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9 April 2026
Medford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore.—A convicted felon was sentenced to federal prison today for illegally possessing firearms.
Devon James Wright, 31, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Wright was caught on two separate occasions with firearms. First, on June 23, 2024, Wright was in a car that was stopped for a traffic violation. In Wright’s backpack, police found a semi-automatic pistol and a full magazine. At the time, Wright was on parole for a previous conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Second, on October 26, 2024, Wright was stopped in a stolen vehicle and before exiting placed a loaded handgun inside the purse of another occupant next to a fully loaded extended magazine.
On March 6, 2025, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a two-count indictment charging Wright with felon in possession of a firearm. On December 8, 2025, Wright pleaded guilty to both counts.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau and the Central Point Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. LeRitz and John C. Brassell.
Management Company Agrees to Pay More Than $2 Million to Resolve Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An automotive management company, Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc., agreed to pay $2,106,927 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, a federal law that prohibits the submission of false or fraudulent claims.
Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide emergency financial assistance to small American businesses struggling to pay employees and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible small businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Borrowers were required to certify in their applications that they were eligible for the requested loans and that the information they provided was true and accurate. Regulations provided various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and exceptions for certain types of businesses operating as franchises, such as automotive dealerships.
The settlement resolves allegations that Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc. falsely certified it was eligible to apply for and receive forgiveness for a first-draw PPP loan. Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc. served as the management company for a network of automotive dealerships. Under the PPP, automotive dealerships were not required to count affiliates’ employees in their PPP applications if the dealerships qualified for the PPP’s franchise exception. Although Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc. managed automotive dealerships, it did not operate as a franchise and thus was required to include its affiliates’ employees when considering PPP eligibility. The Government contends that, together with its affiliates, Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc. had more than 500 employees and was therefore ineligible for its first-draw loan.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by a private citizen under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file a civil action on behalf of the United States, thereby bringing allegations of fraud to the Government’s attention, and share in any financial recovery. As part of this resolution, the individual who filed the qui tam complaint is eligible to receive a portion of the settlement proceeds. The civil case is captioned United States ex rel. David Reed v. Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, Inc., Case No. 2:25-CV-00084-SCM.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Stubblebine, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
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Lynn Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Stolen Government Money and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements.
James C. Burdulis, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Burdulis was charged on March 26, 2026.Burdulis received approximately $63,959 in stolen Social Security benefits from June 2019 through June 2025 that were intended for a beneficiary that had died. Prior to the beneficiary’s death in May 2019, Burdulis had been appointed as the beneficiary’s representative payee to manage their Social Security benefits and provide regular accountings to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Between June 2020 and June 2024, Burdulis submitted five fraudulent representative payee reports to the SSA under penalty of perjury in which he stated that he spent money received from the SSA on behalf of the deceased beneficiary after their death. Further, Burdulis submitted a fraudulent verification form to the SSA in September 2020 stating that the deceased beneficiary continued to live at the same location.
The charge of receiving stolen government money or property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting 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.
Louisville Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Louisville, Ky., woman, Sarah Morris, 33, was sentenced on Thursday to 80 months by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to her plea agreement, between December 2023 and January 2025, Morris developed relationships with suppliers that allowed her to regularly obtain pound quantities of methamphetamine from them. Morris then regularly supplied multiple customers, including those who Morris knew who were distributing methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Kentucky. On some occasions, drug traffickers traveled to Louisville to obtain methamphetamine, and on other occasions, Morris traveled to Eastern Kentucky to deliver the methamphetamine.
Specifically, on January 22, 2025, Morris traveled from Louisville to Eastern Kentucky to deliver three pounds of methamphetamine. Morris had distributed a portion of the methamphetamine when law enforcement approached a building where Morris and others were located. When law enforcement approached, an individual in that building threw the majority of the methamphetamine that Morris had brought into a fire. Morris admitted that the amount that was destroyed in the fire was about two pounds.
Under federal law, Morris must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Lexington Man Sentenced for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington man, Laurance Newby, 38, was sentenced on Wednesday to 180 months by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to his plea agreement, between December 2024 until June 2025, law enforcement used a confidential informant to purchase fentanyl from Newby on three occasions. On June 25, 2025, a trained drug-detection dog gave a positive alert for Newby’s car. Law enforcement approached the vehicle and Newby fled on foot, eventually being arrested. A search of Newby’s vehicle resulted in the recovery of a backpack containing a loaded Glock 26 firearm and 996.4 grams of cocaine, as well as 439.8 grams of fentanyl in the trunk of the car. Newby admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs located in the vehicle and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
Under federal law, Newby must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); US Secret Service; FBI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Marshals Service; IRS- Criminal Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and the Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
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Leader of Sex Trafficking Ring Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to her role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that victimized two minors and one adult.
Christy Parker, a/k/a “Lula,” 28, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and one count of sex trafficking a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2026. Parker was arrested and charged in June 2024 along with five others in connection with the sex trafficking conspiracy. She has remained in federal custody since.
Between January and August 2023, Parker used physical beatings, threats, intimidation, sleep deprivation, starvation and other means to coerce at least one adult victim and two minor victims to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in and around Fall River, Mass.
Specifically, in early 2023, Parker coerced the adult victim to engage in repeated commercial sex acts by physically beating, threatening and verbally abusing the victim; imposing manufactured debts on the victim; supplying the victim with alcohol and subsequently withholding it; and threatening to have the authorities take the victim’s three-year-old child away from her.
Parker later worked with a minor to recruit two minor victims for commercial sex with false promises of easy money. Parker and her co-defendants harbored the minor victims in a house and a Somerset, Mass., hotel and provided them for commercial sex over the course of two months in July and August 2023. Parker physically beat at least one minor victim and threatened both minor victims, prohibited them from sleeping so they could engage in more commercial sex, starved them and confiscated all of their earnings.
Parker’s scheme ended in August 2023, when one of the minor victims called her social worker and asked for help. The social worker contacted law enforcement, and Parker was arrested at the Somerset, Mass., hotel where she was harboring the victims.
Parker is the fifth defendant to be convicted in the case. In November 2025, Tyreik Reid and Cory Primo were each sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in June 2025. Avvani Jeffers and Tre’sean Reid were sentenced in January 2026 after each pleading guilty to their roles in October 2025. Alexander Smalls has pleaded not guilty is pending trial.
The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Somerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case alongside Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Latimer County Resident Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joshua Wayne Taylor, age 47, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office.
On August 27, 2025, Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, Taylor knowingly possessed a .22LR revolver and 53 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition on November 18, 2024, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Taylor will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew James Addy, 47, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, entered pleas of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Gallagher on 13 counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, arising from schemes through which the defendant defrauded investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The defendant was charged by indictment in October of last year.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Addy held himself out as a wealthy and successful businessman, entrepreneur, and investor, to induce investors and potential investors to make investments and loans to him.
From approximately January 2020 to July 2022, Addy made misrepresentations to investors and prospective investors about both his personal financial position, falsely claiming a significant net worth, and his business and entrepreneurial experience, mischaracterizing the financial results of the purported consulting business that he claimed to operate, “the Yarah Group.”
As the defendant admitted, he induced one victim (“Victim 1”) to hire him to operate Victim l’s business (“Company 1”), and to make multiple loans to, and investments in, “the Yarah Group,” which Addy falsely claimed was based in Beverly Hills, California, and worth approximately $200 million.
Further, Addy applied for and received loans in the name of Victim 1’s other business, without the knowledge or consent of Victim 1, giving the lenders Victim 1’s identifying information, signing in the name of Victim 1, and listing Victim 1 as the guarantor of the loans. Addy then failed to repay these loans.
In all, Addy defrauded Victim 1 of approximately $722,496.
As Addy also admitted, from about April 2023 to June 2023, he schemed to defraud a second victim (“Victim 2”), whom he had met and socialized with. Addy claimed to Victim 2 that he was a diamond dealer and had made his first million dollars by the time he turned 30 years old.
Addy induced Victim 2 to make a short-term loan to a contractor through Addy’s purported company “Yarah Holdings PLC,” promising that if Victim 2 funded approximately $25,000 of a bridge loan, “Yarah Holdings PLC” would repay Victim 2 $30,000 a short time later.
Instead of a bridge loan to a contractor, Addy spent Victim 2’s money, $25,000, for unauthorized purposes, including his own personal benefit, and, despite having signed a promissory note, did not repay Victim 2.
Separately, Addy defrauded a federal credit union headquartered in Pennsylvania, depositing a check in the amount of approximately $8,500, drawn on Company 1’s bank account, into his own account. The same day, across two transactions, Addy withdrew the face value of the check in cash.
A few days later, the credit union received notice that the check had been returned due to insufficient funds. When called by the credit union’s fraud investigator on a recorded line, Addy made false statements about the bounced check he had deposited. Addy never repaid the credit union for the approximately $8,500 that he had taken by fraud.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2026. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 294 years in prison; three years of supervised release; and restitution of $755,995.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Capital Area Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.
LaPorte Woman Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Controlled Substance OffenseRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Monica Del Real, 26 years old, of LaPorte, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Del Real was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, law enforcement observed Del Real driving in LaPorte County and discovered that she had active warrants for her arrest. Officers performed a traffic stop on her car. During the stop, a drug K9 alerted on the vehicle. Officers searched the car and found 136 grams of pure methamphetamine and 12 grams of fentanyl hidden in a compartment near the gas pedal.
“Monica Del Real thought that she could freely traffic in dangerous narcotics,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “State and local law enforcement, and their K9 partner, proved her wrong. Thanks to their excellent work, both the drugs and Del Real are off the streets. I thank DEA, Michigan City Police Department, the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, and the LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan and his office for their partnership.”
“Methamphetamine and fentanyl are dangerous drugs and poisons that have driven addiction, death, and violence across northern Indiana. The Drug Enforcement Administration, along with its Indiana law enforcement and prosecution partners, will continue to hold accountable those who disregard the moral values of society by trafficking narcotics. Ms. Del Real is now being held accountable for her criminal actions, which is the appropriate response for anyone wishing to bring pain and suffering to our northern Indiana home,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chip Cooke.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, Michigan City Police Department, and the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.
Kennebunkport Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Kennebunkport man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Kevin Rockwell, 41, to 20 years in prison to be followed by life on supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $104,000 in restitution to victims whose images he possessed. Rockwell pleaded guilty on June 10, 2025.
In addition, Rockwell was ordered to serve 18 consecutive months in prison based on a violation of his supervised release stemming from his prior federal conviction for transportation of child pornography. He was sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison for that offense.
According to court records, in November 2024, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Rockwell’s residence in Kennebunkport. Agents recovered a tablet located on a nightstand; a review of the tablet uncovered numerous image and video files of child sexual abuse material, including prepubescent children. Rockwell admitted in an interview that he owned the tablet and acknowledged the files contained on it.
The FBI investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: 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’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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc
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Jury Convicts Arsonist Who Threw Molotov Cocktails at a Minneapolis CaféRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted Firomsa Ahmed Umar, age 31, of one count of arson and attempted arson on October 19, 2025; possession of an unregistered destructive device on October 19, 2025; attempted arson on October 20, 2025; and possession of an unregistered destructive device on October 20, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. The jury also found that the defendant selected Fletcher’s, which displayed a prominent Pride flag at the time, as the object of the offenses because of actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation.
According to court documents and evidence at trial, the defendant twice threw homemade destructive devices at Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Café in Minneapolis: once on October 19, 2025 and again on October 20, 2025. In each incident, the defendant threw glass bottles filled with gasoline. One contained a mixture known as “improvised napalm.”
October 19 attack
October 20 attack
In the first attack on the night of October 19, the defendant lobbed his first Molotov Cocktail at Fletcher’s large front windows, which broke both panes of glass and ignited in a large blast of flame. Fortunately, employees of a nearby business responded quickly and put out the remaining flames.
result of October 19 attack
The defendant returned the next day, attempted to open the door, found it locked, and again threw a similar Molotov Cocktail at the façade. Because the cloth wick inserted into the mixture fell from the bottle, the device failed to ignite, but did cause further damage to the window.
When arrested on October 20, the defendant had a gas can, a lighter, and a third bottle stuffed with a third bottle stuffed with an ingredient for improvised napalm, with other Molotov Cocktail components nearby
The jury heard additional evidence that the defendant chose Fletcher’s due to the prominent display of a Pride flag above the façade, and had painted homophobic graffiti outside a local apartment complex four weeks earlier.
This case is the result of a joint investigation by ATF, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Jeanne D. Semivan tried the case.
Jefferson Parish Felon Indicted for Firearms Offenses and Trafficking Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –DERRICK SERIGNET (“SERIGNET”), age 44, was indicted on February 26, 2026, for possessing fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. The indictment was unsealed on April 6, 2026.
According to the indictment, on February 4, 2026, SERIGNET possessed fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances and possessed a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. SERIGNET is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior convictions for attempted armed robbery in Jefferson Parish.
As to the drug-trafficking charge, SERIGNET faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, SERIGNET faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, SERIGNET faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Iowa Farmer Sentenced to More Than a Decade in Federal Prison After Cheating Federal Taxpayers Out of More than $1.7 MillionRead the Press Release
An Iowa farmer who defrauded federal taxpayers out of more than $1.7 million in agricultural subsidies, stole multiple identities, and stalked a witness, was sentenced today to 13 years in federal prison.
Tanner James Seuntjens, age 33, from Danbury, Iowa, received the prison term after pleading guilty on September 19, 2025, to one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking.
Evidence in Seuntjens’ cases established that, between June 2020 and June 2021, he was a Western Iowa farmer who defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (“CFAP”) grant moneys. Livestock producers qualified for CFAP subsidies on a per head basis that depended upon the producer’s self-certified livestock inventory. Seuntjens filed CFAP applications at three Iowa county USDA-Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) offices that each falsely claimed ownership of thousands of swine. Seuntjens forged the signatures of two other people when filing the applications with USDA. Seuntjens later submitted false documents to USDA-FSA county commissioners who were attempting to verify the USDA payments during so-called “spot checks.”
From March 2021 through April 2022, Seuntjens defrauded a South Dakota bank. Seuntjens borrowed funds from the bank as early as 2014 and pledged his accounts receivable as collateral, which included payments from the sales of grain and livestock. As a result, when Seuntjens sold grain and livestock at a cooperative and an auction, the bank required the cooperative and auction to issue two-party checks to Seuntjens and the bank. Seuntjens forged an authorized representative of the bank’s signature on two-party checks at least 20 times and. He deprived the bank of more than $400,000 of its collateral. Seuntjens spent the diverted funds on a combination of farming expenditures, a trip to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, transfers to family members, and large cash withdrawals.
Seuntjens committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023. Crop insurance is a federally subsidized program where farmers may receive payment from an authorized insurer in the event of adverse weather, fire, disease, or price declines. Seuntjens admitted he repeatedly underreported his crop yields during the 2022 and 2023 crop seasons and received crop insurance funds to which he was not entitled. Seuntjens stole an additional $175,000 from federal taxpayers through this crop insurance fraud.
In 2023 and 2024, Seuntjens defrauded multiple agricultural suppliers by selling their collateral out of trust. He also sold livestock and grain in a third party’s name to avoid creditors’ liens and judgments.
Seuntjens stalked one of the victims of his agricultural fraud case, even though there were no contact orders forbidding him from having contact with that witness. In an unrelated state court case, the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County had found that Seuntjens had assaulted the witness and planted a tracking device on a minor. The Iowa District Court stated the court was “deeply concerned” about the safety of minors if Seuntjens were allowed to have contact with them and issued a no contact order. In August 2025, while the Iowa District Court’s no contact order was in effect, and while Seuntjens also was on federal pretrial release, Seuntjens travelled to Nebraska and placed a tracking device on the witness’s car. Seuntjens admitted he did so with the intent to harass and intimidate the witness and to place the person under surveillance.
A federal judge detained Seuntjens for his stalking activity, and the U.S. Marshal held Seuntjens in custody at a local jail. While in jail in late 2025, however, Seuntjens repeatedly contacted the minors. The Iowa District Court found in March 2026 found Seuntjens in contempt of court.
Seuntjens has a significant criminal history involving fraud and violence. In 2020, Seuntjens received a deferred judgment for a felony second-degree theft conviction. In 2023, Seuntjens was convicted of third-degree theft and fined after he presented the state court with a bad check to “pay” his restitution obligations in the prior second-degree theft case. In 2024 and 2025, Seuntjens received three additional fines from the state court after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct in three separate cases. Seuntjens received those fines after he put his hands on the victim’s throat causing fingernail markings on both sides of the victim’s neck. He also pushed his victim into a counter, followed the victim around town, called the victim from a blocked number, and violated a protective order.
Seuntjens was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Seuntjens was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $1,704,434.74 in restitution to the USDA. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Seuntjens is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Vavricek and Shawn Wehde and investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Special Investigations Staff.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file numbers are 25-CR-4026 and 25-CR-4052.
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Internet Child Predator Sentenced for Exploiting Children as Young as Twelve Years Old via Instagram, Snapchat, and X.Read the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Bobby Cyprus Linhart, 24, of Greenfield, Indiana has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material to a minor, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Linhart has also been ordered to pay $68,000 in restitution to the victims.
According to court documents, between April 2023 and March 2024, Linhart repeatedly targeted minors between the ages of 12 and 15 through social media platforms including Instagram, Telegram, Snapchat, and X. Using the username “maps.syb,” he contacted at least six identified minor victims and attempted to reach additional children.
Linhart employed grooming tactics such as feigning interest in the minors’ activities, complimenting their appearance, lying about his age, and offering narcotics in exchange for sexual acts.
Linhart coerced multiple children into producing and sending sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. He later distributed images and videos of children obtained from various victims to attempt to entice other minor victims. He also arranged in‑person meetings with minors for sexual activity. Investigators determined that he traveled to at least two cities, including one out of state, to abuse his victims in person.
In one instance, Linhart used Instagram to groom a 12‑year‑old girl, persuading her to sneak out of her home to meet him. During the encounter, he provided her with marijuana and then sexually abused her.
On March 19, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Linhart’s home in Greenfield and seized an external hard drive containing thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
“What makes this case especially disturbing is that Linhart not only targeted children online, but also attempted to, and in least one instance succeeded in, meeting his young victims in person for sexual activities,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Protecting children from predators, particularly those who hide behind screens and operate outside the watchful eyes of parents, remains one of our highest priorities.”
“The facts and evidence of this case are deeply troubling, and our priority remains the protection of children and the pursuit of justice for victims. This investigation demonstrates what can be accomplished when local agencies, and federal law enforcement like Homeland Security Investigations, and specialized investigative resources work in close partnership. These cases are labor-intensive and sensitive but coordinated efforts like this are critical to uncovering the full scope of the crime and holding offenders accountable,” said Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force Lieutenant, Doug Baker.
Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force (affiliate of the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force) and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn A. Haney and Kyle M. Sawa along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston, who prosecuted this case.
This investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. Visit https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/ to learn more about their efforts.
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 the 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.
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Illegal alien handed nearly 500-month sentence for distributing drugs and machine guns from South Texas residence after illegally reentering United StatesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two men have been handed significant sentences related to the sale of cocaine, machine guns and other drugs, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Mexican national Carlos Alberto Garcia-Guajardo, 34, guilty on all 12 counts as charged following a less than three-day trial Dec. 3, 2025. Fernando Patino Jr., 32, Laredo, pleaded guilty prior to trial.
Visiting U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle has now ordered Garcia-Guajardo to serve a total of 495 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. Patino received a 30-year sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Garcia-Guajardo acted as a broker for selling narcotics and machine guns. Judge Lemelle considered that Garcia-Guajardo emulated the “gangster” lifestyle and saw images of a Scarface poster hung in Garcia-Guajardo’s bedroom. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Garcia-Guajardo’s illegal status, the number of drugs and weapons involved, that he was a leader in this criminal enterprise and the dangerousness of Garcia-Guajardo’s actions to include discharging firearms near children and from moving vehicles.
At trial, the jury heard that Garcia-Guajardo and Patino sold cocaine and firearms, including several machine guns, out of a residential home in Laredo. Testimony revealed details of the undercover operation which led to the discovery of the conspiracy. Starting Jan. 2, 2025, Patino and Garcia-Guajardo began selling cocaine and machine guns to undercover agents while using the sale of the narcotics and firearms to negotiate additional future deals.
Evidence also showed Garcia-Guajardo and Patino not only sold drugs and weapons but fired them indiscriminately within their neighborhood and conducted extensive drug trafficking. Both Garcia-Guajardo and Patino drove around Laredo, firing various firearms from the windows of their vehicle.
Further, on several occasions, the men had used a minor child to test fire various firearms, including machine guns. In several of these videos, Garcia-Guajardo and Patino were drinking excessively and using drugs.
On Jan. 31, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the 3000 block of Monterrey Street in Laredo. At that time, they found Garcia-Guajardo along with Jose Guadalupe Hernandez-Garza, a 27-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, as well as scales, cash in various denominations, crack cocaine and multiple firearms stored near items belonging to young children.
Garcia-Guajardo was also convicted of illegal reentry, having been ordered removed from the United States on two occasions, most recently in July 2024. As an illegal alien, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
Both Patino and Garcia-Guajardo will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Hernandez-Garza admitted to being an alien illegally in possession of a firearm and ammunition and has been ordered to prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Laredo Police Department; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Anti-Gang Unit – Laredo Center and Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Tory R. Sailer and Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Illegal alien and his associate charged with trafficking 85 kilograms of methamphetamineRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Alberto Ortiz-Osornio, an illegal alien from Mexico, and Marco Antonio Solano-Posadas face federal drug trafficking charges after law enforcement seized approximately 85 kilograms of methamphetamine in Norcross, Georgia.
“The defendants allegedly sought to traffic nearly 200 pounds of deadly methamphetamine before a coordinated law enforcement effort caught them in the act,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office and our law enforcement partners will use every tool at our disposal to prevent foreign drug cartels from poisoning Georgians and to hold drug dealers accountable for their crimes.”
“These arrests represent a significant step in dismantling a drug trafficking operation responsible for distributing dangerous amounts of methamphetamine into our communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “We will continue to pursue individuals involved in the distribution of methamphetamine with relentless focus. Those who engage in this criminal activity should understand that law enforcement is committed to bringing them to justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on April 3, 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation, DEA agents allegedly saw Ortiz place two large 12-gallon bins in his car parked outside his residence in Norcross, drive a short distance to meet with Solano, and place those bins in Solano’s car. Shortly thereafter, sheriff’s deputies from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office stopped Solano’s car and located approximately 30 kilograms of methamphetamine inside the 12-gallon bins. Agents then searched Ortiz’s residence, where they allegedly found four more 12-gallon bins containing an additional 55 kilograms of methamphetamine. The investigation further revealed that Ortiz is a citizen of Mexico who is illegally present in the United States.
On April 3, 2026, Ortiz and Solano were named in a criminal complaint charging them with a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Earlier today, a federal magistrate judge ordered Ortiz to be held in federal custody without bail pending further proceedings. Solano is currently in the custody of the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office but is expected to appear in federal court within the next week.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Abraham Suy Suar, age 35, a Guatemalan national unlawfully present in Bryan County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served for one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
On February 2, 2026, Suy Suar pleaded guilty in federal district court. According to investigators, on November 17, 2025, Suy Suar, an alien, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed on September 23, 2014.
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cesar Gonzalez Falcon, a/k/a Cesar Falcon Gonzalez, a/k/a Cesar Gonzalez-Falcon, a/k/a Cesar Falcon Gonzales, age 41, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served for one count of Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
On August 26, 2025, Gonzalez Falcon pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, on May 12, 2025, Gonzalez Falcon, an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, and knowing of such status, knowingly possessed a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and four rounds of ammunition.
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Gonzalez Falcon was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal for resolution of an ICE detainer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Hugo Resident Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Machine GunRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that John Thomas Worthy, age 51, of Hugo, Oklahoma, was sentenced to one year of probation for one count of Possession of a Machine Gun.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On October 6, 2025, Worthy pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, on January 21, 2025, Worthy knowingly possessed a firearm that had been modified to shoot more than one round of ammunition by a single function of the trigger without manual reloading.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Homeland Security Task Force investigation leads to 27-year sentence for Guatemalan man trafficking cocaine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas –A Guatemalan national has been sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Crysthian Omar Escobar Angel, 48, a Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Escobar Angel was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison on April 7, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
According to information presented in court, in 2015, federal agents identified and began investigating a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating throughout Central and North America. The organization used a sophisticated infrastructure to manufacture and distribute multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Colombia, through Central American countries and into the United States for further distribution. Escobar Angel was identified as managing a portion of those activities in Guatemala and indicted in the Eastern District of Texas in 2019.
Based on information presented in court, Escobar Angel was involved in threats of violence including this statement he sent in a text message, “Let me talk with someone I am just going to need some specifics for tomorrow and we will throw some poison on him…. [l]eave that [expletive] to me…. Let’s [expletive] him up….”
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Homeland Security Task Force Nets Six Individuals for Trafficking in FentanylRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of two indictments charging six individuals, including a federal inmate and a Cuban national, with fentanyl trafficking conspiracies and related charges. If convicted of all counts, each faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. See chart below for details.
Name
(Age, City of Residence)
Charges
Theophilus Santroy Williams (43, Tampa)Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanylMaurice Labrone Copeland
(43, Tampa)
Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanylEdward Verdi-Bruno
(33, FCI Coleman)
Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, attempted distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanylDaniel Dayan Hernandez-Hernandez (34, Cuba)Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanylRoshard Dawayne Lewis
(41, Port Richey)
Conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanylJourney Lynn Harding
(24, Tampa)
Conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanylAccording to the indictments, the defendants conspired with one another to distribute fentanyl on various occasions within the Middle District of Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case consisted of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Chang and Samantha Newman.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Giles County Man Arrested for Importing Powerful PsychedelicRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Ripplemead, Virginia man was arrested recently on charges of attempting to possess with intent to distribute dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and distributing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), powerful psychedelic drugs.
Police investigators arrested Charles Herman Aardema III, 28, for these charges as alleged in a federal criminal complaint. According to the complaint, in September 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Miami international mail facility examined a parcel due to suspicious anomalies revealed by X-ray. The parcel was addressed to Aardema’s Ripplemead home and shipped by a “Raul Wictor Silva Batista” of Brazil.
Inside the parcel, officers found several plastic bags containing over 11 kilograms of reddish powder, which chemical analysis confirmed to contain DMT, a psychedelic drug known for its fast working and intense effects.
Shipments records further revealed that between November 2020 and April 2021, CBP intercepted four other parcels of DMT powder en route to Aardema, totaling approximately 20 kilograms.
In October 2021, law enforcement executed a state search warrant on Aardema’s home. During the search, Aardema claimed he ordered DMT because he was “really into tie-dying,” even though he had no tie-dying equipment or tie-dye T-shirts.
Aardema admitted that he received packages of Mimosa hostilis powder from Brazil and reshipped it in smaller quantities across the United States, as directed by Batista. Aardema estimated he shipped 10 or 11 kilograms of the powder to as many as six people.
While Aardema was still on state bond conditions, officers with the Blacksburg Police Department independently arranged several controlled purchases of LSD and DMT from Aardema in March and April 2025. Aardema directed the undercover police informant to meet him on the campus of Virginia Tech during each drug sale.
The case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Giles County Sheriff’s Office; Pearisburg Police Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Blacksburg Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office thanks the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Offices for Giles County and Montgomery County for their assistance.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Former Ohio Senate Candidate Sentenced to Federal Prison for $4.5M Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 45-year-old man who embezzled millions from his employer and a local fraternal police organization—to fund a lavish lifestyle and his election campaign—has been sentenced to prison.
Jonathan Leissler, of Stow, Ohio, has been sentenced to 48 months (four years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to three counts of Wire Fraud. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $4,421,154.54 in restitution.
According to court documents, in March 2022 Leissler was hired as the chief financial officer for an industrial supply company in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. In this role, he was entrusted to manage payroll, expenditures, accounts payable, and company credit cards. However, in his first month on the job—and despite already receiving a six-figure salary—he created fake payroll records to add unauthorized extra money to his paychecks in the form of bonuses, commissions, and other payments. Investigators determined that by November 2024 he stole $3.8 million across 70 pay periods.
While Leissler continued to add unauthorized payments to his paychecks, he was also using the company’s credit cards to make donations to his own election campaign in his bid for a seat on the Ohio Senate during the November 2024 general election. He utilized an online fundraising platform to collect more than $700,000—charged on the company’s credit cards—toward his failed election campaign. When his employer confronted him about the credit card charges, Leissler processed refunds from the fundraising platform. However, the online platform was left on the hook for refund amounts because he had already changed the bank connected to the account to a different one that did not exist.
Another source of funds Leissler accessed was through a local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) organization. While serving as their treasurer, he was issued a debit card and checkbook for the FOP account, which he then used to write checks to himself, withdraw cash, and pay his personal credit card bills. Ultimately, he stole more than $50,000 from the FOP on 69 separate occasions. The amount accounted for 80% of the organization’s funds which had been earmarked to provide scholarships for the children of police officers.
Federal investigators learned that Leissler used the embezzled funds to live an extravagant lifestyle. He traveled by chartered private planes and bought a vacation property in South Carolina. He also used funds to pay for mortgage payments, credit cards, vehicles, cryptocurrency mining equipment, and start a business.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Megan R. Miller for the Northern District of Ohio led the prosecution.
Former New Britain Tax Preparer Charged with Tax Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 37-count indictment yesterday charging JESSLY GUZMAN, 36, of Hughestown, Pennsylvania, with tax fraud offenses stemming from the preparation and filing of numerous false federal tax returns.
As alleged in the indictment, Guzman, who formerly resided in New Britain, Connecticut, prepared tax returns for clients through her business Jacky’s Multiservices LLC, based in New Britain. In addition, in approximately 2013, Guzman established Molina and Family Construction LLC (“MAFC”), a purported construction business in New London. Insofar as it was ever a going concern, MAFC ceased operations in approximately 2014. During the 2019 through 2022 tax years, Guzman falsified information on certain tax returns she prepared for clients to reduce her clients’ tax liability, increase their tax refund, or increase the size of their tax credits. On some returns, Guzman fabricated Forms W-2 to trusted taxpayer clients that fraudulently indicated that those clients were employees of MAFC. The W-2s reflected false wages from the company and false federal income tax withholdings. Guzman then caused the false W-2s to be filed with the Social Security Administration and the IRS. For some clients, Guzman also prepared and included false Schedules C reporting business expenses and losses, a false Schedule E reporting rental property expenses and losses, and false education expenses, education credits, and child and dependent care expenses.
The indictment also alleges that Guzman prepared and filed false tax returns for her and her spouse claiming wages from MAFC and the withholding of federal taxes.
The indictment charges Guzman with 33 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false income tax return, and four counts of make and subscribing a false income tax return. The charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count.
Guzman’s arraignment is pending.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation has been conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.
Former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Admits Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted list pleaded guilty Thursday and admitted providing sexual access to a child in exchange for cash and other items of value.
Donald Eugene Fields II, 61, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of child sex trafficking. He admitted accepting items of value from a friend and co-defendant, Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr., in exchange for access to the victim beginning when she was 14 years old. From the winter of 2013 through the summer of 2016, Sartori engaged in illegal sexual activity with the minor and provided Fields cash, a car, a motorcycle, Christmas presents and vacations. In the summer of 2016, Sartori financed a vacation to Florida and drove the victim there with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with her. Fields instructed the minor to engage in sexual activity with Satori.
Fields was indicted on Dec. 7, 2022. He was arrested on Jan. 26, 2025, after a traffic stop by police in Lady Lake, Florida, when officers learned that he was on the Most Wanted list.
Fields is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15. The crime carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, with a maximum term of life.
Sartori, now 65, is serving a 10-year prison term. He pleaded guilty in August of 2024 to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The case was investigated jointly by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Former DOE Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Dead Relative’s PensionRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Effie Mae Youmans, 71, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to theft of public money by collecting pension benefits that she was not entitled to collect.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed the Savannah River Nuclear Site learned one of its retirees had died, but the individual’s pension benefits were still being received. According to SRNS’s investigator, no one informed SRNS of the retiree’s death at the time, so SRNS continued to make pension payments to the individual’s account. SRNS made 18 months of payments after the death, at a rate of $3,025 per month, totaling $54,450. Investigators determined Youmans, a relative of the retiree, withdrew the overpayment funds from the bank account. As an SRNS pension recipient herself, Youmans knew she was not entitled to the relative’s pension funds.
The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. The Fraud Division will fulfill that mission by coordinating with agencies responsible for administering benefit programs; partnering with federal, tribal, state, territorial, and local law enforcement on fraud-fighting efforts; developing systems and processes that ensure efficient identification of fraud against taxpayer dollars; and equipping prosecutors and law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and resources needed to bring criminal actors to justice.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.
United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Youmans after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. As part of Youmans’ plea agreement, she will repay the stolen money.
This case was investigated by Department of Energy Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potterfield is prosecuting the case.###
Former Austin School Bookkeeper Sentenced for Embezzling over $1MRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – A Leander woman was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 33 months in prison for wire fraud and tax evasion, said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Alysa Dietz Gisser, 56, was employed as a bookkeeper and accountant for a non-profit private school in Austin for children with special needs and learning disabilities. Beginning in or around 2018, she began embezzling money from the school, directing parents to make tuition and other payments to a PayPal account connected to her consulting business. Gisser had renamed her business PayPal account to reflect the name of the school to misdirect the school’s funds. Additionally, she modified the school’s accounting files to reflect that funds had been paid to the school, when in reality the funds had been transferred to her personal bank account to make credit card and mortgage payments, and install an in-ground swimming pool at her residence.
In total, between the PayPal payments and the checks deposited into her personal bank account, Gisser embezzled more than $1 million from the school. She also underreported her income by $863,963.32 between 2018 and 2021.
Gisser was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion on Dec. 15, 2025. She pleaded guilty to both counts on Jan. 13. In addition to the prison sentence, Gisser was ordered to pay $1,318,684.34 in restitution and had a money judgment imposed against her for $1,049,012.34.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case.
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Florida CPA Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL — A Florida Certified Public Accountant pleaded guilty today to evading payment of more than $2.2 million of income tax liabilities.
According to court documents, Ronald St. Clair attempted to hide his assets from the IRS after accumulating tax debts for 2011 through 2017. In 2020, after the IRS notified St. Clair that it intended to levy his assets to collect his unpaid taxes, St. Clair sold real property he owned and transferred the proceeds into a bank account in a third party’s name. After transferring these funds out of his own name, St. Clair directed the money for his personal and business use and intentionally failed to disclose these funds and assets while he was seeking a payment plan with the IRS.
St. Clair pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. His sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Darcey of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Marissa R. Brodney and Aaron I. Henricks of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
Florida CPA Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A Florida Certified Public Accountant pleaded guilty today to evading payment of more than $2.2 million of income tax liabilities.
According to court documents, Ronald St. Clair attempted to hide his assets from the IRS after accumulating tax debts for 2011 through 2017. In 2020, after the IRS notified St. Clair that it intended to levy his assets to collect his unpaid taxes, St. Clair sold real property he owned and transferred the proceeds into a bank account in a third party’s name. After transferring these funds out of his own name, St. Clair directed the money for his personal and business use and intentionally failed to disclose these funds and assets while he was seeking a payment plan with the IRS.
St. Clair pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. His sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as restitution and monetary penalties. 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 Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Marissa R. Brodney and Aaron I. Henricks of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Darcey of the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Female duo sentenced for bank fraud and identity theftRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A pair of women from Charlotte, North Carolina who stole identities to withdraw funds from bank accounts have been sentenced, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
April Lynn Turner-Gross, 39, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Yesterday, Turner-Gross was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Kimberly Gail Worden, 41, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. On March 17, 2026, Worden was sentenced to 29 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The defendants were also ordered to pay $71,300 jointly in restitution.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Turner-Gross and Worden stole identities and fraudulently withdrew funds from customer accounts at banks in Montana. The investigation has identified 18 fraudulent cash withdrawals from 18 customer accounts at ten different financial institutions for a total loss of $71,300.00.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katy Stack prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
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Federal jury convicts Manassas woman for maintaining a property used for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted Paris Chappe'll Hudson, 35, of Manassas, yesterday on charges of maintaining a drug-involved premises.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on June 12, 2025, Hudson and Khymarr Talib Cooper, 46, were arrested for their roles in a COVID-era unemployment insurance fraud scheme. When law enforcement arrived at the residence where the couple lived to arrest them, Hudson disclosed that she possessed a firearm. Investigators attained a warrant to search the residence and discovered additional firearms and ammunition as well as distribution amounts of marijuana, 161 street-pressed oxycodone pills, narcotics packaging material, two digital scales with narcotics residue, $4,107, a commercial money counter, two cellphones belonging to Cooper, and one cellphone belonging to Hudson.
Text messages between Cooper and Hudson on their phones confirmed Hudson knew of Cooper’s drug trafficking. Hudson was the sole lessee of the residence.
Hudson faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on July 17. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Hudson pled guilty to wire fraud relating to the unemployment scheme on August 5, 2025, and was sentenced on Jan. 21 to six months in prison. Cooper pled guilty to wire fraud relating to the unemployment scheme on Aug. 25, 2025, and was sentenced on Dec. 5, 2025, to one year and eight months in prison. Cooper pled guilty on March 30 to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison when sentenced on July 2.
The Prince William County Police Department; Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; and Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf is prosecuting the case.
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. 4:26-cr-8 and 4:25-cr-32.
Faith, South Dakota Man Found Guilty After Trial of First-Degree BurglaryRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a jury has convicted Dalton Hump, age 34, of Faith, South Dakota, of one count of First-Degree Burglary following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on April 2, 2026.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Hump was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025.
At trial, the evidence established that on the evening of July 10, 2024, Hump unlawfully entered a residence in Ziebach County, in the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. Hump assaulted two individuals inside the residence before being forced outside.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to state court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Hump was placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Essex County Man Sentenced to 149 Months in Prison for Robbing Drugstore Employees at Gun PointRead the Press Release
NEWARK N.J. – An Essex County man who robbed pharmacy employees at gun point was sentenced today to 149 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release before the Honorable William J. Martini, U.S.D.J., in Newark federal court, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Following a jury trial in October 2025 before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court, Nariq Petes, 27, of Newark, was convicted of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and using and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:
On December 30, 2023, Petes and Xavier Reyes drove together and entered a pharmacy in Livingston, New Jersey wearing black masks and carrying guns. Once inside the pharmacy, Petes and Reyes brandished handguns and demanded prescription drugs. Petes and Reyes took at least 6 bottles of prescription medication. Three days later, on January 2, 2024, law enforcement arrested Petes at his apartment in Newark, where he was found with stolen medication from the pharmacy. In May 2025, Reyes pled guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a) and Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and was later sentenced to 111 months’ imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, members of the Livingston Police Department, under the direction of Gary Marshuetz, and members of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Theodore N. Stephens II, with the investigation leading to these convictions.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael K. O’Leary of the Narcotics/International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Pasquale F. Giannetta Esq., Newark
East Boston Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An East Boston man has been arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Three privately made firearms (ghost guns), four machine gun conversion devices, a 3D printer, five magazines and 31 privately made firearm receivers found during search.
Angel Negron, 47, of East Boston, was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Negron was arrested at his apartment on March 31, 2026 and remains detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.
According to the charging documents, between Jan. 14, 2026, and March 2, 2026, Negron ordered 29 firearm parts to his apartment via his eBay account. Additionally, on March 3, 2026, Negron allegedly submitted an online complaint to a firearm company, saying that a trigger he purchased from the company’s eBay store did not fire his firearm properly. In that communication, Negron allegedly included a photograph of a firearm with a 3D printed frame:
During a search of Negron’s apartment on March 31, 2026, investigators seized three privately made firearms (ghost guns), four machine gun conversion devices, a 3D printer, five magazines and 31 privately made firearm receivers.
In 2007, Negron was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of possession of a firearm without a license and carrying a loaded firearm, for which he was sentenced to 30 months in the house of correction.
The charge of felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Boston Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Cuban Man Sentenced for Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy, Possession with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – YAIDEL PLACIDO SALVADOR, (“PLACIDO”), age 40, a resident of Cuba, was sentenced on April 8, 2026, after previously pleading guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. PLACIDO was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, PLACIDO, and other co-conspirators, distributed and possessed with intent to distribute, multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine within the Eastern District of Louisiana. PLACIDO transported kilogram quantities of cocaine into the Eastern District of Louisiana in furtherance of the conspiracy.
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 New Orleans comprises agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office, and assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Border Patrol, the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, the Kenner Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit was in charge of the prosecution.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) New Orleans as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Convicted Felon from Fall River Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and distributing cocaine.
Carlos Perez, 40, pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of distributing a controlled substance. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2026. In November 2025, Perez was arrested and charged.
On May 5, 2025, Perez sold cocaine as well as a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition to a cooperating witness. In addition, Perez sold a Sig Sauer, P230 SL, .380 caliber pistol and ammunition on June 2, 2025; a Ruger, Max 9, 9mm pistol and ammunition on June 30, 2025; and a Smith & Wesson, M&P 9 Shield, 9mm pistol and ammunition on Aug. 27, 2025.
Perez is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due multiple prior convictions. According to the charging documents, Perez has 61 adult charges on his record and over 15 criminal convictions, including a 2015 state conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance, for which he served two years in the house of corrections, as well as two separate convictions for Assault and Battery Dangerous Weapon in 2008, for which he received a two-year suspended sentence and six months in the house of corrections.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of distributing a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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 Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River and New Bedford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Ernest Lee Thomas II, 35, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm 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: “With yet another successful prosecution under the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, we are fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump that we will stop at nothing to keep our citizens safe and dangerous, armed felons like this defendant locked away in prison. Sheriff Chip Simmons and his deputies continue to set the standard for investigative excellence in law enforcement, and my office will back up their hard work with aggressive prosecutions to keep our community safe.”
Court documents reflect that on May 31, 2025, deputies with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by the defendant. During the traffic stop, a search of the vehicle uncovered a loaded .45-caliber Taurus handgun with a round in the chamber and five rounds in the magazine. While speaking with law enforcement, the defendant made statements indicating the firearm belonged to him. The defendant had previously been convicted in the Northern District of Florida of distribution of cocaine and possession of stolen firearms.
The case was investigated jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The 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.
Connecticut Woman Sentenced to Prison for Lying to Obtain U.S. Citizenship After Committing Torture and War Crimes in BosniaRead the Press Release
A woman who was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Bosnia and Herzegovina was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to 30 months in prison for naturalization fraud based on lies about her prior criminal conduct to obtain U.S. citizenship.
According to statements made in court and court documents, Nada Radovan Tomanić, 53, of West Virginia, served with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, during the armed conflict in the region. Along with other Zulfikar Special Unit soldiers, Tomanić participated in the severe physical and psychological abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners, including torture and inhuman treatment amounting to a war crime.
When applying for U.S. naturalization in 2012, Tomanić, who resided in Hartford at the time, falsely denied having served in a detention facility or in any other situation involving the detention of others. She also falsely denied having committed a crime for which she had not been arrested — specifically, the crime of inflicting serious bodily harm under the Criminal Law of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
Tomanić’s deception extended beyond her written naturalization application. During her interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer, she was placed under oath and was legally obligated to answer questions truthfully. Despite that obligation, she again lied about her service in a detention facility and her past criminal conduct.
“The defendant tortured and abused prisoners in Bosnia and then lied to U.S. immigration authorities to live in the U.S. and become a citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human rights violators are not welcome in the United States. Thanks to the courage of the victims, and the diligence and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, the defendant has been held accountable for exploiting our immigration system and evading responsibility for her crimes.”
“I sincerely appreciate the investigative work of our law enforcement partners both here in the U.S. and in Bosnia who have disregarded the passage of decades to ensure that justice is served,” said U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan for the District of Connecticut. “There is no statute of limitations for human decency.”
“This case has always been about more than lying on naturalization documents,” said Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien of the FBI New Haven Field Office. “Over the course of this investigation Tomanić’s violent history of targeting people based on their ethnicity and religion came to light, and we hope that yesterday’s sentencing gives some measure of justice to her victims. The FBI, along with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office of Fraud Detection and National Security will continue to investigate crimes of this nature to ensure the sanctity of the immigration process for all who righteously apply for U.S. Citizenship.”
Tomanić pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2025, to one count of procuring citizenship contrary to law.
The FBI investigated the case, with coordination provided by the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS), along with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU). The Justice Department thanks authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to include the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Interior, Serbian authorities, and the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, who were instrumental in providing assistance that aided in furthering the investigation.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia King and Angel Krull for the District of Connecticut prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP historians. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or through the FBI’s online tip form at www.tips.fbi.gov/, or Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or through ICE’s online tip form at www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.
Connecticut Woman Sentenced to Prison for Lying to Obtain U.S. Citizenship After Committing Torture and War Crimes in BosniaRead the Press Release
A Connecticut woman who was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Bosnia and Herzegovina was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison for naturalization fraud based on lies about her prior criminal conduct to obtain U.S. citizenship.
According to statements made in court and court documents, Nada Radovan Tomanić, 53, of West Virginia, served with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, during the armed conflict in the region. Along with other Zulfikar Special Unit soldiers, Tomanić participated in the severe physical and psychological abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners, including torture and inhuman treatment amounting to a war crime.
When applying for U.S. naturalization in 2012, Tomanić falsely denied having served in a detention facility or in any other situation involving the detention of others. She also falsely denied having committed a crime for which she had not been arrested — specifically, the crime of inflicting serious bodily harm under the Criminal Law of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
Tomanić’s deception extended beyond her written naturalization application. During her interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer, she was placed under oath and was legally obligated to answer questions truthfully. Despite that obligation, she again lied about her service in a detention facility and her past criminal conduct.
“The defendant tortured and abused prisoners in Bosnia and then lied to U.S. immigration authorities to live in the U.S. and become a citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human rights violators are not welcome in the United States. Thanks to the courage of the victims, and the diligence and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, the defendant has been held accountable for exploiting our immigration system and evading responsibility for her crimes.”
“I sincerely appreciate the investigative work of our law enforcement partners both here in the U.S. and in Bosnia who have disregarded the passage of decades to ensure that justice is served,” said U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan for the District of Connecticut. “There is no statute of limitations for human decency.”
“This case has always been about more than lying on naturalization documents,” said Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien of the FBI New Haven Field Office. “Over the course of this investigation Tomanić’s violent history of targeting people based on their ethnicity and religion came to light, and we hope that yesterday’s sentencing gives some measure of justice to her victims. The FBI, along with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office of Fraud Detection and National Security will continue to investigate crimes of this nature to ensure the sanctity of the immigration process for all who righteously apply for U.S. Citizenship.”
Tomanić pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2025, to one count of procuring citizenship contrary to law.
The FBI investigated the case, with coordination provided by the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS), along with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU). The Justice Department thanks authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to include the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Interior, Serbian authorities, and the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, who were instrumental in providing assistance that aided in furthering the investigation.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia King and Angel Krull for the District of Connecticut prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP historians. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or through the FBI’s online tip form at www.tips.fbi.gov/, or Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or through ICE’s online tip form at www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.
Clearwater Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Zachary William Thomas (29, Clearwater) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to seven years and six months in federal prison for distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025. Thomas was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution and will be required to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, between February 13 and 16, 2024, Thomas chatted online with an individual on a social media application. Thomas sent images and videos of CSAM to that individual and, in exchange, received additional CSAM from that individual. The FBI executed a search warrant at Thomas’s home and seized two cellphones that belonged to Thomas. Both cellphones contained hundreds of images and videos of CSAM.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.
It is another case 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
City of East St. Louis consents to Clean Water Act violations and agrees to implement actions to address unlawful discharges of untreated sewageRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Illinois reached an interim agreement with the City of East St. Louis, Illinois to address the City’s Clean Water Act violations.
In December 2024, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Enforcement Section filed a complaint against the City due to its failure to operate its sewer system in compliance with the Clean Water Act. According to the complaint, the failure led to hundreds of unlawful discharges of untreated sewage to various locations in the community, including the Mississippi River and Whispering Willow Lake in Frank Holten State Park.
On March 11, 2026, the United States, the State of Illinois, and the City of East St. Louis entered a Stipulation of Judgment on Liability, Stay of Litigation, and Interim Relief. The stipulation was approved by United States District Judge David W. Dugan on March 19. In the stipulation, the City of East St. Louis consented to liability on Counts One through Nine in the Complaint.
The parties further agreed to a stay of discovery and the court proceedings to allow for the preparation of a Long-Term Control Plan. According to their stipulation, the City will submit a revised Long-Term Control Plan no later than June 30, 2027. During the stay, the parties agreed to file bi-monthly status reports with the Court on the last business day of every other month.
“This interim agreement shows a shared commitment between the parties to continue working towards the improvement of health and safety in the local community,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.
EPA and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency investigated the case.
Attorneys with the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Enforcement Section and Illinois Attorney General’s office are handling the case.
Child Pornographer Sentenced to over 16 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Kyle Kenneth Castino, 36, to over 16 years in federal prison followed by 8 years of supervised release, and $35,000 restitution for Distribution of Child Pornography.
“This crime exhibits stunningly disgusting antisocial behavior. Anyone who would descend to such dark depths of depravity should never walk freely amongst our children and families, ever again. Thanks to the identification of this spider and robust investigation by our law enforcement partners, we have stomped out this spider for the next two decades, and in reality, forever.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
The State Bureau of Investigations, the Garner Police Department, and the Selma Police Department investigated Inmate Castino after Facebook and Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that one of their users had uploaded child sexual abuse to their platforms. The IP address linked back to Inmate Castino at his Garner home. When the Garner Police Department learned Inmate Castino had moved to Selma, Selma PD and SBI executed a search warrant on Inmate Castino’s house. The search led to the seizure of digital devices that contained child sexual abuse materials. Inmate Castino admitted he had perverted sexual interest in children, and they found child sexual abuse material on his phone and thumb drive and in various digital devices in a lockbox inside his house. Additionally, law enforcement discovered Inmate Castino had produced images with a child. He possessed almost 385,000 images and over 3,000 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the sentencing. U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the sentence. Garner Police Department, Selma Police Department, and the SBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson 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. 5:24-CR-230-FL-BM.
Chicago Man Charged with Threatening to “Shoot up” United States Secret Service OfficeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has charged a Chicago man with making a threat to “shoot up” an office of the United States Secret Service and “hunt” an agent.
On March 19, 2026, MICHAEL KOVCO sent an electronic message via the official White House website that stated, “I’m gonna hunt the secret service agent that comes to my door’s family so he better not tell me any identifying information at all like first or last name or pet name or address or place of work because im going to buy a small concealable firearm and go shoot up his place of work immediately if he tells me anything,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The message was sent approximately two hours after a Secret Service agent and two Secret Service task force officers visited Kovco’s residence in Chicago to inquire about a prior threat Kovco had sent on March 17, 2026, the complaint states. Kovco’s prior message, which was also transmitted via the official White House website, threatened President Donald J. Trump and one of the President’s sons, the complaint states. Kovco electronically signed that message as being from “Mr. I’m going to [expletive] kill your child Kovco,” the complaint states.
The complaint charges Kovco, 29, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Kovco was arrested on April 3, 2026. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 10, 2026, in federal court in Chicago, at which time the government will be seeking Kovco’s continued detention pending trial.
The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Ruvinsky.
“As I have stated repeatedly during my first year as United States Attorney, it is never acceptable to threaten a law enforcement officer, political figure, or a member of their family,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Under my watch, political violence will be dealt with as the serious federal crime that it is. Working closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will find, arrest, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those responsible for criminally threatening the safety of our public officials and law enforcement officers.”
“The U.S. Secret Service’s top priority is safeguarding the President of the United States and all those we protect,” said SAIC Tran. “We take any threats seriously and aggressively pursue them to ensure our protectees’ safety. I commend our agents’ work in bringing this defendant to justice. I want to thank our partners at the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois for their help in pursuing this case.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
kovco_complaint.pdfChicago Drug Trafficker Who Illegally Possessed 17 Firearms Sentenced to Nine Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man who trafficked fentanyl and cocaine and illegally possessed 17 firearms in his Chicago residence has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
Law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of HUGO PINZON’s residence in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago in April 2024 and discovered distribution quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, as well as 17 firearms. As a previously convicted felon, Pinzon was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The search also turned up a money-counting machine, a digital scale for weighing narcotics, and $95,456 in cash, which constituted proceeds from narcotics transactions. Pinzon had sold drugs on three occasions earlier in 2024 to an individual who, unbeknownst to Pinzon, was cooperating with law enforcement.
Pinzon, 36, pleaded guilty last year to federal drug and firearm charges. On April 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge John F. Kness sentenced Pinzon to nine years in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Substantial assistance was provided by the Carpentersville, Ill. Police Department.
“Distribution of narcotics, particularly cocaine and fentanyl, is a very serious offense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Snell argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “These addictive drugs destroy lives and shatter families. In addition to the narcotics defendant kept in his house, he also kept an array of 17 firearms, knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony and was not permitted to possess a firearm.”
Charlotte Man Who Boasted About Having “the Keys to the Streets” Sentenced to Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison today for his role in a scheme involving stolen checks, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Tyrell DeShaun Pace, 32, was sentenced to 35 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. On August 29, Pace pleaded guilty to three counts of financial institution fraud.
Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which oversees North Carolina, joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
“Too many checks are getting stolen from the mail,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We continue to aggressively prosecute these cases and appreciate the work our law enforcement partners are doing to put an end to this crime.”
According to filed court documents, beginning in April 2022, Pace engaged in a financial fraud scheme by obtaining stolen checks, including checks stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. After he obtained the stolen checks, Pace used text messages, phone calls, and social media platforms to advertise the stolen checks, and to lure people to buy the stolen checks. For example, on September 2, 2022, Pace wrote on social media “I got the keys to the streets,” and with that post displayed a photograph showing ATM cards and stolen checks.
Pace also used the stolen checks to engage in fraudulent conduct that would generate large amounts of money. Court records show that Pace altered, forged, and counterfeited checks by, among other means, changing the payable amounts and the names of payees. Pace then deposited the altered checks at various banks and quickly withdrew the funds before the financial institutions could detect the fraud. The total face value of checks associated with the conspiracy was more than $646,600.
Pace will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked USPIS for their investigation and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their substantial assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenny Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Central Valley Men Indicted for Possession of Approximately One Million Pills Containing Suspected MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment today against Jose Mendoza, 35, of Merced; Jessy Johnson, 34, of Turlock; and Alejandro Perez, 43, of Crows Landing, charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, the defendants were part of a drug-trafficking organization that used the U.S. Mail to distribute drugs across the country. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 100 parcels sent by the defendants’ organization. Those parcels contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms.
On March 26, 2026, law enforcement officers from multiple government agencies arrested the defendants and executed search warrants at multiple locations under their control. One location was a warehouse in Turlock that was being used as a stash location. The warehouse contained three pill presses, pans with powders used in manufacturing pills laced with controlled substances, and approximately one million pills containing suspected methamphetamine. Agents also found cocaine, alprazolam (Xanax), MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC products at the warehouse and other locations under the defendants’ control.
The investigation also found approximately $150,000 in cash, as well as information that led them to find and seize multiple electronic wallets that the defendants had used to store cryptocurrency believed to be proceeds from drug sales. To date, law enforcement has seized more than $400,000 in cryptocurrency from wallets under the defendants’ control.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Stockton Police Department, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Manteca Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Campbell and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million 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.
Career offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for federal drug and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond drug trafficker was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 9, 2024, law enforcement was attempting to locate an individual who was wanted in Chesterfield County. When officers located the individual in Gilpin Court in Richmond, the individual was accompanied by Montrio Santos Neville, 40. When the pair was detained, an officer searched Neville and recovered a firearm, 6.8750 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine powder, and numerous tablets containing methamphetamine.
Neville previously was convicted of, among other crimes, forgery of a public record; malicious wounding for an incident in which he shot the victim four times; and possession with intent to distribute heroin. At the time Neville was arrested in this case, he had been released from prison just three months earlier for the heroin conviction and was on active probation. As a previously convicted felon, Neville cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The FBI’s Richmond Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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 No. 3:24-cr-183.
California man going to prison for more than 10 years for his role in cross country narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that La D. Huynh, 43, of Chula Vista, California, who was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, was sentenced to serve 126 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that Huynh, a California-based drug trafficker, supplied quantities of methamphetamine, heroin/fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana to other members of the conspiracy, including Jun Martinez, a Jamestown-based drug trafficker. In 2019, after receiving a large amount of methamphetamine, there was a payment issue between Martinez and Huynh, and Martinez stopped taking calls from Huynh. Sometime in 2020, Huynh and Martinez started their narcotics operations again, and Huynh began shipping quantities of cocaine, heroin/fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the mail, from the San Diego, California, area.
In September 2020, Martinez traveled to the San Diego area and met with Huynh and co-conspirator Kevin Hughes, receiving large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. After the transaction, Martinez and Hughes started to travel back to the Western District of New York. During the return trip, on September 15, 2020, an Illinois State Police Trooper stopped Martinez and Hughes. A search of the vehicle yielded approximately 6,359 grams of methamphetamine, 3,157 grams of fentanyl, 2,241 grams of cocaine, and marijuana products. Martinez and Hughes were arrested and charged by Illinois State law enforcement.
On October 16, 2020, local law enforcement executed a search warrant at Martinez’s Wescott Street residence, recovering 438 grams of methamphetamine and approximately $62,000 in cash. On July 9, 2021, California law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Huynh, recovering narcotics in the trunk. A search warrant was then obtained. During the execution of the warrant, investigators found two cardboard boxes containing a total of 101 kilograms of cocaine.
Defendant Maritnez was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing. Defendant Hughes was previously convicted and sentenced.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Forster, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
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British Citizen Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that JOHN O’ROURKE, also known as JOHN CASEY, 27, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
O’Rourke appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, O’Rourke has used several other aliases including “John O’Rouke,” “Michael Casey,” “John Joyce,” “Robert Davanzo,” “David Collins,” and “James McCormack.” On October 7, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended O’Rourke, under an alias, and four other individuals near Fort Covington, New York, close to Canadian border. An investigation revealed that O’Rourke did not have legal status in the U.S. and, on October 15, 2024, he was removed by foot from New York to Canada.
It is further alleged that on February 18, 2025, O’Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and charged with state offenses including evading responsibility and breach of peace. Continued investigation revealed that O’Rourke has pending cases stemming from arrests under various aliases in Suffolk County, New York, in November 2023; Everett, Washington, in September 2025; Linden, New Jersey, in December 2025; and Snohomish County, Washington, in January 2026. He also has a pending arrest warrant for a larceny offense issued by Connecticut Superior Court judge in Danbury, Connecticut, and is being sought by law enforcement in Surrey, England.
O’Rourke was arrested on March 2, 2026, in Pleasonton, California, on an arrest warrant issued by a judge in Torrington, Connecticut, charging O’Rourke with larceny in the first degree, making home improvements without a valid home improvement certificate, and mispresenting or impersonating a registered contractor.
O’Rourke has been detained since his arrest.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, O’Rourke faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
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.
Brazilian National Sentenced for Conspiracy to Obtain Driver's Licenses for Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national illegally residing in Boston was sentenced today for conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants, principally illegal aliens.
Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to time served (450 days in prison). The defendant is now subject to deportation. On March 6, 2026, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents.
From in or about November 2020 through in or about September 2024, Nascimento De Andrade and his alleged co-conspirators fraudulently procured driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who resided in states that prohibited illegal aliens from obtaining driver’s licenses. Prior to July 2023, illegal aliens residing in Massachusetts were not permitted to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses. Beginning in 2019, illegal aliens residing in New York became eligible to obtain New York driver’s licenses.
Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade and his alleged co-conspirators conspired to fraudulently obtain New York driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in New York, including Massachusetts residents, and after July 2023 to fraudulently obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who did not reside in Massachusetts. The co-conspirators collected money from the customers in exchange for fraudulently obtaining the driver’s licenses for them. In one instance, on April 24, 2024, Nascimento De Andrade requested and accepted $450 in cash from a customer in the parking lot of a Plymouth RMV location in return for providing the customer with a fake cable bill to provide to the RMV, falsely showing that the customer lived in Massachusetts.
In New York, before obtaining a driver’s license, applicants were required to pass a written permit test and complete driver’s education coursework from a New York driving school. Online permit test-takers were required by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (NY DMV) to take a picture of themselves with a web camera during the test. This was to ensure that the test-taker was indeed the applicant and that there was not a person sitting with and helping the applicant with the test.
To avoid the customers having to take the permit tests, Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade and his alleged co-conspirators conspired to obtain several pictures of the customers sitting down, making it look as if the customers were taking the tests. They also allegedly conspired to complete the permit tests for the customers online and, when prompted by the NY DMV to take pictures during the tests, and to upload the pictures that the customers previously provided – purporting to show that it was the customers who were taking the tests, not the defendants. The co-conspirators allegedly conspired to create fraudulent driver’s education certificates of completion, purportedly from New York driving schools, and they conspired to forge the signatures of driving school staff on the fake certificates and to give these documents to the customers to provide to the NY DMV.
The NY DMV also required that applicants appear at a NY DMV location and provide documents to prove their identity and residence in New York. The co-conspirators allegedly conspired to meet Massachusetts-based customers at locations in Massachusetts and drive them to NY DMV branch locations. When they arrived at the NY DMV locations, the defendants allegedly gave the customers fraudulent documents falsely purporting to demonstrate that the customers resided in New York. The NY DMV relied on the misrepresentations to issue New York driving permits to the customers. The co-conspirators allegedly conspired to arrange for the NY DMV to mail the permits to locations in New York that were controlled by the defendants and provided the permits to the customers in-person. The defendants then allegedly conspired to schedule road driving license tests for the customers with the NY DMV and, again, drive the customers to New York for them to take the road tests. If the customers passed the tests, the NY DMV sent the driver’s licenses to mailing addresses in New York that the defendants allegedly controlled, and the defendants then provided the licenses to the customers.
The defendants allegedly conspired to obtain Massachusetts driver’s licenses for out-of-state residents, in generally the same manner as they allegedly obtained the New York licenses for Massachusetts residents. Collectively, the co-conspirators allegedly fraudulently applied for licenses for more than 1,000 customers, obtained licenses for more than 600 of the customers, and collected at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Nascimento De Andrade is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case. In September 2025, Cesar Agusto Marin Reis was sentenced to 290 days in prison and, in October 2025, Helbert Costa Generoso was sentenced to nine months in prison.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the NY DMV Division of Field Investigation; the Boston, Danbury (Conn.) and Waterbury (Conn.) Police Departments; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut; and the New York State Inspector General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.