long Island, where they entered the residence with firearms and stole a large quantity of money.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of all charges, Cruz, Corona, and Nunez face up to life imprisonment; Ramos faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment; and Jones and Kenny face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen H. Petraeus and Alessandra V. Rafalson are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Marlane Bosler.
The Defendants:
LENNY CRUZ
Age: 23
Brooklyn, NYBRANDON CORONA
Age: 23
Brooklyn, NYEDDIE NUNEZ
Age: 28
Brooklyn, NYJOSE RAMOS
Age: 21
Bay Shore, NYSAVION JONES
Age: 22
Huntington Station, NYJUSTIN KENNY
Age: 24
West Babylon, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No 26-CR-103 (PKC)
26-cr-103_detention_letter_filed.pdfSioux Falls Man Sentenced to over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on April 21, 2026.
Alexander Juan Cotton, age 28, was sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released from federal prison, Cotton will have to register as a sex offender.
Cotton was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025. He pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between May 2, 2024, and June 13, 2024, when Cotton possessed over 300 images and videos of child pornography including of victims as young as 1-2 years old. Cotton obtained these files over the internet and through various online platforms including Telegram and Mega.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Cotton was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Shreveport Man Whose House Shamar Elkins Fled to Charged with Illegally Possessing Firearms While under Domestic Violence InjunctionRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT– On April 23, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana charged Michael Mayence, a 54-year-old Shreveport resident, by criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm while being subject to a domestic violence injunction. Mayence faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the charge.
“Shamar Elkins’ heinous acts have shined a bright light on the danger that domestic violence presents, and the fact that he fled to the home of a man who himself illegally possessed firearms while being subject to a domestic violence order reflects the need to deter this illegal conduct,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “This ongoing investigation shows our Office’s commitment alongside our law enforcement partners to fully investigate this tragic situation.”
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)’s mission is to prevent, reduce, and solve violent crime, especially firearm related violence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This arrest by ATF is to prevent further risk to the public from an individual who is prohibited to have firearms and demonstrated to law enforcement, through the ongoing mass shooting investigation, as a continued threat to public safety.”
After committing a mass shooting on April 19, 2026, Shamar Elkins fled from law enforcement to his associate Mayence’s home in Bossier Parish. After the scene was made safe, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Mayence’s home, which revealed that several firearms were inside the home. A review of Mayence’s criminal history revealed that he had been subject to an active domestic violence protection order since October 2024, with the order having been served on Mayence in December 2024 and lasting until May 2026, all of which prohibits him from possessing firearms under federal law.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
ATF investigated this case alongside the Louisiana State Police, Shreveport Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford with assistance from Legal Assistant Amanda Morgan.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer. The case number for this matter is 26-mj-00107-01.
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CONTACT: Public Affairs USALAW-News@usdoj.gov
United States Attorney’s Office www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Western District of Louisiana Twitter @USAO_WDLA
Seminole County Resident Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering and Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rachel Leah Sitton, a/k/a Rachel L. Sitton, a/k/a Rachel Sitton, a/k/a Rachel Leah Chesser, a/k/a Rachel Chesser, age 42, of Konawa, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, punishable by a term of up to 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine, and one count of Money Laundering, punishable by a term of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that from in or about January 2021, and continuing through in or about March 2021, Sitton agreed and conspired to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, through wire communications in interstate commerce, certain signals and sounds for the purpose of executing a scheme and artifice to defraud Customers Bank and the Small Business Administration.
The Indictment further alleged that on or about March 18, 2021, Sitton knowingly engaged in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000.00, that is a cashier’s check in the amount of $20,000.00 in U.S. currency, derived from the specified unlawful activity of Wire Fraud.
The charges arose from an investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
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.
Sitton is released on bond with conditions pending sentencing.Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.
Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting AmericansRead the Press Release
Warrant to Seize Property Subject to Forfeiture by Telephone
Jiang Wen Jie Criminal Complaint
Huang Xingshan Criminal Complaint
Application for a Warrant to Seize Property Subject to Forfeiture
The Department of Justice, through U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Criminal Division, together with its partners, today announced a series of coordinated actions by the Scam Center Strike Force against Southeast Asian criminal organizations operating scam centers that have defrauded Americans of billions of dollars.
The Scam Center Strike Force’s actions include criminal charges against two Chinese nationals who managed a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma and attempted to open another compound in Cambodia, the seizure of a Telegram messaging app channel used to recruit human trafficking victims to a scam compound in Cambodia in order to work a law enforcement impersonation scam, and the seizure of 503 fake invesment websites, among other actions.
Additionally, the Strike Force has continued to identify funds involved in money laundering from scam centers, seeking to seize and forfeit the same, and collectively the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department’s Criminal Division, and their partners have restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency alleged to be tied to money laundering from cryptocurrency scams.
Also today, in a coordinated interagency action, the Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against Cambodian scam center operators, and the Department of State announced rewards for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds related to the Tai Chang scam center in Burma.
“The President’s Executive Order Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens establishes a clear, whole-of-government strategy to confront cyber-enabled crime and transnational scam operations – bringing together law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic, and financial tools in a unified effort,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Building on that direction, the Scam Center Strike Force launched in November 2025 has delivered real operational results and reflects the kind of focused action this strategy demands. Together, these efforts are driving a coordinated campaign to disrupt and impose consequences on the transnational criminal organizations behind these schemes.”
“Today we announce significant milestones in that fight,” Pirro continued. “We have charged the Chinese bosses who ran a scam compound in Burma, where trafficked workers were beaten and forced to steal from Americans. We have seized a Telegram channel that was luring workers into a forced labor compound in Cambodia where they were ordered to pose as U.S. banks and NYPD to steal American’s life savings. We have taken down more than 500 websites used to steal people’s savings. And my Office continues to work to identify funds stolen from victims, having now caused restraint of more than $700 million in cryptocurrency involved in money laundering from U.S. victims of fraud. This Administration is lock-step in combatting these scams, and we are not done.”
“The Department’s Criminal Division is proud to partner with U.S. Attorney Pirro’s office on the latest enforcement actions of the Scam Center Strike Force to stop foreign-based criminal networks that exploit vulnerable Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Fraudsters who target Americans from overseas may believe that they cannot be reached, but the Department of Justice and our Strike Force partners are working to ensure that these criminals cannot operate with impunity, no matter where in the world they reside.”
Joining today’s announcement were FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia, U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Assistant Director Brent Daniels, Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Senior Bureau Official Chris Landberg, and Department of the Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Jonathan Burke.
“Eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump Administration,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are.”
“The FBI remains committed to protecting Americans from fraud, holding perpetrators accountable, and leveraging partnerships, intelligence, and enforcement to safeguard the public,” said FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia. “These joint actions represent a significant blow to transnational criminal organizations preying upon our American citizens.”
“The Scam Center Strike Force has been a collaborative effort since its formation,” said Assistant Director of Field Operations Brent Daniels of U.S. Secret Service. “The Secret Service is proud to be a part of this group, which is dedicated to pursuing the criminal networks that rely on our online and financial infrastructure to target American citizens.”
“The Department of State, in support of the Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force, is announcing two reward offers under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program to disrupt cyber scam centers in Southeast Asia and hold accountable those who prey on Americans online,” said Senior Bureau Official Chris Landberg of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “Under the leadership of Secretary Rubio, the State Department, together with our partners, will continue to protect the American people from cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes perpetrated by these insidious scam centers.”
Background: Cyber-Enabled and Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud in Southeast Asian Scam Centers
Cyber-enabled and cryptocurrency investment fraud (referred to by the scammers as “pig butchering”) is among the fastest growing and most financially devastating forms of cybercrime targeting Americans. In these schemes, victims are cultivated over time and deceived into depositing funds into fraudulent investment platforms that appear to show substantial returns. In reality, all victim funds flow directly to the scammers. The scam continues until the victim runs out of money or discovers the fraud, at which point the scammers cease contact.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), investment scams became the most commonly reported crime type in 2023, with cryptocurrency investment fraud comprising 83 percent of that category. Reported losses from these scams rose from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024. Reported losses rose 24 percent in 2025 to over $7.2 billion, according to IC3’s newly released 2025 annual report. Those figures, based largely on victim reports, are believed to significantly underrepresent actual losses, as most victims do not report to law enforcement. According to the United States Institute of Peace, a conservative estimate of the annual value of funds stolen by scam syndicates worldwide approached $64 billion as of the end of 2023.
Many of these schemes are run out of industrial-scale compounds along the Burma-Thailand border and in Cambodia. Criminal syndicates often lure workers to Thailand with promises of high-paying technical jobs, then seize their identification documents and traffic them to work in scam compounds. Within the compounds, trafficked workers are frequently forced to conduct fraud operations against victims in the United States and elsewhere under threat of violence. Public reporting on these compounds has documented beatings, electrocutions, and murder.
Criminal Charges: Shunda Compound, Min Let Pan, Burma
The Strike Force unsealed criminal complaints and arrest warrants against two Chinese nationals in connection with cryptocurrency investment fraud operations at the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Burma: two managers in the compound, Huang Xingshan, also known as “Ah Zhe,” and “Huang Xing Saan” and Jiang Wen Jie, also known as “Jiang Nan.” They are charged with wire fraud conspiracy.
Aerial surveillance photo of the Shunda compound in Burma, where forced-labor conducted fraud operations under threat of violence.The Shunda compound operated from at least January 2025 until approximately November 2025, when it was seized by the Karen National Liberation Army of Burma. The compound used scam websites and mobile applications disguised as legitimate investment platforms to defraud victims, including Americans. Workers within the compound were trafficked individuals who were held against their will and forced to defraud victims under the threat of violence and torture.
The FBI deployed personnel to Thailand following the compound’s seizure. Working with Thai authorities, including the Anti-Cyber Scam Center task force of the Royal Thai Police, FBI agents reviewed thousands of mobile devices and hard drives recovered from Shunda. Agents also interviewed tens of former compound workers. That investigation identified a hierarchical organization of Chinese operators running the compound and supported the charges against the two defendants.
Phones seized from the Shunda compound.According to the investigation, Huang served at Shunda as a high-level manager and enforcer and personally participated in the physical punishment of trafficked compound workers. Jiang served as a team leader directly supervising workers who specifically targeted American victims. Under Jiang’s supervision, one of the people under his command successfully defrauded a single American victim of over $3 million utilizing a fraudulent investment platform. The theft was celebrated within the organization as a paradigm of success.
The interior of one of the buildings in the Shunda compound in Burma.After the Shunda compound was seized, Huang and Jiang relocated to another scam compound located in Cambodia where they attempted to continue their cryptocurrency investment fraud operation. In early 2026, Huang and Jiang decided to return to Burma, traveling through Thailand.
Huang and Jiang were arrested on immigration charges by Thai law enforcement in early 2026 in Thailand. The case is being investigated by FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché in Bangkok and Thai authorities including the Anti-Cyber Scam Center task force of the Royal Thai Police.
The Strike Force conducted a first-of-its-kind seizure of a Telegram channel with more than 6,000 followers that was used to recruit individuals to travel to Cambodia under false promises of high-paying employment. Once there, recruited workers were held against their will and forced to defraud victims, including Americans, as part of a sophisticated law enforcement impersonation scheme.
The Telegram channel included postings for jobs in Cambodia that were specifically for workers who spoke with “American” accents, would work a night shift (i.e., during U.S. daytime hours), and some specifically sought attractive female candidates. The Telegram channel was connected to a scam compound in rural Cambodia near the Thai border.
The Telegram channel that was used to recruit individuals to work in Cambodia. A job post on the Telegram channel.Once at the scam compound, the scam workers specifically targeted U.S. persons. In the fraud scheme, victims received cold calls from individuals posing as bank representatives, including impersonators of JPMorgan or other U.S. bank customer service agents, warning them that their bank accounts had been used to purchase firearms from an actual U.S. gun store website. Victims were then transferred to individuals posing as “NYPD detectives” or other supposed law enforcement, and later sent to the “New York Supreme Court” or other purported prosecutorial officials. Through sustained pressure conducted over WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams, victims were induced to disclose their bank account information and ultimately transfer their savings to the scammers.
Individuals posed as bank representatives, worked from a script, and told their intended victims that their bank accounts had been used to purchase firearms from a gun store website.The Telegram seizure case is being handled by FBI’s Miami Field Office, USSS Headquarters, and investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. As part of the Strike Forces’s efforts at public-private collaboration on the scam center threat, after being alerted by law enforcement, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and Meta voluntarily took internal investigative measures to combat the fraud operating on their systems and occurring under their names.
503 Web Domain Seizures
The Strike Force announced the seizure of more than 503 .com web domains identified through the Operation Level Up initiative as having been used to defraud U.S. victims. The seized domains all were disguised as legitimate “investment platforms,” which victims reported to law enforcement were causing them to unknowingly deposit cryptocurrency funds and view supposed “returns” on what they believed were legitimate investments.
Operation Level Up, established in January 2024, by FBI and USSS is an ongoing proactive initiative to identify and notify victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud. As of March 2026: (i) Operation Level Up has notified 8,935 victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud; (ii) 77% of those victims were unaware they were being scammed; (iii) the estimated savings to victims is $562,726,245 of monies they otherwise would have sent to their scammers; and (iv) ninety-three victims have been referred to an FBI victim specialist for suicide intervention due to the devastating nature of these scams. Some victims have reported to law enforcement that—prior to being notified by the FBI about the scam—they were in the process of liquidating their 401K, selling their home, or obtaining a sizable loan. One elderly victim was surviving on disability pay; he had already paid the scammers $1,200 and would have cut into money he needed for food to pay more. Each of the 503 .com domains seized was identified by a victim contacted by Operation Level Up and involved in laundering that victim’s cryptocurrency funds.
Visitors to these domains are now informed on a splash page that it has been seized by law enforcement. The investigation was conducted by the Operation Level Up Initiative, with the FBI’s Detroit and Phoenix Field Offices handling the seizure with support from investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Examples of the seized domains that were disguised as legitimate investment platforms, causing victims to unknowingly deposit funds.Restraint of Cryptocurrency Involved in Money Laundering from Scams
The Scam Center Strike Force continues its work to identify, seize, and forfeit funds involved in money laundering related to scams, so that funds can be returned to victims whenever possible. Under leadership from the FBI and the USSS, more than $701,962,392.15 million in cryptocurrency has been identified as allegedly involved in laundering of funds stolen from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and restrained through voluntary actions of cryptocurrency providers, as well as U.S. legal process. The Strike Force is working tirelessly to forfeit funds with its goal of returning funds to victims, and it continues to support victims who have lost homes and life savings to these schemes. FBI San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, Seattle, Phoenix, Nashville, and Honolulu Field Offices, and the USSS Headquarters, San Francisco, Nashville, and Washington Field Offices investigated these matters and conducted associated seizures.
State Department Rewards and Actions Related to Tai Chang
Consistent with the Strike Force’s whole of government approach, in a coordinated action, the Department of State today announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds from fraud and money laundering schemes associated with the Tai Chang scam centers in Burma’s Karen State.
The Strike Force also announced the seizure of the latest domain used by the Tai Chang scam centers, fortuneprimeglobalirts.com. The domain was a new iteration of the centers’ fraudulent investment platform and was launched after the Strike Force seized its predecessor domain, tickmilleas.com. The latest seized domain was designed and functioned similarly to its predecessor scam investment website. Visitors to the domain are now informed on a splash page that it has been seized by law enforcement, and victims are encouraged to submit complaints to the FBI. The Tai Chang scam centers were subject of web domain seizures by the Strike Force and designations by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in November 2025.
FBI’s San Diego Field Office is investigating the case in conjuction with the FBI Law Enforcement Attaché in Bangkok. Tips should be sent to them at TaiChangTIPS@fbi.gov.
Treasury Department Sanctions
Also in a coordinated action, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced new sanctions against individuals and entities perpetrating cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes against Americans using forced labor and violence in Cambodia. The sanctions target Cambodian Senator Kok An, Cambodian businessman Rithy Raksmei, several associates, and their respective business empires, including holding companies for scam center operations.
About the Scam Center Strike Force
The Scam Center Strike Force was officially launched by U.S. Attorney Pirro in November 2025 to address the growing threat posed by Chinese organized crime syndicates operating scam centers primarily in Southeast Asia. The Strike Force targets cryptocurrency investment fraud, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering operations that have cost American victims billions of dollars.
On March 6, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Administration to prioritize cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes draining American families of their life savings. Through the Executive Order, President Trump is unleashing every available tool to stop foreign-backed criminal networks that exploit vulnerable Americans through cyber-enabled fraud. The Scam Center Strike Force is a critical node in executing the mission outlined in the President’s Order.
The Strike Force’s founding partners are the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service, who have now been joined by numerous additional law enforcement agencies as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Alaska, Rhode Island, and Western Washington. The Strike Force works in collaboration with other agencies, including the Treasury and State Departments. The Strike Force works in strategic partnership with private industry and calls on all U.S. businesses to take more proactive steps to protect users from scam operations.
The Scam Center Strike Force will use every tool available to help secure Main Street Americans from these scams. With its interagency and public partners, it will educate Americans on how to identify these scams, prevent generational wealth from flowing from America into the pockets of Chinese organized crime, and work with unwavering focus to return stolen funds to victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert for the District of Columbia directs the Strike Force, in consultation with Associate Counsel Richard Goldberg of the Department’s Criminal Division. The Shunda Compound cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Emma Ellenrieder for the District of Columbia. Cryptocurrency investigations and seizures were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Blaylock and Jafer Aftab for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jehiel Baer for the Western District of Washington, and Trial Attorneys Ethan Cantor and Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The Tai Chang case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Datta, all for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Cantor. The Telegram and 503 domain seizures were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seifert, Blaylock, and Ellenrieder. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Thailand provided significant assistance on the Shunda Compound case.
An indictment or a complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a Southeast Asian Scam Center scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
This press release has been updated to include more information about the assistance of Thai authorities.
Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting AmericansRead the Press Release
scsf_26-sz-27_signed_redacted_in_color.pdf jz_26-sz-27_jz_signed_redacted_in_color.pdf scsf_4_26-mj-17_wen_jie_ecf_7_redacted_complaint_and_affidavit.pdf scsf_3_26-mj-18_xingshan_ecf_11_redacted_complaint_and_affidavit.pdf scsf_x_26-sz-32_-_redacted_szw_package.pdfWASHINGTON – The Department of Justice, through U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Criminal Division, together with its partners, today announced a series of coordinated actions by the Scam Center Strike Force against Southeast Asian criminal organizations operating scam centers that have defrauded Americans of billions of dollars.
The Scam Center Strike Force’s actions include criminal charges against two Chinese nationals who managed a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma and attempted to open another compound in Cambodia, the seizure of a Telegram messaging app channel used to recruit human trafficking victims to a scam compound in Cambodia in order to work a law enforcement impersonation scam, and the seizure of 503 fake investment websites, among other actions.
Additionally, the Strike Force has continued to identify funds involved in money laundering from scam centers, seeking to seize and forfeit the same, and collectively the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department’s Criminal Division, and their partners have restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency alleged to be tied to money laundering from cryptocurrency scams.
Also today, in a coordinated interagency action, the Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against Cambodian scam center operators, and the Department of State announced rewards for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds related to the Tai Chang scam center in Burma.
“The President’s Executive Order Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens establishes a clear, whole-of-government strategy to confront cyber-enabled crime and transnational scam operations – bringing together law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic, and financial tools in a unified effort,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Building on that direction, the Scam Center Strike Force launched in November 2025 has delivered real operational results and reflects the kind of focused action this strategy demands. Together, these efforts are driving a coordinated campaign to disrupt and impose consequences on the transnational criminal organizations behind these schemes.”
“Today we announce significant milestones in that fight,” Pirro continued. “We have charged the Chinese bosses who ran a scam compound in Burma, where trafficked workers were beaten and forced to steal from Americans. We have seized a Telegram channel that was luring workers into a forced labor compound in Cambodia where they were ordered to pose as U.S. banks and NYPD to steal American’s life savings. We have taken down more than 500 websites used to steal people’s savings. And my Office continues to work to identify funds stolen from victims, having now caused restraint of more than $700 million in cryptocurrency involved in money laundering from U.S. victims of fraud. This Administration is lock-step in combatting these scams, and we are not done.”
“The Department’s Criminal Division is proud to partner with U.S. Attorney Pirro’s office on the latest enforcement actions of the Scam Center Strike Force to stop foreign-based criminal networks that exploit vulnerable Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Duva. “Fraudsters who target Americans from overseas may believe that they cannot be reached, but the Department of Justice and our Strike Force partners are working to ensure that these criminals cannot operate with impunity, no matter where in the world they reside.”
Joining today’s announcement were Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia, U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Assistant Director Brent Daniels, Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Senior Bureau Official Chris Landberg, and Department of the Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Jonathan Burke.
“Eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump Administration,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are.”
"The FBI remains committed to protecting Americans from fraud, holding perpetrators accountable, and leveraging partnerships, intelligence, and enforcement to safeguard the public," said FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia. "These joint actions represent a significant blow to transnational criminal organizations preying upon our American citizens."
“The Scam Center Strike Force has been a collaborative effort since its formation. The Secret Service is proud to be a part of this group, which is dedicated to pursuing the criminal networks that rely on our online and financial infrastructure to target American citizens,” said Assistant Director of Field Operations Brent Daniels, U.S. Secret Service.
“The Department of State, in support of the Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force, is announcing two reward offers under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program to disrupt cyber scam centers in Southeast Asia and hold accountable those who prey on Americans online,” said Senior Bureau Chris Landberg of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “Under the leadership of Secretary Rubio, the State Department, together with our partners, will continue to protect the American people from cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes perpetrated by these insidious scam centers.”
Background: Cyber-Enabled and Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud in Southeast Asian Scam Centers
Cyber-enabled and cryptocurrency investment fraud (referred to by the scammers as “pig butchering”) is among the fastest-growing and most financially devastating forms of cybercrime targeting Americans. In these schemes, victims are cultivated over time and deceived into depositing funds into fraudulent investment platforms that appear to show substantial returns. In reality, all victim funds flow directly to the scammers. The scam continues until the victim runs out of money or discovers the fraud, at which point the scammers cease contact.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), investment scams became the most commonly reported crime type in 2023, with cryptocurrency investment fraud comprising 83 percent of that category. Reported losses from these scams rose from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024. Reported losses rose 24 percent in 2025 to more than $7.2 billion, according to IC3’s newly released 2025 annual report. Those figures, based largely on victim reports, are believed to significantly underrepresent actual losses, as most victims do not report to law enforcement. According to the United States Institute of Peace, a conservative estimate of the annual value of funds stolen by scam syndicates worldwide approached $64 billion as of the end of 2023.
Many of these schemes are run out of industrial-scale compounds along the Burma-Thailand border and in Cambodia. Criminal syndicates often lure workers to Thailand with promises of high-paying technical jobs, then seize their identification documents and traffic them to work in scam compounds. Within the compounds, trafficked workers are frequently forced to conduct fraud operations against victims in the United States and elsewhere under threat of violence. Public reporting on these compounds has documented beatings, electrocutions, and murder.
Criminal Charges: Shunda Compound, Min Let Pan, Burma
The Strike Force unsealed criminal complaints and arrest warrants against two Chinese nationals in connection with cryptocurrency investment fraud operations at the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Burma: two managers in the compound, Huang Xingshan, also known as “Ah Zhe” and “Huang Xing Saan,” and Jiang Wen Jie, also known as “Jiang Nan.” They are charged with wire fraud conspiracy.
Aerial surveillance photo of the Shunda compound in Burma, where forced-labor conducted fraud operations under threat of violence.
The Shunda compound operated from at least January 2025 until approximately November 2025, when it was seized by the Karen National Liberation Army of Burma. The compound used scam websites and mobile applications disguised as legitimate investment platforms to defraud victims, including Americans. Workers within the compound were trafficked individuals who were held against their will and forced to defraud victims under the threat of violence and torture.
The FBI deployed personnel to Thailand following the compound’s seizure. Working with Thai authorities, including the Anti-Cyber Scam Center task force of the Royal Thai Police, FBI agents reviewed thousands of mobile devices and hard drives recovered from Shunda. Agents also interviewed tens of former compound workers. That investigation identified a hierarchical organization of Chinese operators running the compound and supported the charges against the two defendants.
Phones seized at the Shunda compound.
According to the investigation, Huang served at Shunda as a high-level manager and enforcer and personally participated in the physical punishment of trafficked compound workers. Jiang served as a team leader directly supervising workers who specifically targeted American victims. Under Jiang’s supervision, one of the people under his command successfully defrauded a single American victim of over $3 million utilizing a fraudulent investment platform. The theft was celebrated within the organization as a paradigm of success.
Interior of one of the buildings at the Shunda compound.
After the Shunda compound was seized, Huang and Jiang relocated to another scam compound located in Cambodia where they attempted to continue their cryptocurrency investment fraud operation. In early 2026, Huang and Jiang decided to return to Burma, traveling through Thailand.
Huang and Jiang were arrested on immigration charges by Thai law enforcement in early 2026 in Thailand. The case is being investigated by FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché in Bangkok and Thai authorities including the Anti-Cyber Scam Center task force of the Royal Thai Police.
Telegram Channel Seizure
The Strike Force conducted a first-of-its-kind seizure of a Telegram channel with more than 6,000 followers that was used to recruit individuals to travel to Cambodia under false promises of high-paying employment. Once there, recruited workers were held against their will and forced to defraud victims, including Americans, as part of a sophisticated law enforcement impersonation scheme.
The Telegram channel included postings for jobs in Cambodia that were specifically for workers who spoke with “American” accents, would work a night shift (i.e., during U.S. daytime hours), and some specifically sought attractive female candidates. The Telegram channel was connected to a scam compound in rural Cambodia near the Thai border.
Once at the scam compound, the scam workers specifically targeted U.S. persons. In the fraud scheme, victims received cold calls from individuals posing as bank representatives, including impersonators of “JPMorgan” or other U.S. bank customer service agents, warning them that their bank accounts had been used to purchase firearms from an actual U.S. gun store website. Victims then were transferred to individuals posing as “NYPD detectives” or other supposed law enforcement, and later sent to the “New York Supreme Court” or other purported prosecutorial officials. Through sustained pressure conducted over WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams, victims were induced to disclose their bank account information and ultimately transfer their savings to the scammers.
The Telegram seizure case is being handled by FBI’s Miami Field Office, U.S. Secret Service Headquarters, and investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. As part of the Strike Forces’s efforts at public-private collaboration on the scam center threat, after being alerted by law enforcement, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and Meta voluntarily took internal investigative measures to combat the fraud operating on their systems and occurring under their names.
503 Web Domain Seizures
The Strike Force announced the seizure of more than 503 dot-com web domains identified through the Operation Level Up initiative as having been used to defraud U.S. victims. The seized domains all were disguised as legitimate “investment platforms,” which victims reported to law enforcement were causing them to unknowingly deposit cryptocurrency funds and view supposed “returns” on what they believed were legitimate investments.
Operation Level Up, established in In January 2024, by FBI and the U.S. Secret Service is an ongoing proactive initiative to identify and notify victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud. As of March 2026: (i) the Operation Level Up has notified 8,935 victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud; (ii) 77% of those victims were unaware they were being scammed; (iii) the estimated savings to victims is $562,726,245 of monies they otherwise would have sent to their scammers; (iv) 93 victims have been referred to an FBI victim specialist for suicide intervention due to the devastating nature of these scams. Some victims have reported to law enforcement that—prior to being notified by the FBI about the scam—they were in the process of liquidating their 401K, selling their home, or obtaining a sizable loan. One elderly victim was surviving on disability pay; he had already paid the scammers $1,200 and would have cut into money he needed for food to pay more. Each of the 503 dot-com domains seized was identified by a victim contacted by Operation Level Up and involved in laundering that victim’s cryptocurrency funds.
Visitors to these domains are now informed on a splash page that it has been seized by law enforcement. The investigation was conducted by the Operation Level Up Initiative, with the FBI’s Detroit and Phoenix Field Offices handling the seizure with support from investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Restraint of Cryptocurrency Involved in Money Laundering from Scams
The Scam Center Strike Force continues its work to identify, seize, and forfeit funds involved in money laundering related to scams, so that funds can be returned to victims whenever possible. Under leadership from the FBI and the USSS, more than $701,962,392.15 in cryptocurrency has been identified as allegedly involved in laundering of funds stolen from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and restrained through voluntary actions of cryptocurrency providers, as well as U.S. legal process. The Strike Force is working tirelessly to forfeit funds with its goal of returning funds to victims, and it continues to support victims who have lost homes and life savings to these schemes. FBI San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, Seattle, Phoenix, Nashville, and Honolulu Field Offices, and the USSS Headquarters, San Francisco, Nashville, and Washington Field Offices investigated these matters and conducted associated seizures.
State Department Rewards and Actions Related to Tai Chang
Consistent with the Strike Force’s whole of government approach, in a coordinated action, the Department of State today announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds from fraud and money laundering schemes associated with the Tai Chang scam centers in Burma’s Karen State.
The Strike Force also announced the seizure of the latest domain used by the Tai Chang scam centers, fortuneprimeglobalirts.com. The domain was a new iteration of the centers’ fraudulent investment platform and was launched after the Strike Force seized its predecessor domain, tickmilleas.com. The latest seized domain was designed and functioned similarly to its predecessor scam investment website. Visitors to the domain are now informed on a splash page that it has been seized by law enforcement, and victims are encouraged to submit complaints to the FBI. The Tai Chang scam centers were subject of web domain seizures by the Strike Force and individuals and entities associated with the Tai Chang scam centers were designated by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in November 2025.
FBI’s San Diego Field Office is investigating the case in conjunction with the FBI Legal Attaché in Bangkok. Tips should be sent to them at TaiChangTIPS@fbi.gov.
Treasury Department Sanctions
Also in a coordinated action, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control today announced new sanctions against individuals and entities perpetrating cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes against Americans using forced labor and violence in Cambodia. The sanctions target Cambodian Senator Kok An, Cambodian businessman Rithy Raksmei, several associates, and their respective business empires, including holding companies for scam center operations.
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About the Scam Center Strike Force
The Scam Center Strike Force was officially launched by U.S. Attorney Pirro in November 2025 to address the growing threat posed by Chinese organized crime syndicates operating scam centers primarily in Southeast Asia. The Strike Force targets cryptocurrency investment fraud, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering operations that have cost American victims billions of dollars.
On March 6, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Administration to prioritize cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes draining American families of their life savings. Through the Executive Order, President Trump is unleashing every available tool to stop foreign-backed criminal networks that exploit vulnerable Americans through cyber-enabled fraud. The Scam Center Strike Force is a critical node in executing the mission outlined in the President’s Order.
The Strike Force’s founding partners are the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service, who have now been joined by numerous additional law enforcement agencies, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Alaska, Rhode Island, and Western Washington. The Strike Force works in collaboration with other agencies, including the Treasury and State Departments. The Strike Force works in strategic partnership with private industry and calls on all U.S. businesses to take more proactive steps to protect users from scam operations.
The Scam Center Strike Force will use every tool available to help secure Main Street Americans from these scams. With its interagency and public partners, it will educate Americans on how to identify these scams, prevent generational wealth from flowing from America into the pockets of Chinese organized crime, and work with unwavering focus to return stolen funds to victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert for the District of Columbia directs the Strike Force, in consultation with Associate Counsel Richard Goldberg of the Department’s Criminal Division. The Shunda Compound cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma Ellenrieder for the District of Columbia. Cryptocurrency investigations and seizures were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Blaylock and Jafer Aftab for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jahiel Baer for the Western District of Washington, and Trial Attorneys Ethan Cantor and Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The Tai Chang case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Datta, all for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Cantor. The Telegram and 503 domain seizures were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seifert, Blaylock, and Ellenrieder. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Thailand provided significant assistance on the Shunda Compound case.
An indictment or a complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a Southeast Asian Scam Center scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
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Sacramento Man Sentenced for Interstate Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jonathan Matthew Curl, 36, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to two years in prison and ordered to pay $282,193 in restitution, for conspiracy to transport stolen property and for interstate transportation of stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Curl worked with co-conspirators Trevor Fountain, 38, of Sacramento; Stephan James Evanovich, 46, of Placerville; and Andrea Carter, 35, formerly of Sacramento, to illegally enter communications towers and steal rectifiers and other communications equipment. Rectifiers are a power source necessary to maintain power at communications towers.
Curl obtained access information through his employers, and then shared that information with co-conspirators, enabling them to steal rectifiers without detection. Curl, Fountain, and Carter, were responsible for stealing equipment and transferring it to Evanovich, who then paid them for the stolen equipment. Evanovich sold the stolen property to legitimate third-party vendors in California, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. The conspirators stole, sold, and shipped more than 485 stolen rectifiers across state lines and stole more than 700 rectifiers from telecommunications towers throughout Northern California. Curl pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, 2026.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima are prosecuting the case.
Carter pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to 29 months in prison. Fountain pleaded guilty on Sept. 25, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2026. Evanovich pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2026. Evanovich faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Fountain faces maximum statutory penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
RelyOn Nutec Agrees to Pay $2.3 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – RelyOn Nutec USA LLC (RelyOn), a company headquartered in Houma, La., has agreed to pay $2,389,213 to resolve allegations that it fraudulently obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was ineligible.
Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP, which the Small Business Administration (SBA) administered. The PPP provided for loans in two “draws”—first draw loans became available in March 2020, with a second draw announced in January 2021. To be eligible for PPP loans, businesses were required to certify on their loan applications that they met certain size standards based on, for example, the number of employees they, and their affiliated entities, collectively employed. In determining number of employees, businesses generally were required to count all employees of U.S. and foreign affiliates. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans.
As part of the settlement, RelyOn admitted that, in January 2021, it received a $1,279,707 second draw PPP loan. RelyOn certified that it was eligible for the loan under the PPP regulations in effect at the time of the application and represented that it had 99 employees, including affiliates’ employees. RelyOn later sought and received forgiveness of the full amount of that loan. When it applied for the loan and when it applied for forgiveness, RelyOn did not qualify for the loan because it had more than 300 employees, when considering employees of its affiliates. Prior to 2021 and through 2022, RelyOn was a wholly owned subsidiary of RelyOn Nutec Holding A/S Denmark (RelyOn Denmark), a global company based in Denmark. When it applied for the second draw loan and when it applied for forgiveness, RelyOn had more than 300 employees, when considering employees of its foreign affiliates.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.
Owner of Florida Security Firm Pleads Guilty in Washington D.C. for Defrauding Paycheck Protection ProgramRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jewral McIntyre, 44, of Venice, Florida, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to participating in a conspiracy that fraudulently obtained more than $257,980 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Fraud is never a victimless crime—McIntyre’s actions diverted critical resources from the small businesses and workers who needed it most,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Our office remains committed to rooting out fraud, holding accountable those who exploit federal programs for personal gain, and safeguarding taxpayer funds.”
McIntyre pleaded guilty before Judge Rudolph Contreras to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Sentencing is pending.
According to court documents, McIntyre was owner of Rat Pack Worldwide Security & Consulting, a security consulting business registered as a corporation in Florida. In January 2021, an individual asked if he wanted to apply for a PPP loan in the name of Rat Pack.
McIntyre agreed that the individual who had approached him would receive a portion of the PPP funds if the loan application was approved and funded.
At the individual’s request, a co-conspirator created a PPP loan application for Rat Pack containing materially false statements, claiming that Rat Pack had 18 employees and an average monthly payroll of $103,192.35. In fact, Rat Pack had no W2 employees, and its payroll was only a fraction of the amount claimed.
In addition, the co-conspirator created false and fraudulent supporting documents to submit with the loan application. Those documents included false financial payroll reports for 2020 and false Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return (Forms 941), for each quarter of 2020.
On March 12, 2021, the Small Business Administration and Capital Bank approved McIntyre’s fraudulent PPP loan application and deposited $257,980.87 into Rat Pack’s bank account.
Next, the co-conspirators prepared a loan forgiveness application for Rat Pack. It falsely claimed Rat Pack had 18 employees at the time McIntyre received the PPP loan. It also falsely claimed that, for the period of March 12, 2021, through May 14, 2021, Rat Pack spent the full amount of the loan, $257,980.87, on payroll costs. On Aug. 8, 2022, McIntyre e-signed and submitted the loan forgiveness application. As a result, Capital Bank and the SBA forgave Rat Pack’s PPP loan.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.
Joining in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, D.C. Inspector General Daniel Lucas, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office.
This case was investigated jointly by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI Washington Field Office, the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office. This matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Babu Kaza and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Pleads Guilty to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of LawRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joshua Gabriel Blake, age 31, of Cameron, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information of one count of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The Information alleged that on January 28, 2025, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Blake, while acting under color of law as an Oklahoma State Highway Patrol Trooper, and while using a dangerous weapon, kicked the victim in the head, thereby willfully depriving the victim of the right, secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a law enforcement officer.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
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.
Blake was released on bond with conditions pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the United States.
Okfuskee County Resident Sentenced for Accessory to MurderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Sejaryee Lee Bear, age 42, of Okemah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served in prison (147 days) for one count of Accessory After the Fact—Murder in Indian Country, to be followed by a term of two years of supervised release.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Okemah Police Department, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
On August 12, 2025, Bear pleaded guilty in federal district court. According to investigators, on June 30, 2024, Bear helped Michael Wayne Lambert flee after Lambert shot and killed the victim at an Okemah apartment complex. In the hours after the murder, Bear turned off location services to her cell phone, deleted her location data, phone call records, and messages, and accompanied Lambert to the Bearden River Bridge on the North Canadian River, where Lambert discarded the murder weapon later recovered by investigators.
On September 11, 2025, a federal jury convicted Lambert at trial. On April 2, 2026, Lambert was sentenced to a term of Life in prison for one count of Murder in Indian Country, and a consecutive ten years for one count of Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
The crime occurred in Okfuskee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Ryan Conway represented the United States.
New York Man Indicted for Involvement in Stolen Identity and Access Device Fraud RingRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Dustin Lemmon Carpio, 33, of New York, New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, use of a counterfeit access device, possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices, use of a false passport, and aggravated identity theft. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Carpio 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, before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Carpio faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to commit wire fraud count; up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the use of a counterfeit access device, possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices, and use of a false passport counts; and a mandatory two years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence on the aggravated identity theft count.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
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 available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
New York Man Charged with Narcotics OffenseRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on April 16, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Errol Richards, 42, originally from Bronx, New York, with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Richards entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on April 22, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Richards be detained during the pendency of this matter.According to court records, the Defendant possessed approximately 47.2 grams of cocaine on September 11, 2025. Law enforcement found the cocaine as they arrested Richards on an outstanding state warrant.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Richards is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Richards faces up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Burlington Police Department.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Banker. Richards is represented by John-Claude Charbonneau, Esq.
New Orleans Man Convicted of Drug Conspiracy and Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – DESHAWN JONES (“JONES”), age 44, pleaded guilty on April 21, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, beginning at a time unknown but prior to December 27, 2021, and continuing to on or about November 25, 2024, JONES conspired with others to distribute fentanyl, crack, and cocaine in the Eastern District of Louisiana. On November 25, 2024, JONES possessed, with the intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, 28 grams or more of a mixture containing crack, cocaine, and 2 guns, including a Smith and Wesson, Model 67, .38 special caliber revolver and a DPMS Panther Arms, Model A-15, .223 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
As to the drug trafficking charges, JONES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least 4 years of supervised release. For the firearm charge, JONES faces a maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to each charge, JONES also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
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Nevada Man Sentenced to 92 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Nevada man was sentenced to 92 months’ imprisonment for drug crimes after law enforcement seized approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills during a traffic stop in southern Utah in 2023.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, comes after Christopher Gerard Ruiz, 42, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025, to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Ruiz was sentenced to three years of supervised release. His codefendant, Rachel Marie Aponas, 34, of Las Vegas, was sentenced on May 14, 2025, to 28 months’ imprisonment with credit for time served, and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made at Ruiz’s sentencing and change of plea hearings, on October 26, 2023, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper made a traffic stop on I-15. Ruiz was the passenger, Aponas was the driver, and three children ages10 and under were in the backseat. Aponas admitted to law enforcement that methamphetamine was in the car. A search was conducted, and law enforcement located in the rear cargo area of the vehicle in a small lunch cooler, packages of blue M-30 pills, which they seized. The pills field-tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 2,700 grams (approximately 30,000 pills). Law enforcement also located and seized a methamphetamine pipe, methamphetamine, multiple cell phones, and a digital scale. An additional analysis by the Utah state crime lab identified the M-30 pills as fentanyl. Both Ruiz and Aponas were arrested, and the children were removed by DCFS.
“The safety of children is a top priority of my office and this administration. The fact that Ruiz and Aponas had three children in the vehicle with illicit drugs, specifically 30,000 fentanyl pills and methamphetamine within arm’s reach is unimaginable,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “Anyone who jeopardizes the safety of children and our communities with poisonous drugs will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The case was investigated by the Department of Public Safety, Utah Highway Patrol (DPS-UHP), and the Utah State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
United States Attorney Joseph M. Hood of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Morgantown Night Club Owner, Two Others Convicted of Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey has announced that Mike Sheriff Scott, 47, Rachelle Gaston, 41, and Phineas Chaplin, 42, were convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances by a federal jury yesterday following a 7-day trial. Scott and Gaston were convicted of additional felony charges related to the drug operation, including Aiding and Abetting the Maintaining of a Drug-Involved Premise. The jury also returned a guilty verdict for Scott for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
“I am grateful for the swift and decisive actions taken by law enforcement that inevitably saved lives,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “This case should send a clear message to drug dealers that West Virginia is not open for business.”
Evidence presented at trial established Scott utilized CowGirlz Nightclub, which was not yet open to the public, on Earl Core Road in Morgantown, West Virginia as a front to distribute drugs. Evidence presented at trial established that Scott used the nightclub to sell methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as to store his supply of illicit drugs obtained from out-of-state. Further, evidence presented at trial established that Scott utilized individuals with substance abuse disorder to conduct renovations on the building to prepare it to operate as a nightclub and paid those individuals with controlled substances.
Jurors also heard about a shooting in Monongalia County which led investigators to obtain a search warrant for the nightclub. Footage from the cameras outside showed Chaplin firing at a vehicle and Scott cleaning up the shell casings from the crime. A subsequent search of the nightclub led to the seizure of five pistols – including two of the firearms used in the shooting – and ammunition concealed inside of a hidden compartment inside of the stairs to Scott’s office in the nightclub. Also seized were methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Recorded jail calls showed that Scott continued to attempt to operate the drug trafficking organization while incarcerated and solicited others to destroy evidence.
Chaplin previously pled guilty to another felony drug charge and a firearms violation connected to this case.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zelda E. Wesley and Eleanor F. Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 8.5 Years for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal district court yesterday sentenced Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, of
Minneapolis, MN, to 102 months’ (or 8.5 years’) imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for his attempts to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign
Terrorist Organization, namely the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as “ISIS,” announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. ISIS has been duly designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State since 2014.
According to court documents, Hassan began consuming information from and about ISIS and other State Department designated foreign terrorist organizations in at least 2024. For example, Hassan obtained and reposted ISIS propaganda articles and videos (some of them extremely violent) on his various social media accounts. He downloaded multiple files from a known media wing of ISIS, with names like, “The life of a Mujahideen,” “The month of Jihad,” “The return of the Caliphate,” and “The path of jihad.” He obtained online manuals written in Arabic on how to make highly explosive materials such as C4, urea nitrate, HMTD, and hexamine. He openly posted his desire for jihad and an Islamic caliphate on his various social media accounts. He also obtained manuals on ammunition-making and sniper-training skills, contacted an online school specializing in gunsmithing and drone technology, and conducted online research on topics such as gun ranges, ISIS supporter, Somalia weapons, and various articles related to ISIS-inspired attacks and terroristic acts on an interactive map.
According to court documents, Hassan had frequent and extensive social media communications with ISIS media wings and recruiters operating in Somalia. In November 2024, Hassan reached out to one such account that was spreading ISIS propaganda in Somalia and expressly calling for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and the overthrow of the Somali government, and
Hassan requested help contacting someone in ISIS-controlled areas in Somalia. He also referred to persons he communicated with as “commander” and “uncle” and referenced the “battlefield” in Somalia.
After several weeks of regular communication with accounts operated by ISIS members, Hassan prepared to leave behind his life in the United States in December 2024 and posted “I will become
ISIS straight away.” Hassan quit his job, liquidated his savings, and bought a one-way plane ticket for travel from Minneapolis to Somalia, to join and fight on behalf of ISIS. On December
13, 2024, FBI agents surveilled Hassan attempt to fly to Somalia from Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport (MSP). Lacking proper travel documents, however, he was turned away.
After acquiring additional travel documents, Hassan rebooked the same one-way itinerary to
Somalia, and on December 29, 2024, he flew from MSP to Chicago, enroute to Somalia.
Prior to boarding his international flight in Chicago, Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP)
Tactical Terrorism Response Team interviewed Hassan about his intentions, which prevented his onward travel. Inside Hassan’s only carry-on bag, CBP agents found his birth certificate, naturalization certificate, and high school diploma. During the interview, Hassan initially denied any nefarious intent but later professed his belief in ISIS, his consumption of ISIS propaganda, and his hopes for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, telling the CBP agents that he did not believe in democracy and that America’s justice was in fact terrorism.
Upon returning to Minnesota, Hassan continued researching ISIS attacks and activities and making social media posts espousing ISIS, including his praising the perpetrator of the January
1, 2025, ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans, Louisiana, who killed 14 people and injured dozens more, referring to the perpetrator as a “Muhaajid” and “the legend that killed the
Americans.” In late February 2025, Hassan created and posted his own ISIS-inspired videos, including of him driving his vehicle at night, while holding a homemade black ISIS flag in his hand, and displaying an open, long-bladed buck-style knife on his lap.
The FBI arrested Hassan on February 27, 2025 on a Complaint-Warrant filed with the U.S.
District Court. At the time of his arrest, Hassan had the same knife described above on his person and the homemade ISIS flag in his vehicle. On April 29, 2025, a grand jury returned an
Indictment charging Hassan with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, a qualifying “Federal crime of terrorism.”
On September 29, 2025, Hassan pleaded guilty to that charge before Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court.
On April 22, 2026, following a hearing in U.S. District Court, Judge Frank sentenced Hassan to
102 months’ imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release with special conditions.
“Abdisatar Hassan took active steps in an attempt to join and support ISIS—a brutal foreign terrorist organization responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of innocent people,” said
FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “Hassan celebrated the 2025 murder of 14 innocent Americans in New Orleans—a senseless attack on American soil, attempted to travel in order to take up arms on behalf of ISIS, and when unable to get to his destination, promoted ISIS and al-Shabaab propaganda encouraging others to fight against the
United States. The sentence handed down today takes a would-be terrorist off the streets and sends a clear message that the FBI and our partners will unremittingly pursue anyone seeking to join or support a foreign terrorist organization.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Customs and Border Protection, and the New York Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case with assistance from National
Security Division Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Eric Hanson.Michigan Man Sentenced to 270 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – On April 23, 2026, Devin Melvin, 33 years old, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Melvin was sentenced to 270 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Melvin was the organizer and leader of a fentanyl trafficking group consisting of Clinton Rouse, Tyler Wood, Justin Hervey, and Raquan Perry. The group worked together to distribute fentanyl pills throughout Michigan City over a period of approximately 10 months, between October 2023 and July 2024. During the spring of 2024, Melvin, Wood, and Rouse lived together at a home in Michigan City, and Melvin would transport tens of thousands of pills from the Detroit area to Michigan City for further distribution by the group. Law enforcement seized approximately 10,000 of these fentanyl pills during its investigation.
Last year, the other members of the drug trafficking organization pled guilty to various drug and firearm related offenses and were sentenced in federal court.
On May 20, 2025, Clinton Rouse of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
On May 22, 2025, Tyler Wood, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and illegal use of a communications facility.
On February 27, 2025, Justin Hervey, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced to 125 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm.
On June 6, 2025, Raquan Perry, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“Devin Melvin and his accomplices trafficked one of the most harmful drugs into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “Twenty-two and a half years in federal prison is the price he has chosen to pay for profiting from his illegal drug enterprise. Let this message be clear to those who seek to distribute this poison into the Northern District of Indiana: our law enforcement team will work tirelessly to find you and stop you. We are safer with this crew behind bars, thanks to the partnership of the DEA and their North Central Laboratory, ATF, the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, Michigan City Police Department, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, and the LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan and his office,” Mildred said.
“Illicit fentanyl remains the primary cause of overdose deaths and poisonings in the United States, to include northern Indiana. Often, fentanyl is hidden in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills, much like the ones trafficked by Mr. Melvin. Over the course of his unethical, immoral, and illegal career as a drug dealer, Mr. Melvin brought thousands of counterfeit pills, all containing deadly fentanyl, to northern Indiana from Michigan. It is unknown how many lives and families he destroyed. The Drug Enforcement Administration celebrates the collaborative effort among law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels in bringing Mr. Melvin to justice. He is now being held accountable for his crimes – and northern Indiana is safer and healthier because of it”, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chip Cooke.
“This case is another example of the strength of our shared partnerships in Northern Indiana in addition to highlighting the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Force as an important tool in combatting drug trafficking. The defendants in this case put profits over human life and helped contribute to an epidemic that is causing destruction in our cities and neighborhoods. Today’s sentence sends a strong message, but our work is not done. ATF will continue to work with our HSTF and other partners to disrupt firearm and drug trafficking networks and ensure those responsible are held accountable,” said ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon.
“This case reflects what is possible when agencies commit to a unified, intelligence-driven approach to public safety,” said Michigan City Chief of Police Steven Forker. “This was not a short-term effort—it was a sustained, coordinated investigation that removed a dangerous organization responsible for distributing fentanyl and contributing to violence in our community.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, Michigan City Police Department, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office, and the DEA North Central Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lydia T. Lucius and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Indianapolis comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, IRS, Indiana State Police, and other partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.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.
Mexican man sentenced for illegal reentryRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Mexican man who is in the United States illegally was sentenced to time served, 59 days, and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Juan Abraham Carranco-Carranco, 30, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of illegal reentry.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on February 23, 2026, Border Patrol agents received information regarding a possible illegal alien traveling in a Chevy Traverse, bearing Texas license plates. Agents attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle in Hinsdale, Montana, but the driver of the vehicle accelerated rapidly after noticing the agents, exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour before agents could activate their emergency lights. Due to the vehicle’s high speeds, agents were unable to maintain a visual of the vehicle and nearby law enforcement agencies were notified the vehicle was traveling eastbound on U.S. Highway 2 toward Glasgow, Montana.
Law enforcement stopped the suspect’s vehicle on Highway 2, near Oswego, Montana. There were two occupants inside. The driver was identified by his Honduran passport and issued a warning for speeding. Carranco-Carranco was identified as the passenger and detained.
Carranco-Carranco is suspected of reentering the United States on or about November 1, 2021, near Laredo, Texas. Records checks confirmed he has never applied for or obtained permission from the United States Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the United States.
Carranco-Carranco was first removed from the United States in September 2015 by Expedited Removal through the Laredo, Texas, foot bridge.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Border Patrol, Montana Highway Patrol, and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice conducted the investigation.
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.
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Maryland Resident Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jasper Collinson, 26, of Columbia, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
According to court documents, in October 2025, Collinson messaged with another user on a messaging application. Collinson told the other user about Collinson’s interest in child sexual abuse material. During the course of the communications, Collinson distributed nine videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Collinson also told the other user about a private channel on the messaging application where users distributed hundreds of videos depicting child sexual abuse. On Nov. 5, 2025, the FBI arrested Collinson.
A search of Collinson’s phone showed several conversations with other online users about child sexual abuse material. In one of the conversations, Collinson discussed prior experiences of having sex in front of a friend’s child and failed efforts to arrange to meet up with a minor for the purpose of having sex.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Kelley.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Man sentenced after selling fully automatic machine gun to undercover agentRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Colorado man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for selling a fully automatic weapon to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) agent who was working undercover.
According to court documents, Kyle Simmonds, 35, of Fort Morgan, Colorado, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.
In August 2025, the KBI began investigating Simmonds on suspicion of distributing narcotics and firearms. During a text message exchange with an undercover agent, Simmonds discussed selling an illegal machine gun and sent photos of a firearm. Simmonds and co-defendant Damien Zamora then traveled from Colorado to Decatur County, Kansas, to meet with the undercover agent. The agent saw a Heckler & Koch, model MP7 A2, 4.6x30 caliber machine gun in their vehicle which the agent recognized from the photos Simmonds sent.
Zamora confirmed the firearm was fully automatic and that he builds these guns. Simmonds told the agent it was illegal to own this weapon. The agent gave Simmonds money for the firearm and for narcotics.
Zamora pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machine gun and is awaiting sentencing.
“Make no mistake. I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “However, because I understand the damage these weapons can inflict, I know that guns, particularly automatic weapons, and selling drugs do not mix well. We will hold anyone selling illegal firearms accountable. These criminals have no regard for the possible loss of life when cavalierly selling fully automatic weapons to whoever is willing to pay their prices.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Fadler prosecuted the case.
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