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17 April 2026
Auto Parts Manufacturer and General Manager Sentenced for Illegal Storage of Hazardous WasteRead the Press Release
GOTEC Plus Sun LLC (GOTEC), a Delaware company, pleaded guilty today to illegal storage of hazardous waste. GOTEC was sentenced to pay a $275,000 fine and to serve a one-year term of probation.
On March 30, the court sentenced Natalie Fehse, the former general manager of the GOTEC facility, to five years of probation, including a special condition of 10 months of home confinement, and a $5,000 fine for her role in the illegal storage of hazardous waste.
“The illegal accumulation and storage of hundreds of containers of hazardous waste at GOTEC posed a substantial danger to plant workers, emergency responders, and the general public,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This prosecution sends the message that hazardous waste generators must properly handle hazardous wastes or potentially face felony prosecution for their illegal conduct.
“Unpermitted storage of hazardous waste that endangers Kentuckians will not be tolerated,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “I want to commend the collaborative efforts of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division on the investigation of the illegal conduct of GOTEC and its General Manager, which averted a potential disaster.”
“Companies that cut corners by accumulating hazardous wastes — such the hundreds of drums of flammable and toxic solvents hidden around the site in this case — rather than disposing of them properly endanger communities, workers, and first responders,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jeffrey A. Hall. “Such dangerous neglect is precisely what the law forbids. This case demonstrates cooperative federalism in action. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection’s inspection program found persistent, intentional violations of the law while EPA’s criminal investigative and forensic expertise ensured that the company was held criminally accountable.”
GOTEC produced parts for the use of manufacturing vehicles in Williamstown, Kentucky. As part of the production process, it applied coatings and adhesives to metal parts and generated hazardous waste, including spent solvents listed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
RCRA establishes a comprehensive cradle-to-grave program to regulate the generation, transportation, treatment, and disposal of hazardous wastes to protect human health and the environment. It prohibits the storage of hazardous waste at industrial facilities for extended periods of time without a permit. According to court documents, on June 27, 2024, the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection conducted an inspection at GOTEC’s plant and discovered semi-trailers, shipping containers, and an abandoned warehouse containing 249, 55-gallon drums of hazardous waste and approximately 27 cubic yards of hazardous waste stored in cardboard, wooden crates, and yellow totes.
GOTEC admitted that between January 2022 and November 2024 it did not properly dispose of all the hazardous waste it was generating, including hazardous waste that had been accumulating at the facility since 2022. GOTEC admitted that it stopped properly disposing of hazardous due to staffing issues, and decreased revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, it improperly accumulated and stored hazardous waste at the facility without a RCRA hazardous waste storage permit.
EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Senior Trial Attorney Matthew Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.
Auto Parts Manufacturer and General Manager Sentenced for Illegal Storage of Hazardous WasteRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – GOTEC Plus Sun, LLC (GOTEC), a Delaware company, pleaded guilty on Friday before Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to illegal storage of hazardous waste. GOTEC was sentenced to pay a $275,000 fine and to serve a one-year term of probation.
On March 30, 2026, the Court sentenced Natalie Fehse, the former General Manager of the GOTEC facility, to five years of probation, including a special condition of 10 months of home confinement, and a $5,000 fine for her role in the illegal storage of hazardous waste.
GOTEC produced parts for the use of manufacturing vehicles in Williamstown, Kentucky. As part of the production process, it applied coatings and adhesives to metal parts and generated hazardous waste, including spent solvents listed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
RCRA established a comprehensive cradle-to-grave program to regulate the generation, transportation, treatment, and disposal of hazardous wastes to protect human health and the environment. It prohibits the storage of hazardous waste at industrial facilities for extended periods of time without a permit. According to court documents, on June 27, 2024, the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection conducted an inspection at GOTEC’s plant and discovered semi-trailers, shipping containers, and an abandoned warehouse containing 249, 55-gallon drums of hazardous waste and approximately 27 cubic yards of hazardous waste stored in cardboard, wooden crates, and yellow totes.
GOTEC admitted that between January 2022 and November 2024 it did not properly dispose of all the hazardous waste it was generating, including hazardous waste that had been accumulating at the facility since 2022. GOTEC admitted that it stopped properly disposing of hazardous due to staffing issues, and decreased revenue during the COVID shutdown. Rather, it improperly accumulated and stored hazardous waste at the facility without a RCRA hazardous waste storage permit.
“The illegal accumulation and storage of hundreds of containers of hazardous waste at GOTEC posed a substantial danger to plant workers, emergency responders, and the general public,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This prosecution sends the message that hazardous waste generators must properly handle hazardous wastes or potentially face felony prosecution for their illegal conduct.
“Unpermitted storage of hazardous waste that endangers Kentuckians will not be tolerated,” said Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “I want to commend the collaborative efforts of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division on the investigation of the illegal conduct of GOTEC and its General Manager, which averted a potential disaster.”
“Companies that cut corners by accumulating hazardous wastes—such the hundreds of drums of flammable and toxic solvents hidden around the site in this case—rather than disposing of them properly endanger communities, workers, and first responders,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jeffrey A. Hall. “Such dangerous neglect is precisely what the law forbids. This case demonstrates cooperative federalism in action. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection’s inspection program found persistent, intentional violations of the law while EPA’s criminal investigative and forensic expertise ensured that the company was held criminally accountable.”
EPA-CID-CID and Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield and Senior Trial Attorney Matthew Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.
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Appleton Clinic to Pay over $380,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to the Marketing and Use of Electric Stimulation DevicesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Apple Medical Clinic and its principal, Dr. Michael Johnson, agreed to remit a total of $382,362.95 to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, by causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for electrical muscle stimulation, vitamin injections, and other related services that were not medically reasonable or necessary. The settlement amount is based on their ability to pay and consists of a $175,000 payment and the United States’ retention of $207,362.95 held by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, Apple Medical Clinic (“Apple”) offered outpatient treatment to block pain using the RST Sanexas neoGEN-Series device (the “Sanexas”)—an electric stimulation device developed by Nevada-based RST-Sanexas, Inc. (“RST”)—in conjunction with vitamin blend injections and other ancillary services, such as epidermal nerve fiber density testing.
These combined treatments, and the way they were administered, were not medically necessary and not covered by Medicare. Nevertheless, Dr. Johnson advertised them as covered by and billable to the Medicare Program. Dr. Johnson was also a major national distributor of the Sanexas and marketed the device for indications outside its FDA clearance and contrary to National and Local Coverage Determinations.
In particular, National Coverage Determination 160.7.1 states that “[e]lectrical nerve stimulation treatments furnished by a physician in his/her office, by a physical therapist, or outpatient clinic are excluded from coverage . . . .” Protocols for the use of the Sanexas with vitamin injections were formulated to maximize profit without regard for medical necessity.RST previously resolved False Claims Act allegations against it, along with its owners and affiliates, in a related agreement to pay $1.5 million to the United States. More information about this settlement and the electronic stimulation National Initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania may be found here: RST-Sanexas, Inc. and Its Owners Agree to Pay $1.5 Million; and U.S. Attorney Announces Additional Enforcement Action as Part of National Effort to Combat Electrical Stimulation Fraud.
The matter was handled in the Eastern District of Wisconsin by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Yun and Michael Carter. The overall resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Investigative support and assistance was provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Albany Man Charged with Theft of FBI Vehicle After TrespassRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Stephen Gullotti, age 59, of Albany, New York, was charged on Monday by criminal complaint for stealing and converting to his own use an FBI patrol car in the parking lot of the FBI’s Albany Field Office on April 10, 2026.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
According to the criminal complaint, Gullotti climbed the fence surrounding FBI Albany in the late evening of April 9, 2026. While on FBI property, Gullotti got into an unlocked FBI GMC truck in the parking lot and drove it around the secure parking lot, moving between parking spots and attempted to leave the premises at about 4:54 a.m. in the morning on April 10. Gullotti was later apprehended by security officers and detained.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “Gullotti’s alleged unauthorized jaunt through a secure federal lot was a brazen display of judgment that ended exactly where one might expect: in handcuffs. While the perpetrator managed to gain access to the FBI’s parking lot, he was unable to enter the building and is now facing a federal charge. This case serves as a blunt reminder that those who attempt to disrupt federal operations or violate the security of our law enforcement partners will be met with immediate and decisive action.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Gullotti illegally gained access to the FBI Albany parking lot but was not able to enter our building. While this incident is troubling, it proves our building and information are safe thanks to our security protocols. Let this be clear, we have zero tolerance for those who attempt to compromise the safety and integrity of our workspaces. We would like to thank our partners at Albany PD for their swift assistance with this investigation and our colleagues at the Northern District of New York for recognizing the severity of the allegations concerning Mr. Gullotti and charging him federally.”
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge filed against Gullotti carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The FBI and the Albany Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping and Nicholas Walter are prosecuting the case.
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Albany County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Little M. Johnson, age 21, of Albany, New York, pled guilty on Tuesday in federal court to possession of child pornography.
The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted that on October 9, 2025, while on probation for a 2023 conviction for Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, in violation of New York Penal Law, he possessed numerous videos of child pornography, including some that depicted children as young as three years old being sexually abused.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Children should be protected, not exploited to satisfy the deviant sexual desires of individuals like this defendant. This is why the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners have made it our priority to root out and punish anyone engaging in such conduct to the fullest extent of the law.”
Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo, stated: “This plea by a repeat offender who collected images of children being sexually abused underscores the profound and lasting harm these crimes inflict on victims and our community. Success in these cases depends on strong partnerships among HSI, prosecutors, law enforcement, and the public. We urge anyone with information about child exploitation to come forward, so together we can stop these predators and protect our most vulnerable children.”
Because of Johnson’s prior state conviction, the charge of possession of child pornography carries a term of imprisonment of between 10 and 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Johnson will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Johnson’s sentencing is currently scheduled for August 17, 2026, before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Albany, New York. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
HSI investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Alabama Man Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Grant Bieber, 45, of Gulf Shores, Alabama, was sentenced to four years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Keeping our communities safe remains the highest priority, and removing dangerous criminals from our streets is how we will achieve that goal. I truly appreciate the excellent investigative work by our brave state and federal law enforcement partners who are on the front lines in the fight against crime, and my office will continue to back up their efforts with aggressive prosecutions to hold criminals accountable.”
Court documents reflect that on October 28, 2024, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies responded to a disturbance at a residence in Cantonment, Florida. When deputies arrived, the defendant and a woman were found in the woman’s vehicle outside of the residence. The defendant’s truck was parked near the woman’s vehicle. Based on the facts of the investigation, law enforcement obtained a search warrant to search the defendant’s truck, and thereafter found a box of .22-caliber ammunition and a wallet containing his Alabama Driver License in the center console. The defendant had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, and was therefore barred from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The sentence was the result of a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp.
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.
16 April 2026
York County Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John Rivera Pesante, age 25, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on child exploitation charges.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Rivera Pesante coerced and enticed a minor to engage in prostitution and other sex offenses in December of 2024. The indictment further alleges several counts of receiving child pornography on dates ranging from August of 2024 to earlier this year.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Dukes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is a lifetime term of imprisonment, a mandatory minimum term of 10 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Woman Sentenced to a Year in Jail for ThreatsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Ashley Moore to one year and one month in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for making threats to commit a mass shooting in Raleigh, NC. On January 14, 2026, Moore pleaded guilty to transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
“We will not tolerate threats to our citizens. Too often, threats take the first step to actual violence, and we will protect the safety of our community. No one is above the law in EDNC.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
Inmate Moore is a woman who claims to be transitioning to become a male. Inmate Moore had received treatment from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) in Michigan and moved to Raleigh, NC, without coordinating the transfer with the VA. When Inmate Moore could not immediately receive the treatment she wanted in Raleigh, she sent a number of threatening emails and texts, including, “This will make national news.” “I am taking as many souls as I can with me. Random people.” “I will FINALLY kill.” “Time for homicide and suicide.”
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the sentence. The VA Office of Inspector General investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Brad Devoe prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-24-FL.
Visalia Felon Indicted for Possessing Safe Full of FirearmsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Pete Alvarez, 45, of Visalia, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, during an investigation into a shooting, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of Alvarez’s residence. There, they located a safe in Alvarez’s bedroom with 17 firearms, including several short-barrel firearms without serial numbers that were in the process of being manufactured. Alvarez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of prior felony convictions in Fresno County including, assault with a deadly weapon, receiving stolen property, being a felon in possession of a firearm, battery causing serious injury, and assault with a deadly weapon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fresno Police Department; and the Tulare Police Department are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Alvarez faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case 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.
U.S. authorities conduct cyber operations as part of global crackdown on DDoS-for-hire servicesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S. Justice Department today announced court-authorized actions taken to disrupt some of the world’s leading Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Internet of Things (IoT) botnet services.
U.S. authorities continue to focus resources on charging DDoS botnet administrators and seizing infrastructure, like websites, that allow paying users to launch powerful DDoS attacks. These attacks flood targeted computers and servers with information to prevent them from being able to access the internet. In recent years, DDoS, aka “booter,” services have continued to proliferate as they offer a low barrier to entry for users looking to engage in cybercriminal activity.
DDoS services, such as those named in this action, allegedly attacked a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including schools, government agencies, gaming platforms, critical infrastructure, including Department of War resources, and millions of people. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and completely disrupt internet connections.
In the District of Alaska, U.S. authorities seized services associated with eight DDoS-for-hire domains, including “Vac Stresser” and “Mythical Stress,” which both purport to launch tens of thousands of DDoS attacks per day. The District of Alaska also conducted searches of DDoS-for-hire backend servers.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Alaska; Case #: 3:26-mj-00248Today’s announcement builds on the success of the prior cases by targeting known DDoS sites, shutting down large numbers of them simultaneously, and undertaking a public education campaign. In the last four years, more than 11 defendants have been charged in Anchorage and Los Angeles for facilitating DDoS-for-hire services. More than 100 domains associated with such services have been seized.
In conjunction with the website seizures, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Department of War Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and the Netherlands Police have launched an advertising campaign using targeted placement ads in search engines, which are triggered by keywords associated with DDoS activities. The purpose of the ads is to deter potential cybercriminals searching for DDoS services in the United States and around the globe, and to educate the public on the illegality of DDoS activities.
“Criminal DDoS-for-hire services impact internet services for victims across the country, including Alaska,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This threat highlights the continued need to combat cybercrime services like booter providers. We continue to prioritize addressing these threats through collaborative domestic and international partnerships to safeguard critical internet infrastructure and services for all Americans.”
“Today’s announcement is the result of continued partnership between law enforcement and the private sector, targeting criminal DDoS services that threaten the integrity of the internet,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the DCIS, Cyber Field Office. “DDoS is a clear threat to the Department and will continue to be a target of our investigative efforts.”
For additional information on DDoS services and the harm that they cause, please visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/anchorage/fbi-intensify-efforts-to-combat-illegal-ddos-attacks.
This law enforcement action was taken in conjunction with Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services. Principal partners in Operation PowerOFF include EUROPOL; the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Alaska and Central District of California; DCIS; FBI’s Anchorage Field Office; HSI’s Columbus Field Office; the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) attorney advisor, who is based at Eurojust in The Hague; Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA); Netherlands Police; Polish Central Cybercrime Bureau; Japan’s National Police Agency, France’s Police Nationale, and many others.
Assistance was provided by Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Digital Ocean, Epieos, Google, Hydrolix, PayPal, Registrar of Last Resort and The ShadowServer Foundation, The University of Cambridge and Unit 221B.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander of the District of Alaska is prosecuting this case.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Alaska; Case #: 3:26-mj-00248###
U.S. Attorney’s Office Marks National Child Abuse Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office invites communities across Wyoming to join in recognizing National Child Abuse Prevention Month (NCAPM) this April. The observance highlights the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect while encouraging individuals, families, and organizations to work together to support children and strengthen families.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month serves as a reminder that safe, stable, and nurturing environments are essential for children to thrive. Research consistently shows that positive childhood experiences—such as feeling safe, supported by family, and connected to community—lead to improved health outcomes, higher educational attainment, and greater economic stability over a lifetime. These experiences also help reduce long-term reliance on public systems.
U.S. Attorney Darin Smith emphasized the critical role communities play in prevention efforts: “Protecting children starts long before a crisis occurs. When we invest in strong families, supportive communities, and early intervention, we not only safeguard children today, we build safer, more resilient communities for generations to come. Prevention is not just a social priority; it is a shared responsibility and one of the most effective tools we have to reduce future harm.”
Smith joined Mayor Patrick Collins on Tuesday, April 14 for the Mayor’s Proclamation on Child Abuse Prevention Month at Wyoming Child and Family Development, Laramie County Headstart. He will also join the Laramie County Commissioners at the Historic Courthouse on Tuesday, April 21, for their proclamation.
For more information and resources about National Child Abuse Prevention Month, please visit the official campaign page. https://preventchildabuse.org/
Image caption: U.S. Attorney Darin Smith holds a small child while attending a proclamation for National Child Abuse Awareness Month with Mayor Patrick Collins at Laramie County Headstart on April 14, 2026.
Image credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Hiring of Eight Experienced AttorneysRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus on Thursday announced the hiring of eight experienced legal professionals, including a judge, law clerks and state prosecutors.
“I am very pleased to welcome this group of talented lawyers to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I know they are anxious to dig in and assist the great, cooperative law enforcement community in the St. Louis region,” said U.S. Attorney Albus. “The good news is that we have even more people in our hiring pipeline and anticipate adding more AUSAs and much needed support and administrative staff to our team in the coming months.”
Dereck Basinger will join the civil division. Basinger will come to the office at the completion of his clerkship to the Honorable Matthew T. Schelp, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. Basinger is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Teresa Bomkamp will join the national security unit of the criminal division. Bomkamp comes to the office from the Hesse Group. Before entering private practice, Bomkamp served as a prosecutor for more than 20 years with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Bomkamp is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Law.
Thomas Farrell will join the homeland security task force of the criminal division. Farrell will come to the office at the completion of his clerkship to the Honorable Stephen P. McGlynn, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois. Farrell is a retired officer of the United States Navy. He is a graduate of Washington University School of Law.
Samuel Freedlund will join the violent crime unit of the criminal division. Freedlund comes from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office where he served as a deputy solicitor general. Freedlund is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.
Joseph Green will join the violent crime unit of the criminal division. Green has given more than ten years of service as an Associate Circuit Judge for St Louis County. Before becoming a judge, Green had an extensive criminal practice in state and federal court. Green is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Onalee Irwin will join the civil division. Irwin joins the office from the litigation section of Armstrong Teasdale LLP in St. Louis. Irwin is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Sila Karacal will join the national security unit of the criminal division. Karacal comes to the office having served more than twelve years in the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Karacal is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law.
Jeffrey Pauck will join the homeland security task force of the criminal division. Pauck comes to the office having served more than twelve years in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Pauck is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri represent the people of the United States by investigating and prosecuting federal crimes, enforcing civil rights and remedies and protecting the interests of the United States, including representing the federal government, its agencies and employees in civil court actions and collecting judgments on debts to the federal government, including unpaid restitution and unpaid fines. The district covers 49 counties in the eastern half of the state.
U.S. Attorney Charges Rockland County Man with Sexual Exploitation of A ChildRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced the filing of a Complaint charging ALBER RODRIGEZ with sexual exploitation of a minor. RODRIGUEZ was arrested yesterday, presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court, and detained.
“As alleged, Alber Rodriguez sexually abused a 12-year-old child and recorded that abuse—conduct that is as cruel as it is criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office has zero tolerance for those who prey on children. Protecting New Yorkers, especially our youngest and most vulnerable, is our priority. If you exploit a child in this District, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. We will not stop until those who endanger our children are taken off our streets and held fully accountable.”
As alleged in the Complaint:[1]
On or about April 11, 2026, an individual (“Witness-1”) reported to the Ramapo Police Department that Witness-1 had observed sexually explicit images of a minor (“Victim-1”) on a cellphone belonging to RODRIGUEZ.
The images discovered by Witness-1 appeared in the photo gallery of RODRIGUEZ’s cellphone. The images appeared consecutively (one after another) in the photo gallery and were taken at a location in Rockland County, New York, on or about September 10, 2024, and September 13, 2024, when Victim-1 was 12 years old.
Victim-1, who is now 13 years old, disclosed that RODRIGUEZ sexually abused Victim-1 on numerous occasions over the past two years, and on at least one occasion when Victim-1 was in Rockland County, RODRIGUEZ took photos of Victim-1 naked.
On about April 11, 2026, RODRIGUEZ was arrested and charged in the Justice Court Village of Montebello, in Rockland County with Course of Sexual Conduct against a Child in the 1st Degree, Sexual Abuse, Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child, and Sexual Misconduct, among other charges.
There may be other victims. If you have information to report, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.
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RODRIGUEZ, 48, of Montebello, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum 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 efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ramapo Police Department, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Briggs and Marcia S. Cohen are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two Mexican Nationals Sentenced for Working with Cartels to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced for working with the cartel to distribute drugs around Tulsa, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Today, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Ventura Rivera Arteaga, 41, for Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. He was ordered to 46 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Rivera Arteaga’s co-defendant, Ruben Amador Meza Medina, 21, pleaded guilty to Drug Conspiracy in November 2025. He was previously sentenced to 46 months' imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Agents were investigating the distribution of fentanyl in the Tulsa area and executed a search warrant on a home in east Tulsa. Inside the home, agents found a large quantity of fentanyl, more than $25,000 in cash, digital scales, and cellphones. The defendants admitted that they worked with each other and others within the cartel to package and distribute fentanyl throughout Tulsa. Meza Medina told agents that he came into the United States seeking employment, but distributed drugs instead. When Rivera Arteaga entered the United States, he met up with Meza Medina to help distribute fentanyl. Both defendants admitted that they were unlawfully inside the United States, and court documents show that Rivera Arteaga was previously removed in 2024.
Both defendants will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and are expected to face removal proceedings after being released from prison.
The Tulsa Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.
Two Illegal Aliens with Prior Felony Convictions Charged for Illegal Reentry After Multiple DeportationsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – Two Mexican nationals unlawfully residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Jesus Guadalupe-Rosales and Daniel Augusto Lopez-Conchas are both charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for April 30, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J. Youchah.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Guadalupe-Rosales and Lopez-Conchas are both citizens and nationals of Mexico and were both previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally.
On July 17, 2025, officers from the Henderson Police Department arrested Guadalupe-Rosales for four counts of Possess to Sell Controlled Substance; Trafficking Controlled Substance; three counts of Possess Controlled Substance; and Operate Place for Sale/Gift/Use of Controlled Substance. On April 8, 2026, after serving a 12-to-30-month sentence for Possession of Controlled substance with Intent to Sell, 2nd Offense, the Nevada Department of Corrections remanded Guadalupe-Rosales to U.S. Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) custody in Las Vegas, Nevada. Guadalupe-Rosales has been deported six times: May 22, 2012; July 13, 2012; June 19, 2014; August 25, 2015; November 24, 2015; and July 27, 2020. In addition to his most recent drug conviction, Guadalupe-Rosales was twice convicted for Drug Trafficking, the first time in 2013, and again in 2018. Guadalupe-Rosales also has a felony conviction for Fraud and misuse of Visas from 2015, and a 2020 felony conviction for Deported Alien Found Unlawfully in the United States, the same offense he is currently charged with. After serving prison time on each of his convictions, Guadalupe-Rosales was deported by ICE.
On March 29, 2024, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested Lopez-Conchas for Sell/Transport Controlled Substance, two counts of Trafficking Controlled Substances, and Conspiracy to Violate Uniform Controlled Substances Act. On April 3, 2026, after serving a 24-to-72-month sentence for Trafficking Controlled Substance, the Nevada Department of Corrections remanded Lopez-Conchas to ICE custody in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez-Conchas has been deported three times: March 24, 2011, March 1, 2015, and January 26, 2020.
If convicted, Guadalupe-Rosales faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
If convicted, Lopez-Conchas faces a maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Acting Field Office Director Ruben Levya made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
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.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Transient Man Living in Tulsa Sentenced for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A transient man was sentenced today for failing to register as a sex offender after being arrested living near more than 10 childcare facilities in South Tulsa, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Kenneth James Sequichie, 47, to 20 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon his release, Sequichie will be required to register as a sex offender.
Court records show that Sequichie was convicted of lewd molestation in two separate State court cases. In 2000, he received a 10-year suspended sentence. After his second offense in 2003, he was ordered to serve 15 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Sequichie has a lengthy criminal history and has been convicted of 28 offenses, including physically abusing a child, violently assaulting others, possessing illegal firearms, dealing drugs, escaping custody, and failing to maintain his sex offender registry.
After being released for his latest conviction of child abuse and aggravated assault and battery, he registered as a sex offender and claimed that he was living in Tahlequah. However, Cherokee Nation Marshals discovered that Sequichie had left Tahlequah and was homeless. When marshals began investigating Sequichie's whereabouts, they discovered that he had registered for SNAP benefits and claimed to be living in Bunch, Oklahoma. However, he was primarily buying food at gas stations in South Tulsa, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
When Sequichie was arrested by Tulsa Police officers in South Tulsa, he was living under a bridge, near more than 10 childcare facilities or schools.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service investigated the case with the assistance of the Tulsa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. 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.
Tidewater inmate sentenced to three years in prison for a series of fraud schemesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk man currently in prison for a federal firearms conviction was sentenced today to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with major disaster benefits, making false statements, and bank fraud. This is the third federal felony conviction for Raymond Antoine Wyche, 34.
According to court documents, Wyche was sentenced on Jan. 17, 2017, to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
After completing his prison term for that conviction, Wyche was again incarcerated in 2020 at Western Tidewater Regional Jail for a violation of his federal supervised release. Wyche received $33,592 in response to an unemployment benefits claim application filed. The application falsely stated that he lost his job at a barbershop in Chesapeake as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that he was ready, willing, and- able to work. The claim was recertified weekly through September 2021, including while Wyche was incarcerated and after his release from custody while he was employed.
While in jail, Wyche also provided the personal identifying information of other inmates to a co-conspirator who used that information to file additional unemployment benefit claims during the COVID pandemic. In sum, the conspiracy resulted in six successful unemployment claims in the names of inmates for a total of $112,508 in unemployment benefits. Wyche and his co-conspirator kept most of the benefits, providing little or nothing to the inmates whose names and information were used in the claims. The conspiracy also involved fraudulent claims using stolen identities of non-inmates.
After his release from Western Tidewater while on supervised pretrial release, Wyche provided his personal information to another co-conspirator who used it to file a loan application through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was administered by the Small Business Administration to provide low-interest financing to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs for eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the pandemic. The application falsely stated that Wyche was the sole proprietor and employee of a landscaping business called “Wyche Services” with a gross annual income for 2020 of $98,740. A fraudulent IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, was attached as purported supporting documentation. In response to the application, on May 13, 2021, $20,570 was disbursed to Wyche’s credit union account.
In December 2021, while he remained on supervised pretrial release, Wyche deposited a counterfeit check purportedly made out to Wyche in the amount of $4,500 from the bank account of a Hampton Roads car dealership. Wyche attempted to deposit another counterfeit check for $2,000.
On July 18, 2022, Wyche again pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and on Dec. 12, 2022, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The three-year sentence imposed today will run consecutive to the sentence Wyche is currently serving.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and the Chesapeake Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:25-cr-138, 2:22-cr-55, and 2:15-cr-16.
Three Defendants Sentenced for Killing a Security Guard and Wounding Three Others During an Armed Robbery of a Gambling Location in BrooklynRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Charles Powell, also known as “Payback,” and Musah Coward, also known as “General Mecka,” “Red” and “General Red,” were sentenced by United States District Judge Eric Komitee for the firearm-related murder of Rodney Maxwell, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and Hobbs Act robbery. Powell and Coward were sentenced to 42 years’ imprisonment and 45 years’ imprisonment respectively. Co-defendant Brian Castro, also known as “Morenaje,” was previously sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment by Judge Komitee in December 2025. The defendants were convicted in January 2025 following a three-week trial. As part of their sentences, the defendants were also ordered to pay restitution, including in the amount of $26,730 to Maxwell’s daughter.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentences.
“This was a senseless, premediated, and brutal act of gun violence that took the life of a security guard who was simply doing his job,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Today’s sentencings severely punish the defendants for this cold-blooded killing, and will protect the community from them for many years. It is my sincere hope these sentencings will bring some relief to the family of the victim.”
"These defendants brutally murdered a security guard, a father of three children, during an armed robbery. May today’s significant sentences reflect the FBI Safe Streets Task Force’s commitment to working with our local law enforcement partners to crush violent crime and protect New Yorkers from senseless violence," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“The defendants in this case orchestrated an armed robbery that resulted in one man’s death and three other victims being shot,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “They showed a complete disregard for human life, and these sentencings reflect the severity and shocking brutality of their crimes. I thank the NYPD detectives, our partners at the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their hard work to deliver justice in this case.”
As proven at trial, Powell, Castro and Coward planned and carried out an armed robbery of an illegal gambling location in Brownsville on October 7, 2020. Coward drove the co-defendants from New Jersey, and Powell and Castro entered the location while Coward waited outside in the car. During the robbery, Powell and Castro each shot Rodney Maxwell, the father of three children, who had been providing security for the location and was also a longtime employee at Bellevue Hospital. Castro shot Maxwell once at close range in the back with a 9-millimeter pistol and Powell also shot him once at close range in the chest with a .380 caliber pistol. Maxwell later died from his gunshot wounds. Powell also fired into a crowd of individuals at the location as they desperately attempted to escape the violence. Three additional victims were shot that evening, all of whom survived their wounds.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Andy Palacio, Megan Larkin and Raffaela Belizaire are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Intelligence Research Specialist Ashley Hinkson and former Paralegal Specialist Teddy Rader.
The Defendants:
CHARLES POWELL (also known as “Payback”)
Age: 28
Newark, New JerseyBRIAN CASTRO (also known as “Morenaje”)
Age: 25
Paterson, New Jersey
MUSAH COWARD (also known as “General Mecka,” “Red” and “General Red”)
Age: 34
Paterson, New JerseyE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-572 (EK)
Texas Man Who Orchestrated $20 Million Cryptocurrency Scam Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Texas man who orchestrated a cryptocurrency scam that bilked nearly 1,000 investors out of more than $20 million has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.
From 2018 to 2023, ROBERT DUNLAP claimed to operate a cryptocurrency business that sold a purported digital asset called “Meta-1 Coin” through a “Meta-1 Coin Trust.” Dunlap made numerous false and misleading statements to potential and actual investors, including claims that the Meta-1 Coin was backed by as much as $1 billion in art and $44 billion in gold. Dunlap falsely claimed that an accounting firm had audited the gold and certified its value. The purported art collection was alleged to have included works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, and other acclaimed artists. Dunlap created bogus legal documents to conceal the fact that he did not actually possess the gold or art.
Dunlap’s fraud scheme caused nearly 1,000 investors to lose more than $20 million. Many of the victim investors lost all of their savings.
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois last year convicted Dunlap, 55, of Houston, Texas, on mail fraud charges. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt sentenced Dunlap to 23 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“Defendant lied to investors for years telling them that he had created a safe investment for them,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Paige Nutini argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Over the years, defendant was unrepentant and his lies became bigger. Would-be criminals planning to engage in similar conduct need to know that such actions will be met with a serious repercussion that includes loss of one’s liberty for an extended period of time.”
“Robert Dunlap didn’t just take money—he took years of hard work, trust, and financial security from his victims,” said IRS-CI SAC Jobes. “He used lies and deception to pull in millions, leaving some investors with nothing. Crimes like this don’t just hit bank accounts—they upend lives. This 23-year sentence reflects the depth of that harm and sends a clear warning: Those who exploit others for personal gain will be found, and they will face serious consequences.”
Texarkana, Texas man sentenced to over 21 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, Texas – A Texarkana, Texas man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Timothy Brooks, 46, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 255 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on April 15, 2026.
According to information presented in court, a federal drug trafficking investigation led authorities to Brooks. A search of his Texarkana residence in May of 2024 revealed an ice chest containing 10.8 kilograms of methamphetamine. Also located at the residence was a firearm, marijuana and other drugs, and various drug trafficking paraphernalia such as digital scales.
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Texarkana, Texas, Police Department; and Miller County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Richards.
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Takahata Precision Tennessee, Inc. Agrees to Pay $2.5M Following Improper Receipt of PPP LoanRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Takahata Precision Tennessee, Inc. (“Takahata TN”) has agreed to pay $2,582,576.10 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by applying for, receiving, and obtaining forgiveness of a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, to provide relief to small businesses experiencing economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 27, 2020, the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (“Economic Aid Act”), enacted on December 27, 2020, subsequently authorized the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to guarantee second-draw PPP loans. To be eligible for second-draw PPP loans, borrowers were required to have no more than 300 employees, among other requirements. On May 21, 2020, the SBA published an Interim Final Rule clarifying that affiliated foreign employees were to be included when a borrower calculated their total number of employees for purposes of determining PPP loan eligibility.
The United States contends that Takahata TN failed to include employees of its foreign affiliates through common ownership when it applied for a second-draw PPP loan and forgiveness thereof. Had Takahata TN included the employees of its foreign affiliates, as required, it would have exceeded the 300-employee size limitation applicable to second-draw PPP loans and would not have been eligible to receive the loan.
This Settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and receive a share of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Takahata Precision Tennessee Inc., No. 3:24-cv-391 (E.D. Tenn.).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexa Ortiz Hadley and Ben Cunningham represented the United States, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel.
“This settlement is another example of our office’s commitment to holding accountable those who disregard program requirements and obtain federal funds they are not entitled to,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Our office remains proud to work with the SBA and other federal partners in this effort.”
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 (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Recording His Sexual Abuse of 5-Year-OldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Thursday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of a five-year-old to 30 years in prison.
When Marshall Williams, 41, pleaded guilty in November to one count of production of child pornography, he admitted sexually abusing the victim and recording the abuse with his cell phone in March of 2024. After the victim’s aunt found the videos, she alerted the victim’s mother and they confronted Williams, who fled to Columbia, Missouri, where he was arrested.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that Jahmar Frederick, 32, of St. Croix, was sentenced yesterday by visiting District Court Judge Timothy Savage to 24 months of imprisonment for being in possession of a firearm as a felon. Frederick was also placed on three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on May 11, 2024, a Virgin Islands Police Department officer observed a Ford F-150 pickup truck with no license plate in the vicinity of the Frontline Bar and Grill. The F-150 fled from the officer before ultimately losing control and sliding off the roadway. The driver, later identified as Jahmar Frederick, pulled a ski mask over his face then continued to flee on foot, before falling and being apprehended. When apprehended, Frederick had a fanny pack over his chest that contained a black Glock model 22 Gen4 .40 caliber firearm with a 30-round magazine that contained 18 rounds of ammunition with one round chambered.
Frederick is a convicted felon with three prior convictions. In 2018, he was convicted of forgery, and for failing to report firearms obtained outside or brought into the Virgin Islands, and in 2023 he was convicted of obtaining money by false pretenses.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
Southfield Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Fake IDs and ID-Making Equipment Used to Cause over $500k in Fraud LossesRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Southfield man pled guilty today to illegally possessing social security cards, driver’s licenses, and equipment to make fake documents – all of which were ultimately used to cause over half a million dollars in fraud losses, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Anthony P. D'Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations-Detroit.
Pleading guilty was Jerome Antwan Andrews, 41.
In his plea agreement, Andrews admitted to possessing the social security numbers and driver’s license information for over 250 people, as well as an identification card printer, an embosser, a laminator, and a card cutter. Andrews also admitted that his business model was to create and sell fake social security cards and driver’s licenses in the names of real people, and that his conduct caused more than $550,000 in fraud losses.
Having pled guilty, Andrews faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss. Sentencing will occur before United States District Judge Terrance G. Berg.
“My office and our law enforcement partners are committed to dismantling the networks that allow fraudsters like Mr. Andrews to flourish.” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. stated. “We will aggressively prosecute identity theft and fraud.”
“Identity theft causes lasting harm to innocent victims and fraudulent identification documents undermine the security of our communities,” said HSI Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt these criminal operations and protect Americans from these schemes.”
“Jerome Antwan Andrews and his criminal associates stole more than $1.5 million by submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to a pandemic program intended to help unemployed American workers. Today’s conviction of Andrews represents yet another attack in our war against fraud. It sends a stern warning that my office will relentlessly investigate those bad actors greedily lining their pockets with U.S. taxpayer funds,” said Anthony P. D'Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “If you try to game the system, we will investigate you and hold you accountable.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Labor — Office of Inspector General. Significant investigative assistance was provided by the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department, and the United States Secret Service Southeast Michigan Financial Crimes Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Craig Welkener.
Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead 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, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on April 13, 2026.
Alysia Peneaux, 32, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Peneaux was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in May 2025. She pleaded guilty on January 14, 2026.
For several months in 2024, Peneaux served as a sub-distributor for a California- and Nevada-based drug trafficking organization which transported large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to South Dakota and distributed it in the Sioux Falls area. Peneaux purchased methamphetamine from the organization, which she then re-sold to others in the Sioux Falls area. Peneaux admitted to personally distributing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Peneaux also participated in the operation by allowing members of the drug trafficking organization to store bulk quantities of drugs at her residence, commonly referred to as a “stash house.”
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 Minneapolis comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, USMS, USPIS, SD DCI, SFPD, MCSO, and SDHP with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Peneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Shiprock Man Pleads Guilty to Assault for StabbingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pleaded guilty to stabbing a woman in the parking lot of a local business.
According to court documents, on August 31, 2025, Tony Tsosie, 57, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stabbed Jane Doe in the face and thigh with a sharp object in the parking lot of Bashas’ Diné Market in Shiprock, New Mexico. Tsosie was later detained by Navajo Police Department. Tsosie denied involvement, provided a false identity, and claimed not to be carrying a knife, though a witness described him stabbing the victim multiple times after a verbal altercation.
The victim suffered serious bodily injury as a result of the assault.
Tsosie pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and faces a stipulated sentence of 24 months imprisonment at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Seaside Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing COVID-19 Unemployment BenefitsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Seaside, Oregon, woman was sentenced to federal prison yesterday for submitting fraudulent pandemic unemployment applications, falsely claiming over two dozen employees, and causing the government to pay her over half a million dollars in benefits.
Tamara Fulmer, 48, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $581,283 in restitution.
“Fraudsters who steal benefits are not just stealing from the government – they are depriving other Oregonians who depend on those benefits to live,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “Our office will continue to prioritize and prosecute theft of government funds.”
“This case sends a clear message: those who attempt to defraud government programs will be held accountable. Tamara Fulmer stole nearly $600,000 from the unemployment insurance program at a time when Americans needed those funds most. The Office of Inspector General, together with local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Department of Justice’s newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue individuals who seek to exploit government benefit programs. No fraud is too large or too small,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
According to court documents, between May 2020 and October 2021, Fulmer used the personal information of 27 individuals she claimed to be her employees to fraudulently apply for pandemic unemployment insurance benefits (UI benefits).
Based on Fulmer’s misrepresentations, the Oregon Employment Department (OED) paid out more than $567,000 in UI benefits. Fulmer deposited at least 236 UI checks totaling nearly $69,000 into her own personal account and cashed many of the UI checks at a gas station in Seaside without the applicants’ knowledge or permission.
OED paid Fulmer an additional $13,353 after she submitted her own fraudulent UI application where she falsely claimed she had not applied for or received disability benefits, despite receiving disability payments since 2004.
On February 19, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a one-count indictment charging Fulmer with theft of government property. On November 4, 2025, Fulmer pleaded guilty.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Meredith D.M. Bateman and Ethan G. Bodell, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
On April 7, 2026, 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.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Rochester man arrested, charged with production and receipt of child pornography and enticement of a minorRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kenneth Tootle, 37, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and receipt of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.
According to the criminal complaint, on January 18, 2026, the Rochester Police Department received a report from a mother that she found disturbing messages between her seven-year-old daughter (minor victim) and Tootle on her daughter’s cell phone, including sexual photos and videos. A review of the minor victim’s phone confirmed that she was communicating with Tootle and sent him images and videos of herself that constitute child pornography. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed on Tootle’s cell phone. However, the complaint states that the images of child pornography sent by the minor victim to Tootle had been deleted.
Tootle made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was held pending a detention hearing on April 20, 2026.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Repeat Federal Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 18 Years for Distributing Kilograms of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously convicted federal drug trafficker was sentenced to 18 years in prison today for trafficking kilogram quantities of methamphetamine throughout Burke and Caldwell Counties, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jeremy Donovan Dula, 38, of Hampton, Georgia, who previously lived in Caldwell County, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
On October 22, 2025, Dula pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
“Dula introduced an incredible amount of drugs into our community. Drug traffickers who bring dangerous drugs into the Western District should know this: you will be identified and prosecuted. We will not allow our communities to be turned into drug markets for poison peddlers,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson.
According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, investigators received information that Dula was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and was using an apartment in Lenoir, North Carolina, as a stash house and to conduct drug sales. During the investigation, Dula sold methamphetamine multiple times to individuals cooperating with law enforcement.
Court records also show that, on November 6, 2023, an undercover agent posing as a drug courier for Dula transported four kilograms of methamphetamine from Georgia to Burke County in a box placed by Dula in the trunk of the undercover agent’s vehicle, while Dula followed closely in a separate car. When Dula and the undercover arrived in Burke County, investigators conducted a traffic stop on Dula. Investigators then met with the undercover agent and took possession of the methamphetamine. Inside the box, investigators found four plastic bags containing 3.821 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and one plastic bag containing 28.55 grams of fentanyl.
Investigators also executed a search warrant at Dula’s apartment in Lenoir, where they seized a digital scale, multiple plastic bags containing 766.8 grams of pure methamphetamine, and $4,260 in U.S. currency. Over the course of the investigation, Dula was held responsible for trafficking at least 12 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lenoir Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville was in charge of the prosecution.Previously Deported Alien Sentenced in Largest Cocaine Seizure in Green Bay HistoryRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 14, 2026, United States District Judge Byron B. Conway sentenced Ruben Salgado-Espinoza (age: 51) to 169 months of imprisonment for conspiring to distribute cocaine and illegally re-entering the United States after being removed.
According to court records, Salgado-Espinoza, a twice deported Mexican National, led a large-scale drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. He operated from a compound in Rockford, Illinois, where he received bulk shipments of cocaine from a source of supply in Mexico. Salgado-Espinoza also modified vehicles to include sophisticated hidden compartments—commonly referred to as “trap cars”—designed to conceal and transport illegal drugs. He sold these vehicles to other drug distributors to facilitate distribution.
On April 22, 2025, during an undercover operation, Salgado-Espinoza was arrested in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in possession of approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, which constitutes the largest cocaine seizure in Green Bay history. Following his arrest, the defendant admitted that he was unlawfully present in the United States and had distributed between 18 and 35 kilograms of cocaine per month over the past 18 months. The cocaine attributed to the defendant has an estimated street value of several million dollars.
Salgado-Espinoza unlawfully entered the United States and was previously removed in 1998 and 2002. Upon completion of his 169-month sentence, he will again be removed to Mexico.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel stated, “this case demonstrates why we must keep our border secure. The United States twice deported this defendant, and he came back again, bringing with him the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in the history of the Green Bay area. He should have been prevented from setting foot on U.S. soil again. The drugs he trafficked delivered great suffering to countless people struggling with addiction, as well as the pervasive violence and other crime that accompanies the illegal drug trade. This time, the defendant will rightly serve a very long time in prison before he will be once again removed from our country. Hopefully this time we will ensure he never returns.”
“This sentence sends a clear message: those who lead large-scale drug trafficking operations will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable," said John McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration Milwaukee District Office. "The DEA remains steadfast in working with our partners to dismantle these organizations and protect our communities.”This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Green Bay Resident Office, with assistance from the Brown County Drug Task Force, the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group – Drug Unit (LWAM), the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the DEA Phoenix and Rockford Divisions. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros.
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Pownal, Vermont Woman Sentenced to 46 Months in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on April 15, 2026, Samantha Danforth, 36, of Pownal, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Danforth previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base and Fentanyl.
According to court records, between February and July of 2022, Danforth conspired with William McLaughlin to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl in and around Bennington, Vermont. As part of the conspiracy, Danforth sold drugs for McLaughlin, acted as his driver, accompanied him to obtain drugs from New York, assisted in cooking crack and packaging drugs for sale, possessed firearms, and at times supported McLaughlin’s violence and acted as his enforcer. McLaughlin was particularly violent, and Danforth witnessed many of McLaughlin’s worst acts of violence, which included attempting to suffocate a woman by holding a plastic bag around her head. After McLaughlin was arrested for a stabbing, Danforth continued to sell drugs on McLaughlin’s behalf and assisted him in continuing his criminal activities from prison. Danforth also worked to obstruct the prosecution of McLaughlin for the stabbing by obtaining a false recantation of the victim’s accusation.
McLaughlin, 47, of Hoosick Falls, New York, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base and Fentanyl on July 17, 2025. McLaughlin’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 30, 2026. A third conspirator, Keahnard Rowell, 36, of New York, New York, received a 60-month sentence of imprisonment on November 19, 2025.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bennington Police Department, the Rutland City Police Department, the Vermont State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne Smith and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Van de Graaf. Danforth was represented by Heather Ross, Esq.
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.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Depositing Counterfeit Treasury Check and Theft of Government MoneyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to depositing an altered U.S. Treasury check and stealing government money, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Andre Pitts, 21, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone to one count of uttering counterfeit obligations or securities and one count of theft of government property.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on June 12, 2023, Pitts deposited an altered version of a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $62,211. The check had been issued in February 2023 to another individual related to that person’s income tax return, with the memo line of the check identifying both the individual and tax year of 2021. The payee information and memo line of the deposited check had been altered to identify Pitts, his residence, and a tax year of 2022. Following his deposit of the altered check, Pitts quickly made several transactions, including withdrawing $500 in cash and having a $25,000 cashier’s check issued to himself.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the uttering counterfeit obligations or securities count and up to 10 years of prison on the theft of government property count, a fine of up to $250,000 at each offense, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Pitts.
Orangeburg Man Pleads Guilty to Burning a Puppy AliveRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. Desmond Levon Brown, 29, of Orangeburg, has pleaded guilty to animal crushing, which includes burning, under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT Act). This is the first known PACT Act Conviction in South Carolina.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on Dec. 18, 2024, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a Facebook Live video showing Brown throwing a puppy into a fire that day. Deputies discovered the deceased puppy in a wooded area near the incident location. Federal law enforcement obtained the Facebook video, which showed Brown holding the puppy above the fire, dropping it into the fire, and repeatedly kicking the puppy into the fire, burning it alive. Further evidence showed that the fire, which was started by Brown’s associate, was made using a brand of rum that was imported from the Caribbean and bottled in Kentucky. After his arrest, Brown was recorded on jail calls admitting to burning the puppy.
“Brown’s gruesome torture of a puppy was heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “He showed no mercy in his crime, and we look forward to his sentencing. Our office will lead the fight to protect the welfare of animals in South Carolina.”
Brown faces a maximum penalty of seven years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Brown after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
If you know of suspected animal fighting or other animal welfare violations, please report them at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/webform/animal-welfare/report-suspected-animal-welfare-violation
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle E. Klein is prosecuting the case.
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New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Scheme Designed to Obtain Fraudulent Visas to Bring Aliens to the U.S. for Unlawful FundraisingRead the Press Release
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday to criminal charges arising from a 13-year conspiracy to induce foreign nationals to come to the United States through fraudulently obtained visas as part of an unlawful work scheme, and for his failure to pay taxes on the income he obtained through the unlawful scheme.
According to court documents, Hyung Ki Kim, 60, of New Jersey, served as the Director of the International Leadership Training Program (ILTP), an organization that Kim promoted as a leadership training and character development program. Kim and his co-conspirators used ILTP as a vehicle to bring foreign nationals to the United States to illegally obtain their labor.
“The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute those who, like the defendant, violate our immigration and tax laws while unlawfully exploiting the labor of young persons who came to the United States and worked tirelessly for meager wages because they mistakenly believed that the money they raised was going to charitable causes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Schemes that exploit our immigration system and abuse vulnerable individuals strike at the core of the Administration’s enforcement priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “Our Office is committed to working with our federal partners to hold accountable those who manipulate visa programs, evade taxes, and exploit unlawful labor, and to protect the integrity of our immigration system and the people it is meant to serve.”
“Not only did Kim lie to the victims that he illegally employed to raise money about where their fundraising proceeds were going, he compounded his crimes by committing visa and tax fraud,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI and our federal partners are committed to identifying and disrupting anyone abusing the federal immigration system and other programs for personal gain.”
“This case demonstrates the importance of the strong interagency collaboration between the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and our law enforcement partners in protecting the integrity of our nation’s immigration system,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian K. Wood of the DSS New York Field Office. “We are committed to working with our federal partners to identify and dismantle schemes that exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine U.S. law.”
“Mr. Kim not only orchestrated a years-long scheme built on visa fraud and deception, he also diverted more than a million dollars in illicit proceeds to his own bank accounts,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office. “This case underscores IRS-CI’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to uncover financial crimes that exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine the integrity of our tax system.”
Kim and his co-conspirators recruited young members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church), founded by Sun Myung Moon in South Korea in 1954, from different countries to join ILTP. Kim directed the effort to get B-1/B-2 visas for ILTP members through the submission of false and misleading statements throughout the visa application process. Once the visas were approved, Kim coordinated the members’ travel to the United States and purchased their airline tickets.
Members, who entered the country pursuant to nonimmigrant visas, could not lawfully work in the United States. However, Kim required members to travel throughout the country and “fundraise” for ILTP while living in a van with three or four other people. Kim and his co-conspirators set a daily fundraising goal for each member and required members to solicit donations for long hours each day. Members worked until they met their monetary goal during fundraising cycles that lasted several months. In return, members received only $100 per month to cover their expenses and about $25 per day to pay for meals.
Kim controlled all revenue from members’ fundraising work. While the members thought that the money they raised was to support charitable projects in their home countries, Kim actually diverted over a million dollars of the fundraising proceeds to his personal bank accounts and later failed to pay taxes to the Internal Revenue Service on this unreported income.
Kim pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit visa fraud, conspiracy to encourage and induce aliens to enter and reside in the United States and tax fraud. As part of the plea, Kim paid $735,000 in restitution to former ILTP Members and $223,536 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for his tax fraud scheme. In addition, Kim agreed to forfeit to the United States approximately $1,265,036 that he obtained through the visa fraud and alien harboring conspiracies, as well as an automobile he purchased with proceeds of his criminal conduct.
Kim is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 19. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Kim faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The FBI, DSS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Olimpia E. Michel of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly M. Lyons for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Scheme Designed to Obtain Fraudulent Visas to Bring Aliens to the U.S. for Unlawful FundraisingRead the Press Release
NEWARK — A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday to criminal charges arising from a 13-year conspiracy to induce foreign nationals to come to the United States through fraudulently obtained visas as part of an unlawful work scheme, and for his failure to pay taxes on the income he obtained through the unlawful scheme.
According to court documents, Hyung Ki Kim, 60, of New Jersey, served as the Director of the International Leadership Training Program (ILTP), an organization that Kim promoted as a leadership training and character development program. Kim and his co-conspirators used ILTP as a vehicle to bring foreign nationals to the United States to illegally obtain their labor.
“Schemes that exploit our immigration system and abuse vulnerable individuals strike at the core of the Administration’s enforcement priorities. Our Office is committed to working with our federal partners to hold accountable those who manipulate visa programs, evade taxes, and exploit unlawful labor, and to protect the integrity of our immigration system and the people it is meant to serve.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute those who, like the defendant, violate our immigration and tax laws while unlawfully exploiting the labor of young persons who came to the United States and worked tirelessly for meager wages because they mistakenly believed that the money they raised was going to charitable causes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Not only did Kim lie to the victims that he illegally employed to raise money about where their fundraising proceeds were going, he compounded his crimes by committing visa and tax fraud,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI and our federal partners are committed to identifying and disrupting anyone abusing the federal immigration system and other programs for personal gain.”
“This case demonstrates the importance of the strong interagency collaboration between the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and our law enforcement partners in protecting the integrity of our nation’s immigration system,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian K. Wood of the DSS New York Field Office. “We are committed to working with our federal partners to identify and dismantle schemes that exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine U.S. law.”
“Mr. Kim not only orchestrated a years-long scheme built on visa fraud and deception, he also diverted more than a million dollars in illicit proceeds to his own bank accounts,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office. “This case underscores IRS-CI’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to uncover financial crimes that exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine the integrity of our tax system.”
Kim and his co-conspirators recruited young members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church), founded by Sun Myung Moon in South Korea in 1954, from different countries to join ILTP. Kim directed the effort to get B-1/B-2 visas for ILTP members through the submission of false and misleading statements throughout the visa application process. Once the visas were approved, Kim coordinated the members’ travel to the United States and purchased their airline tickets.
Members, who entered the country pursuant to nonimmigrant visas, could not lawfully work in the United States. However, Kim required members to travel throughout the country and “fundraise” for ILTP while living in a van with three or four other people. Kim and his co-conspirators set a daily fundraising goal for each member and required members to solicit donations for long hours each day. Members worked until they met their monetary goal during fundraising cycles that lasted several months. In return, members received only $100 per month to cover their expenses and about $25 per day to pay for meals.
Kim controlled all revenue from members’ fundraising work. While the members thought that the money they raised was to support charitable projects in their home countries, Kim actually diverted over a million dollars of the fundraising proceeds to his personal bank accounts and later failed to pay taxes to the Internal Revenue Service on this unreported income.
Kim pled guilty to a conspiracy to commit visa fraud, conspiracy to encourage and induce aliens to enter and reside in the United States and tax fraud. As part of the plea, Kim paid $735,000 in restitution to former ILTP Members and $223,536 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for his tax fraud scheme. In addition, Kim agreed to forfeit to the United States approximately $1,265,036 that he obtained through the visa fraud and alien harboring conspiracies, as well as an automobile he purchased with proceeds of his criminal conduct.
Kim is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 19. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Kim faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The FBI, DSS, and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly M. Lyons for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Olimpia E. Michel of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case.
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New Castle Woman Sentenced to Two-and-a-Half Years in Prison for Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on her conviction of violating federal drug trafficking laws as part of a Homeland Security Task Force prosecution, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Alexis Donnell, 30, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine between August 2023 and August 2024.
According to information presented to the Court, Donnell was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy that was based in Detroit, Michigan, and in New Castle. Donnell participated in the conspiracy by retailing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine to her customers in both Lawrence County and Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Donnell had several prior convictions for crimes involving violence, drugs, and theft.
Assistant United States Attorneys Craig W. Haller and V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Mercer County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Donnell.
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations that 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.
Morgan Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Police OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Morgan Lake man pleaded guilty to striking and injuring a Navajo Nation Police officer with his car.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2025, officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a report of a suspected drunk driver. When they arrived in the area, the driver, Kendall Benally, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, refused to obey commands and attempted to flee in his vehicle, striking and injuring an officer and a marked unit in the process. Benally then exited the vehicle and fled on foot and attempted to hide from officers. Benally was found and arrested a short time later.
Benally pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit a felony and faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead is prosecuting the case.
Military contractor sentenced to federal prison time for providing faulty partsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The owner of a company that fraudulently provided nonconforming critical application parts to the United States military was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 24 months in prison.
Andrew C. Nolan, 46, of Riviera Beach, Florida, and formerly of Westerville, defrauded the government of more than $800,000 by providing nonconforming parts through nearly 150 Department of War (DoW) contracts.
“Nolan knowingly provided cheaper, nonconforming parts to the U.S. military for use as critical application items on aircraft and other weapons systems,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “His actions dangerously disregarded the safety of our troops in pursuit of higher profits and he now will rightfully spend time in federal prison.”
“Outcomes of this nature protect the DoD from financial loss and operational risk, directly strengthening national defense capabilities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office. “This result demonstrates the value of vigilant oversight and reinforces DCIS’s steadfast commitment to aggressively countering fraud, corruption, and misconduct that threaten military readiness.”
According to court documents, Nolan was the sole owner and operator of Nolan Manufacturing, LLC, a DoW contractor that supplied a variety of military parts from at least 2012 through 2020.
To execute his fraud scheme, Nolan intentionally supplied military parts that did not conform to his contracts with DoW. Instead of complying with the contracts, Nolan instead purchased the parts from unapproved manufacturers and then fraudulently shipped them to a third party to laser-etch the approved part numbers onto them before turning them over to the DoW.
In total, Nolan caused a loss of $829,512 through 148 contracts.
Nolan was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2022 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to wire fraud and money laundering.
Nolans’s sentence was imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and Tyler Aagard are representing the United States in this case.
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Michigan Gang Member Pleads Guilty to RICO Conspiracy for Drug Trafficking and over $500,000 in FraudRead the Press Release
A Michigan man pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Conspiracy.
According to court documents, Jordan Gilmore, 27, of Detroit, is a member of a street gang known as the Purple Heart Vets (PHV) that uses violence, drug trafficking and fraud to enrich its members and fund the criminal enterprise. Gilmore is a self-described founder of PHV and used his rap career to promote the PHV through music and rap videos featuring other members and associates, firearms, cash, expensive cars and jewelry, and the gang’s territory.
Gilmore and other PHV members and associates conspired to distribute marijuana, Percocet pills, and other controlled substances to further and fund the PHV enterprise. The gang used two houses in Detroit to store, prepare, and sell drugs and used members armed with firearms to protect the gang’s drug-trafficking conspiracy, drugs, and proceeds.
In addition to drug trafficking, Gilmore and other PHV members fraudulently and illegally obtained pandemic relief grants, specifically Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits to which they were not entitled. PHV members fraudulently obtained approximately $520,709 in federally-funded state PUA benefits and filed more than 50 fraudulent PUA applications.
Gilmore pleaded guilty to RICO Conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Marcus Johnson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Asher and Matthew Roth for the Eastern District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
Mexican Citizen in the United States Illegally Sentenced to 18 years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
A Mexican citizen who was illegally present in the United States was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Alejandro Orozco Ramirez, 26, was sentenced on April 13, 2026, by United States District Judge Sam A. Lindsay for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute approximately 14 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Court records reveal that between May 9, 2024, and June 18, 2024, as part of the conspiracy, Orozco Ramirez agreed to provide co-defendant Santiago Prado-Gonzalez with approximately 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, which Prado-Gonzalez intended to distribute to another person. However, when Orozco Ramirez was on his way to deliver the methamphetamine to Prado-Gonzalez, he was intercepted by law enforcement agents and arrested. Court records included a photo of the seized methamphetamine:
During sentencing, the government noted that Orozco Ramirez was illegally present in the United States and that when officers searched his residence, they found another 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, $5,340 in United States currency, a drug ledger, a drug scale, and four firearms. One of the firearms was an AK-47 capable of firing rounds continuously with a single press of the trigger, also referred to as “full-auto capable.”
Co-defendant Santiago Prado Gonzalez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20, 2026.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation in conjunction with the Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), the Richardson Police Department, the Hickory Creek Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in Sioux City, Iowa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal prosecuted the case.
Mercer County Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Farrell, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possessing a firearm and ammunition after a felony conviction, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Aurienn Jones, 31, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Jones, who had previously been convicted of a felony, possessed a firearm and ammunition on January 27, 2025. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for September 1, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Farrell Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones.
Member of the U.S. Coast Guard charged with unlawful activities including aggravated identity theft and falsification of recordsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 30, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Carlos Esteves-Salinas with 12 counts of unlawful activities of officers and employees in claims against and other matters affecting the Government, 12 counts of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations, and 12 counts of aggravated identity theft, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Southeast Region.
Defendant Carlos Esteves-Salinas, a Marine Inspector Senior Verifying Officer with the United States Coast Guard Sector San Juan, was arrested on April 14, 2026, for charges alleging that he unlawfully acted as an agent for individuals attempting to obtain merchant mariner credentials, obstruction of justice for falsifying merchant mariner application documents, and aggravated identity theft in connection with the application documents.
According to court documents, Esteves-Salinas accepted personal payment from merchant mariner credential applicants for his assistance in obtaining, completing, and submitting applications. Esteves-Salinas provided these services outside of his employment with the United States Coast Guard, and without the Coast Guard’s knowledge or consent. Generally, federal employees are prohibited from acting as an agent for someone else, outside of their official duties, before a federal department or agency, in connection with a “particular matter” in which the United States has a direct and substantial interest, including preparing and submitting a federally regulated certification application, such as the merchant marine credential application.
According to the court documents, on at least twelve occasions, Esteves-Salinas used a counterfeit physician’s stamp and forged a physician’s signature to complete required medical certificates on behalf of his clients who were seeking merchant marine credentials.
“These charges highlight a grave disregard for the duties and standards expected of those in positions of authority,” said United States Attorney, W. Stephen Muldrow. “We remain dedicated to enforcing the law and maintaining accountability without exception.”
If convicted, Esteves-Salinas faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody A. McKinney from the U.S. Coast Guard is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Member of the U.S. Coast Guard charged with making false statements, fraudulent claims against the United States, wire fraud, and theft of government propertyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 30, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Mario Guzmán with four counts of false statements, four counts of fraudulent claims against the United States, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of theft of government property, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Southeast Region.
Defendant Mario Guzmán, an active-duty Petty Officer Second Class Maritime Enforcement Specialist in the United States Coast Guard (“USCG”) was arrested on April 1, 2026, for making a series of fraudulent Temporary Lodging Allowance claims and unlawfully receiving payments he was not entitled to receive.
According to the charges, on four separate occasions, Guzmán fraudulently claimed to the USCG, when applying for Temporary Lodging Allowance funds, that he and his family incurred reimbursable expenses by residing at a location called “Tony’s Place,” when in fact Guzmán and his family did not reside at Tony’s Place, or incur in the claimed expenses. By making the fraudulent claims, Guzmán illegally stole approximately $32,260.00 in USCG housing allowance funds that he was not entitled to receive.
“The charges announced today reflect a serious abuse of responsibility and trust,” said United States Attorney, W. Stephen Muldrow. “Members of our armed forces are held to the highest standards, and when those standards are violated, we will act decisively. No one is above the law.”
“The Coast Guard is built on the fundamentals of honor, respect, and devotion to duty,” said Assistant Director Joshua Packer, Coast Guard Investigative Service, “We demand accountability from every member, and we will not tolerate actions that compromise our mission or the public’s trust.”
If convicted, defendant Mario Guzmán faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody A. McKinney from the U.S. Coast Guard is in charge of prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Maryland Man Sentenced for Role in Multi-Million Dollar Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Hyattsville, Maryland, man learned his fate in federal court today, in connection with a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme.Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Victor Killen, 33, to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to engage in a large, multi-member, money laundering conspiracy. Judge Maddox also ordered Killen to pay $7,070,656.46 million in restitution and a $3-million order of forfeiture. Killen, who pled guilty to participating in the money laundering conspiracy in December 2025, admitted that at least $3 million in money laundering occurred pursuant to his direct participation in the conspiracy.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) – Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge George Golliday, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG).
According to court documents, beginning in 2021, and continuing into February 2024, Killen conspired with multiple individuals to launder proceeds of a large-scale wire fraud. The co-conspirators engaged in various financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the wire-fraud proceeds, while carrying out the conspiracy.
The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, including an environmental trust, urban redevelopment program, medical center, transportation and logistics company, school district, college, and county government, among others.
Killen and his co-conspirators used and controlled several different encrypted electronic communication accounts, which they used in furtherance of the money laundering, including to supervise and manage the money laundering conspiracy. The co-conspirators worked with each other to create limited liability companies to serve as shell entities; open bank accounts and/or cause bank accounts to be opened in the name of shell entities; and receive and launder fraud proceeds.
Pursuant to the conspiracy, the co-conspirators often engaged in multiple financial transactions in quick succession, frequently layering wire-fraud proceeds in multiple subsequent transactions. These financial transactions made it more difficult for the victims and law enforcement to recover the fraud proceeds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland previously charged 14 defendants in connection with the money laundering conspiracy. Thirteen have pled guilty. Faizou Gnora, 28, previously of Alexandria, Virginia, remains a fugitive from justice.
In connection with this prosecution, Yahya Sowe, 42, of Silver Spring, Maryland, Gedeon Agbeyome, 31, of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Areal El-Lovieta Harris, 24, of Hanover, Maryland, previously pled guilty, admitting to conspiring to commit money laundering.
Additionally, Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Emily Gil Arias, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Fatoumata Boiro, 32, of Largo, Maryland; Lawrence Ogunsanwo, 33; Lakeisha Parker, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland; Martin Ogisi, 37, of Severn, Maryland; Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Kevin Colon, 34, of Curtis Bay, Maryland; and Lorena Perez Herrera, 29, of Silver Spring, Maryland, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Agbeyome also admitted engaging in aggravated identity theft and Parker acknowledged engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Gift and Sowe admitted that they served as managers or supervisors of the money laundering conspiracy. The overall conspiracy involved more than $20 million of money laundering, involving more than 15 different victim entities.
The District Court previously sentenced:
- Agbeyome to 48 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, along with restitution of $2,938,424.65, and a $2.8 million preliminary order of forfeiture
- Ogunsanwo to 40 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $5,648,816.23
- Parker to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release and restitution of $8,306,930.95
- Ogisi to 33 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $11,077,044.17
- Ndjouandjouaka to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $733,941.48
- Colon to 27 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and restitution of $2,515,159.63
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, which seeks to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a collaborative and comprehensive response to the growing threat to public safety and national security. The HSTF integrates personnel, including law enforcement agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, from federal agencies to combat crime in our communities.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HSI-led Document and Benefit Fraud/Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, and thanked IRS-CI and EPA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes praised the Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Bijon A. Mostoufi, and Jared M. Beim, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for her assistance.
The resolution in MJM-23-304 and today’s sentence does not impact the pending charges in United States v. Victor Killen, MJM-25-334, which the United States is continuing to pursue.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
Man Who Declared “Death to You All” and Attempted to Commit Mass Murder SentencedRead the Press Release
FLINT – An Owosso, Michigan man fixated on mass murderers was sentenced today to 7 years in federal prison for attempting to commit his own attack, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Detroit Division. Mack Davis, 23, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count under the federal hate crime statute.
According to court documents, Davis became infatuated with other mass murderers and planned to conduct his own mass murder. Among other things, Davis drafted a list of weapons and tactical gear for his plan. Davis’s own writings show that he surveilled churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, hospitals, and supermarkets. In his writings, Davis expressed his “hate for this world and for the people in it, all people, I hate you all the same.” Davis posted selfies of himself making a Nazi salute and holding a copy of Adolf Hitler’s antisemitic manifesto, Mein Kampf.
As he began to plot his own mass murder, Davis focused on attacking two locations in close proximity to one another: a political party’s county headquarters and a bar, both of which he believed would contain homosexuals. He also explained that he would “fire on anyone and anything” near those locations.
Leading up to his attack, Davis test-fired approximately 60 bullets into his neighbors’ cars, one of which he had previously vandalized with an anti-gay slur. Law enforcement’s investigation of the shooting led to their disruption of Davis’s attempt to commit the mass shooting. During the search of his home, police found that he had an arsenal that included an illegally sawed-off rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow and arrows, bomb-making parts, tactical gear, and knives. On one of the knives, Davis wrote a foul anti-gay slur on one side of the blade and “Death to you all” and a swastika on the other side of the blade.
Davis also defiled an Israeli flag.
“Davis devised wicked plans. He said he would kill ‘anyone and anything’ that crossed his path and planned to attack homosexuals. And his venom for Jews is part of the sickening rise in antisemitism and attacks against believers. But we will protect every American,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.
"There is no room for targeted hate crimes against any citizen on American soil, including in our community of Owosso,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “We are grateful for the strong collaboration between our FBI Flint Resident Agency, the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Michigan State Police in disrupting this hate-inspired plot before anyone was harmed. Let this sentence serve as a notice that if you target others with hate or violence, you will face the full weight of justice under federal law."
This case was investigated by the FBI Detroit Field Office, Flint Resident Agency, in collaboration with the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Michigan State Police. The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division assisted in the prosecution.
Man Admits to Feloniously Using His Vehicle to Impede, Intimidate, and Interfere with the Work of Federal Immigration Agents During Operation Midway BlitzRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – A man has admitted in federal court that he used his vehicle to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the work of federal immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, and then filed a false police report after the collision. The statutory maximum sentence for this conviction, which is a felony, is three years in federal prison.
On Oct. 3, 2025, ANTHONY GONZALEZ ALVAREZ joined a caravan of vehicles that was following a vehicle driven by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Gonzalez Alvarez admitted in a plea agreement that he drove his Ford pickup truck into the rear passenger-side of the CBP vehicle in order to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the CBP officers’ immigration operation. To conceal his involvement in the collision, Gonzalez Alvarez filed a false report with the Chicago Police Department, claiming that his truck had been stolen on the morning of the collision, the plea agreement states.
Gonzalez Alvarez, 27, of Lyons, Ill., pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of misprision of felony. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt set sentencing for July 22, 2026.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
gonzalez_alvarez_plea_agreement.pdfLookout Mountain Man Sentenced to 28 Years Imprisonment for Sexual Exploitation of A ChildRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On April 16, 2026, Patrick Bryant Hawley, 44, of Lookout Mountain, TN, was sentenced to 340 months in prison by Chief Judge Travis R. McDonough in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Following his imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for 20 years and he will be required to register with applicable sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release. Hawley was also ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Hawley agreed to plead guilty to one count of exploitation of a child in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a).
According to filed court documents, Hawley knowingly exploited a minor victim, who was then fourteen years old, causing her to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Hawley met his minor victim online, and within minutes of the meeting, their conversation turned to sexual matters. Hawley indicated to his victim that no age was “too young” for his desires. After receiving sexually explicit images of his victim, Hawley told her: “I need to see your face, and I need to see your contours.”
Hawley continued communicating with his victim, acknowledging multiple times that she was a minor. Among other things, he sent his victim images and videos of himself masturbating and of other minors engaged in sexual acts and acts of bestiality.
Hawley’s correspondence with his victim included instructions for her to record and show him her use of a sex toy. When the victim balked, Hawley referred to her by a vulgar epithet and told her to “rape yourself with it.” The victim hesitated, but Hawley described another sexually explicit act he wanted to see her perform, and ultimately, she complied, sending him videos of her performing such acts.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; Special Agent in Charge, Terence G. Reilly of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); and Acting Special Agent in Charge, Colin Jackson, of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the HSI and FBI.
Assistant United States Attorney Jay Woods represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Life Sentence for Florida Inmate Who Operated a Drug Trafficking Organization from PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Omar Idonis Graciani Rodriguez (32, Orlando) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe to life in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and at least 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Graciani Rodriguez pleaded guilty on December 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Graciani Rodriguez operated a drug trafficking organization while incarcerated in prison on state charges. Graciani Rodriguez used contraband cellphones to instruct non-incarcerated co-conspirators to pick up money and controlled substances from various addresses, then deliver the money and controlled substances to other individuals. Graciani Rodriguez instructed his co-conspirators to maintain ledgers and send photos of the ledgers and currency to himself.
During the conspiracy that began no later than July 28, 2023, through November 30, 2023, Graciani Rodriguez directed his co-conspirators via phone calls, text messages and pictures. Specifically, during one transaction involving a kilogram of fentanyl, Graciani Rodriguez was on a contraband cellphone in real time from prison while his co-conspirator delivered the fentanyl to a buyer in the Middle District of Florida.
During a sweep of prison cells in June of 2024, the correctional officer found Graciani Rodriguez with two hidden cellphones and a SIM card from one of the phones in Graciani Rodriguez’s mouth. Graciani Rodriguez swallowed the SIM card after being instructed to spit it out. The officer also found a drug ledger in Graciani Rodriguez’s cell.
In total, Graciani Rodriguez distributed at least 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and at least 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and profited $211,903 in drug proceeds.
Two co-conspirators, Rachel Beth Cordero and Mayerline Patricia Salcedo, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Cordero and Salcedo were sentenced on March 28, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger. Cordero was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months’ imprisonment. Salcedo was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with help from the Florida Department of Corrections. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie A. McNeff.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Leominster Man Charged with Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Leominster man has been arrested and charged with transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Camden MacLean, 25, charged with one count of transportation of child pornography. MacLean was arrested today and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 21, 2026.
According to the charging documents, MacLean was flagged for secondary screening at Boston’s Logan Airport upon arrival from Toronto, Canada in August 2025. It is alleged that during a review of MacLean’s cell phone, media files depicting CSAM were found in his Telegram Messenger app. A subsequent forensic examination of the device allegedly revealed additional media files depicting CSAM that appeared to have been exchanged over Telegram and Kik Messenger, including images showing the sexual abuse of toddlers.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Kansas City Man Sentenced to 4 ½ Years for Illegally Possessing Sawed-Off ShotgunRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a sawed off, Winchester 12-gauge shotgun.
Christopher W. Abrams, 52, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Brian C. Wimes, to fifty-four months in prison without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of an unregistered firearm.
On Feb. 10, 2024, officers were called to the area of Independence Avenue and Van Brunt Boulevard regarding a possible armed robbery. Upon arrival, officers encountered Abrams. During a frisk of Abrams, officers located a sawed off, Winchester, Model 37, 12-gauge, single-shot shotgun inside the front waistline of his jeans. The shotgun’s stock had been cut down to a wood pistol grip, with black duct tape. The barrel had multiple saw marks and appeared to have been cut short. The shotgun was loaded with a live shotgun shell.
Abrams, who is a convicted felon, had been found guilty of twelve prior felony offenses before today’s hearing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
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.