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10 September 2026
Peruvian national indicted for illegally votingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita has returned an indictment charging a Peruvian national with multiple criminal offenses arising from allegedly voting in a federal election despite not being a United States citizen.
According to court documents, Mariana Alexandra Dewey, 24, of Wichita is charged with one count of false claim of citizenship, one count of false claim of United States citizenship in order to vote, one count of fraudulent election conduct, and one count of voting by an alien in a federal election.
In November 2024, Dewey allegedly falsely represented herself to be a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote in an election that included federal, state, and local offices. She is further accused of casting a ballot that included candidates for U.S. President, Vice President, Senate, and House of Representatives after falsely certifying that she was a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to protecting election integrity and is actively investigating and prosecuting these cases,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “With another election looming, the Department’s effort serves as a stark reminder to individuals who are not legally authorized to vote not to engage in this conduct. Should individuals be determined by a court of law to have illegally claimed U.S. citizenship and voted or attempted to vote in federal elections, they will face serious criminal consequences.”
Dewey is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Monday, September 14, 2026 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Fadler is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###Pensacola Man Sentenced for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Alaisjah Perkins, 23, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for possessing unregistered firearms. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our state and federal law enforcement partners are committed to keeping our communities safe, and work hard every day to accomplish that mission, as evidenced by this investigation that led to our successful prosecution. Following the law is not optional, and my office stands ready to hold offenders accountable.”
Court documents reflect that the defendant used a 3D printer to print machine gun diversion devices for AR-15 rifles and then sold them online. The device inserts into an AR-15 rifle and converts it from semi-automatic to fully automatic. An undercover ATF officer purchased 12 conversion devices from the defendant on two occasions before obtaining a search warrant for his home, where they found the 3D printer, printing material, and 13 additional devices.
The case involved an investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Patterson and Walter E. Narramore.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
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.
Owner of Illicit Drug Website Charged with Trafficking DMT and MDMA Near D.C. College CampusRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Perry Young, owner and operator of the website “Forest Floor DC,” was charged in an indictment unsealed today for alleged drug trafficking operations involving illegal narcotics, including DMT, MDMA, marijuana, and hallucinogenic mushrooms, conducted near The Catholic University of America, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Today’s indictment underscores my office’s unwavering commitment to protecting the public from illegal drug trafficking operations that threaten the safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The defendant built a sophisticated online distribution network that delivered illicit substances directly into our neighborhoods, including proximity to Catholic University. This conduct endangers students, families, and the broader community, and it will be met with decisive action.”
Young, of the District of Columbia, is charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Dimethyltryptamine, Distribution of Dimethyltryptamine and MDMA Within 1,000 Feet of a Private College, and Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute MDMA. The indictment also includes forfeiture allegations seeking the surrender of illicit proceeds. Young made his initial appearance today before District Court Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya.
Young operated the website https://www.forestfloordc.com/, where customers could order Schedule I controlled substances, including marijuana, mushrooms, and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Once an order was placed online, Young or an associate delivered the drugs in person.
During an undercover operation, law enforcement made several controlled drug purchases through the website, receiving in-person deliveries directly from Young and an associate. On one occasion, Young sold 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to an undercover officer. The alleged drug sales occurred within 1,000 feet of The Catholic University of America.
Search warrants were executed this morning at Young’s residence and a storage unit. Law enforcement discovered one Glock 43 handgun with a drum-style magazine, a Glock 43 magazine loaded with ammunition, and assorted ammunition and firearm accessories. Law enforcement also seized approximately $250,000 in U.S. currency and $200,000 in jewelry from Young. The warrants resulted in the seizure of approximately 18 pounds of marijuana, 74 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, 30 pounds of tetrahydrocannabinol “THC” and a large amount of packaging material and drug paraphernalia.
This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force with valuable assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, Metro Transit Police and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
forest_floor_dc_llc_indictment.pdfOregon Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Coercing a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity and Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Aleksandr Golovchenko (50, Oregon) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to 25 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for three counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Golovchenko pleaded guilty on April 29, 2026.
According to court documents, in or around February 2025, Golovchenko met a 12-year-old female online. Between February and April 2025, Golovchenko persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced the victim to engage in sexual activity over the social media application Snapchat. Golovchenko also employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Nationwide Alcohol Distributor Agrees to Pay over $12 Million to Resolve Federal Investigation into Bribery and False Invoicing PracticesRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC (“Southern Glazer’s”), a nationwide alcohol distributor headquartered in Florida, has entered into a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, and agreed to make a monetary payment of $12.5 million and other remedies to resolve the investigation. The investigation involved Southern Glazer’s executives and employees funding and concealing improper payments and benefits to employees of alcohol retailers, including chain grocery stores in California and elsewhere.
In the agreement, Southern Glazer’s admitted to and acknowledged responsibility for the acts of individuals employed by the company, which included years of improper payments and benefits to various alcohol retailer employees in connection with the promotion, purchase, maintenance, and placement of certain alcohol products distributed by Southern Glazer’s, and the use of third-party vendors and false invoices generated to conceal the practice. Several Southern Glazer’s executives based in California, including several Vice Presidents, were directly involved in the conduct, which included substantial cash payments, prepaid gift cards, flights, golf trips, resort stays, and luxury goods, along with participation in the falsification of documents.
In addition to Southern Glazer’s monetary payment of $12.5 million to the United States, among other things, the company agreed to implement robust steps to enhance compliance with federal and state laws prohibiting bribery and other improper payments and also agreed to continue to cooperate with the government in connection with any criminal prosecutions related to the matter, including against current or former employees of the company.
One of government’s top jobs is to ensure a level playing field for American business. Southern Glazer’s employees tried to distort the wine and spirits market in California through bribes and other improper conduct and in the end it was the consumer that lost out,” said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian. “Our office takes this kind of conduct seriously and we are committed to making sure everyone plays by the same rules, which will mean lower prices and more choices for the California consumer. By refusing to compete honestly, the company didn’t just harm its competitors and consumers — it struck at the heart of the American tradition of fair and open competition.”
“Today’s announcement of this agreement is a testament to IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners commitment to holding accountable companies like Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits who engaged in dishonest business practices that circumvented trade practice regulations and internal controls,” said Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office. “This investigation is an excellent example of the importance of law enforcement agencies working together to address complex illicit financial activity by holding those responsible to account for their actions.”
“TTB takes trade practice enforcement seriously to ensure that all industry members operate under the same rules and that law abiding businesses do not lose competitive ground because of the illegal actions of a few,” said Anthony P. Gledhill, Assistant Administrator, Field Operations, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). “This case serves as an important reminder that industry members are accountable not only for their own conduct, but also for the actions taken on their behalf by third party affiliates. Third parties, likewise, are responsible for any illegal activities they carry out on behalf of an industry member.”
The investigation was handled by the National Security, Cyber & Special Prosecutions Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Sampson and Sailaja Paidipaty investigated the case with the assistance of Helen Yee and Maryam Beros. The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – CI and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau with support from the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture.
Southern Glazer’s NPA
Mexican National Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Identity Theft and Passport FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ricardo Gonzalez Bahena, 43, an illegal alien residing in Graniteville, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for identity theft and passport fraud. Gonzalez Bahena, a Mexican national, will be deported after serving his sentence.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Gonzalez Bahena was working at the Savannah River Nuclear Site under a false identity. During his employment, he attempted to obtain an increased security clearance, but investigators discovered inconsistencies during the background investigation. Thereafter, they uncovered his scheme. On two separate occasions, he also attempted to apply for a U.S. passport in Augusta, Georgia using the same false identity. The stolen identity belonged to a vulnerable adult and American citizen in Puerto Rico who has never left Puerto Rico.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Gozalez Bahena to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Bahena was also ordered to pay $35,695 in restitution to the victim.
This case was investigated by the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews is prosecuting the case.###
Mexican National Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry; Faces DeportationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Victorino Javier Cruz-Lopez, age 40, of Mexico, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for illegal reentry. Cruz-Lopez will be deported upon conclusion of his sentence.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Cruz-Lopez was encountered in the United States in York County on April 16, 2026, after having previously been removed in 2013. Cruz-Lopez did not receive permission to reenter the United States, as required by law.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Matthew Schnell, 45, of Bellingham, Massachusetts was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe to 71 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Schnell pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine.
“This defendant helped run a major operation trafficking dangerous drugs out of central New Hampshire and will now be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “Due to strong partnership with our state and local law enforcement counterparts, we were able to take down this methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Our office will continue to pursue those who bring harm and destructive addiction to our communities.”
“Matthew Schnell is now behind bars for facilitating a substantial drug trafficking organization that pushed pounds of methamphetamine into New Hampshire, fueling addiction, violence, and instability in our neighborhoods,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Let this hefty sentence be a warning to others who think they can profit from flooding our streets with dangerous drugs and escape responsibility. The FBI and our partners will find you and ensure you are brought to justice.”
According to the court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2022, the FBI’s New Hampshire Major Offender Task Force, and the New Hampshire State Police (“NHSP”) began investigating a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in New Hampshire. The investigation revealed that Schnell obtained methamphetamine from suppliers and then would provide methamphetamine to Thomas Conway for further distribution in New Hampshire. Phone calls and text messages intercepted during the investigation confirmed that the defendant worked as Conway’s primary supplier and business partner. For example, in one conversation, Schnell, Conway, and another co-conspirator discussed the need to need to restructure their drug trafficking organization to ensure a sufficient drug supply. In multiple other intercepted communications, Schnell discussed obtaining multiple pound quantities of methamphetamine for Conway. Law enforcement later seized drugs before they could be distributed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Major Offender Task Force in partnership with the New Hampshire State Police led the investigation. The Concord Police Department, Franklin Police Department, and New Hampton Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherniske prosecuted the case.
This case is part of New Hampshire’s 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 U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.
Maryland Felon Sentenced for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man is headed to federal prison for firearm crimes.
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jerry Toliver, 37, of Rosedale, today, to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, on December 19, 2024, BPD officers arrived at a building to assist BCPD detectives with executing an arrest warrant on Toliver. The warrant was in connection with a November 2024 shooting.
BCPD detectives located Toliver sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle. Law enforcement ordered Toliver out of the vehicle and placed him under arrest. As law enforcement searched Toliver, officers discovered oxycodone, cocaine base, and cocaine on him.
After towing the vehicle to BCPD Headquarters, law enforcement uncovered a loaded handgun with seven live rounds of ammunition under the driver’s seat. Toliver is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions. Additionally, investigators found $3,604.17, along with a large amount of Toliver’s clothing in the vehicle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Godwin who is prosecuting this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Manitowoc Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Obscene Visual Depictions of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 4, 2026, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Brandon M. Lemerond (Age 21) to 180 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for Receiving Obscene Visual Depictions of Child Pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1466A(a)(1).
According to court documents and arguments presented in court, the Manitowoc Police Department received a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding images that were sent and received by a username associated with Lemerond. Further investigation revealed that Lemerond was engaging with underage victims via the internet and soliciting images of child sexual abuse material. Lemerond is a sex offender registrant in the State of Wisconsin based on a 2023 conviction in Manitowoc County for Possession of Child Pornography.
Judge Griesbach described Lemerond’s crime as an extremely serious offense. Judge Griesbach noted a strong need to protect the public and to deter Lemerond and others from engaging in similar criminal behavior in the future. Judge Griesbach determined that a sentence of 15 years (180 months) imprisonment was appropriate. Following his release from federal prison, Lemerond will serve 6 years on supervised release and will continue to be required to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
“This defendant was on probation for prior state child pornography convictions for barely a year when these offenses occurred,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel. “He clearly cannot or will not control his abhorrent behavior. The only way to protect our children from this predator is to lock him up for a very long time. Thanks to the excellent work by our law enforcement and prosecution team, that mission is accomplished.”
“This sentence is an important outcome and shows the importance of holding repeat offenders accountable” stated Manitowoc Police Chief John Musial. “Our detectives conducted a thorough investigation and worked diligently to bring this offender to justice. The 180-month prison sentence will help protect our community from further harm. I’m proud of the work our detectives did and grateful for the strong partnership with the Department of Justice throughout this case."
This case was investigated by the Manitowoc Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel R. Humble and Timothy W. Funnell.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For further information contact:
Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
steven.caballero@usdoj.gov
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Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Role in the Murders of a Couple and their Unborn Child During a Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, a Mexican national in the country illegally who was living in Yakima, Washington, was sentenced in federal court today to 40 years in prison for his role in the murders of a man, his six-month pregnant wife and their unborn child during a drug-related dispute.
According to his plea agreement, Madrigal and co-conspirators fatally shot 44-year-old Cesar Murillo multiple times in the back of the head and torso on August 28, 2022, during an argument. The shooting took place at a remote ranch outside of Yakima, Washington. Madrigal’s co-conspirators then buried the victim’s body in a six-foot-deep grave under a gravel road near the ranch at Madrigal’s direction.
On September 2, 2022, Madrigal coaxed Murillo’s wife, Maira Sofia Hernandez, 33, to come to the ranch by claiming her husband was waiting for her there and wanted to see her. Hernandez did not know that only a few days earlier, Madrigal and his co-conspirators had shot, killed and buried her husband at the same ranch. Madrigal picked Hernandez up in Yakima and drove her 45 minutes into the mountains to the ranch.
When the visibly pregnant Hernandez arrived at the ranch, the defendant parked and they got out of his car. Soon thereafter, Madrigal’s co-conspirators shot her multiple times in the head and body. U.S. District Court Judge Dana M. Sabraw described Hernandez’s drive to the ranch as “a one-way ticket for her.” Madrigal’s co-conspirators then buried Hernandez in a separate deep grave under a gravel road near the ranch, again at Madrigal’s direction. The child died in utero when Hernandez was shot, killed and buried.
Madrigal also admitted in his plea agreement that the murders were committed while he was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Court testimony revealed that Murillo and Hernandez had worked with Madrigal in the drug trafficking organization but had just informed Madrigal that they planned to cooperate with law enforcement.
During the sentencing, the judge repeatedly described the murders as “horrific.” “So horrific that they demand a significant sentence.” Although the Court agreed that Madrigal had a “horrible childhood” and needed money to assist his sisters with migrating from Mexico to the United States, “the answer is not to do this.” Madrigal’s motivation to murder these victims was “wrong on every possible level.”
Madrigal had months to think about his actions, the Court stated, and yet he remained in the drug trafficking business. The Court added that Madrigal and his co-conspirators “executed” Murillo, Hernandez and the fetus, so he could “stay in control” and continue to run his drug business. And Madrigal clearly profited from his involvement in drug dealing, driving fancy cars, using drugs, and overseeing a ranch in Yakima with a virtual arsenal of weapons. The Court noted that the murders were particularly troubling because Madrigal was involved in killing cooperating witnesses. The Court concluded by noting, “It is very clear, the enormity of the stress and damage you have caused to the victims’ families.”
“While here illegally, Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta chose a life of violence and greed,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “The victims’ families deserved this strong measure of justice.”
“Today’s 40-year sentence holds Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta accountable for the brutal murders of Cesar Murillo, Maira Hernandez, and their unborn child,” said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “This case reflects the extraordinary persistence of HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners to combat violent drug cartels, provide justice for victims and their families, and protect our communities.”
According to court filings, the investigation originated with the seizure of drugs from vehicles using San Diego area ports of entry between August and October of 2021. The organization built sophisticated compartments in high-end stolen vehicles to smuggle drugs through the ports of entry into the United States. Madrigal-Birrueta was a leader in the criminal enterprise. He coordinated the movements of the drug mules importing the drugs and worked to get the drugs up to Yakima for dispersal to other parts of the United States. Madrigal-Birrueta also coordinated the movement of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash back to the drug trafficking organization in Mexico.
By August of 2022, the investigation led agents from San Diego up to Yakima. HSI Agents interviewed Murillo and Hernandez in August 2022. Within days of those interviews, Murillo and Hernandez were murdered and their bodies were buried in deep graves in the high desert. Court filings describe how these charges follow an exhaustive, year-long investigation that employed geophysicists, ground penetrating radar, aircraft, laser imaging, chemical testing of the soil, numerous cadaver dogs, and other law enforcement techniques to search for the victims’ remains. HSI Special Agents successfully recovered the remains on September 13, 2023, aided by a Washington State Police Crime Scene Investigations team.
During the investigation agents seized methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and multiple firearms — including a machine gun — from Madrigal’s drug trafficking organization.
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 San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr1684-DMS
Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta Age: 25 Yakima, WA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 4: Murder of Cesar Armando Murillo in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e)
Mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life, or death
Count 5: Murder of Maira Sophia Hernandez in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e)
Mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life, or death
Count 9: Causing the Death of a Child in Utero – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1841 and 1111
Mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life, or death
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Washington State Police
California Highway Patrol
Yakima Police Department
Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
Visalia Police Department
Fresno Sheriff’s Office
Fresno Police Department
Leader of the Manchester N.H. Chapter of Trinitarios Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the Manchester Chapter of the Trinitarios has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for racketeering charges, including his participation in the attempted murder of rival gang members.
Luis Jeffrey Santana, a/k/a “Sopita,” 28, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. After serving the prison sentence, Luis Enrique Santana will be deported to the Dominican Republic. In June 2026, Santana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. Luis Jeffrey Santana was arrested and charged in February 2025.
The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to coordinate and execute violence, and undertake extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.
Luis Jeffrey Santana admitted to his participation in an August 2021 shooting outside of a department store in Salem, Mass. During this incident, Luis Jeffrey Santana and other Trinitarios members confronted two victims they believed to be rival gang members and engaged in a verbal altercation with them in the store. The Trinitarios and victims separated, exited the store and proceeded in different directions. The Trinitarios members, however, called for reinforcements who arrived shortly thereafter. The victims proceeded to their vehicle and as they turned out of the parking lot, a black sedan containing multiple Trinitarios pulled up and a shooter began firing multiple rounds at the victims. At the same time, a second vehicle pulled out and blocked traffic while the shooting took place.
Luis Jeffrey Santana was also one of the leaders who convened a gang meeting in Dec. 1, 2024. During the recorded meeting, the Trinitarios discussed the reorganization and restructuring of the Trinitarios chapters, including the need for members to pay dues and contribute to the gang’s operations. The leaders discussed the need to have money on hand to help members who commit shootings and to fund a war against rival gang members. They also discussed the potential violence that would be visited upon members who betray the gang.
During the plea hearing in June 2026, Luis Jeffrey Santana admitted to his membership in the gang. Photographs and videos recovered in the investigation showed Luis Jeffrey Santana wearing Trinitarios beaded necklaces, making Trinitarios gang signs with his hands and associating with other members and leaders.
In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. On June 9, 2026, additional federal racketeering and drug charges were unsealed charging 26 additional leaders, members and associates of the Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston Chapters of the gang. According to court documents, the Trinitarios have allegedly participated in five additional murders in Essex County since 2017, bringing the total of federally charged murders to 11, and the total number of federally charged defendants to 56.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; Lawrence Police Chief Maurice Aguiler; Methuen Police Acting Chief Jamie Moore, and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester, N.H. Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
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 Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
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.#
FIRST NAME
LAST NAME
DOCKET NO.
CASE STATUS
1
Ricardo
Bratini-Perez
24-CR-10310
Pleaded Guilty,
Sentenced to 120 Months
2
Rosnel
Polanco
24-CR-10263
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
3
Eric
Rosario
24-CR-10263
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
4
Robert
Santana
24-CR-10263
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
5
Yeferson
Vallecillo Cambar
24-CR-10335
Pending
6
Elvis
Trujillo
24-CR-10336
Pending
7
Abel
Severino-Reyes
24-CR-10373
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
8
Warly
Ruiz
24-CR-10380
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
9
David
Garcia
25-CR-10006
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
10
Tomy
Sanchez
25-CR-10007
Pleaded Guilty, Awaiting Sentencing
11
Carlos
Ramirez
25-CR-10008
Pleaded Guilty
12
Justin
Alba
25-CR-10058
Pending
13
Darwin
Batista
25-CR-10058
Pending
14
Janoy
Batista
25-CR-10058
Pending
15
Aaron
Diaz Liranzo
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty,
Sentenced to 168 Months
16
Israel
Garcia-Vasquez
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty, Awaiting Sentencing
17
James
Jimenez
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty, Awaiting Sentencing
18
Ery
Jordani Rosario
25-CR-10058
Pending
19
Westyn
Lantigua
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty, Awaiting Sentencing
20
Kelvin
Liranzo Roman
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty, Awaiting Sentencing
21
Michael
Miliano
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
22
Enmanuel
Paula-Cabral
25-CR-10058
Pending
23
Luis Jeffrey
Santana
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty,
Sentenced to 120 Months
24
Luis Enrique
Santana
25-CR-10058
Pleaded Guilty,
Sentenced to 136 Months
25
Angel
Santos
25-CR-10058
Pending
26
Wilving
Lopez
25-CR-10062
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
27
Leonardo
Espinoza
25-CR-10236
Pleaded Guilty,
Awaiting Sentencing
28
Isiah
Medina
25-CR-10302
Pending
29
Rodderrith
Peralta
25-CR-10302
Pending
30
Derek
Mercado
25-CR-10411
Pleaded Guilty,
Sentenced to 37 Months
31
Yordali
Yorro
25-CR-10058
Pending
32
James
Cabrera
25-CR-10058
Pending
33
Luis
Crispin
25-CR-10058
Pending
34
Angel
Castillo-Garcia
25-CR-10058
Fugitive
35
Osviallis
Serrano
25-CR-10058
Fugitive
36
Jervis
Almanzar
25-CR-10058
Pending
37
Enrique
Duran
25-CR-10058
Pending
38
Abigail
Arias
25-CR-10058
Pending
39
Justane
Garcia
25-CR-10058
Pending
40
Riky
Montilla
25-CR-10058
Pending
41
Jeremy
Felix
25-CR-10058
Pending
42
Jose
Martinez
25-CR-10058
Pending
43
Jayden
Muniz
25-CR-10058
Pending
44
Geovane
Fernandes
25-CR-10058
Pending
45
Jahir
Davila
25-CR-10058
Pending
46
Yanuel
Mejia
25-CR-10058
Pending
47
Luis
Fernandez Lopez
25-CR-10058
Pending
48
Victor
Diaz
25-CR-10058
Pending
49
Xavier
Puello
25-CR-10058
Pending
50
Joelfry
Cabrera
25-CR-10058
Pending
51
Richard
Pena
25-CR-10058
Pending
52
Hector
Mota
25-CR-10058
Pending
53
Jean
Delgado
25-CR-10058
Pending
54
Luis
Cabral
25-CR-10058
Pending
55
Yoldari
Tejeda Coronado
25-CR-10058
Pending
56
Martin
Taveras
25-CR-10058
Pending
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of 2022 Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew Patrick, 38, of Washington, D.C., was convicted by a Superior Court jury yesterday of armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The verdict follows a trial that occurred after the D.C. Court of Appeals reversed Patrick’s 2023 conviction for the same armed carjacking and remanded the case for a new trial. The Honorable Judge Judith Pipe scheduled sentencing for January 15, 2027, at 9:30 a.m.
According to the government’s evidence, on September 22, 2022, the victim took her 2005 blue Chevy Suburban to the Good Hope Road gas station in Washington, DC. The defendant, dressed in a black jacket with white stripes and a hoodie, approached the victim and demanded her car keys while holding her at gunpoint. Patrick pushed her up against her own vehicle, took her keys, and drove away in the victim’s car. Investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department resulted in the arrest of the defendant within hours of the carjacking. He has been in custody since that time.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys Gregory J. Evans and Monisha H. Rao.
2022 CF3 005665
Jury Finds D.C. Man Guilty of 2024 Stabbing DeathRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – David Key, 39, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today in D.C. Superior Court, on charges stemming from the death of 33-year-old Devon Greenfield in Northeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Key was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder while armed and one count of second- degree murder while armed. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled sentencing for November 20, 2026.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 7:04 p.m., on April 1, 2024, surveillance video captured Key and Mr. Greenfield, who knew each other, standing on the sidewalk in the 300 block of 61st Street NE. The defendant got in the victim’s face to yell at him and then slashed Mr. Greenfield in the face. As Mr. Greenfield lay dazed on the ground, Key ordered him to empty his pockets. When the victim did not comply, the defendant repeatedly stabbed the victim in the chest and back – including three stab wounds to the heart. After several minutes, Key walked off, and the victim collapsed dead on the curb of the street.
Key was stopped two days later on April 3, 2024, wearing the same gray coat, black backpack, and black shoes he was wearing in the homicide video. He also had a knife in his left pocket that was consistent with the type of knife used to inflict the decedent’s injuries. DNA evidence from the crime scene further linked Key to the offense.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Clarke and Joshua Hall.
2024 CF1 006346
Jamaican National Sentenced to Eight Years for Role in Sweepstakes Fraud Targeting Older AmericansRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, announced that JORDAN TROUGHT was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti to eight years in prison for his role as a high-ranking member of an international fraud ring that stole more than $9 million from more than 200 elderly victims in the United States via sweepstakes scams. TROUGHT was arrested in Jamaica on August 28, 2025, and subsequently extradited to the United States on October 22, 2025. In June 2026, he pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of schemes that deliberately target elderly victims and strip them of their financial security,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “Jordan Trought defrauded hundreds of elderly victims out of millions of dollars, taking advantage of their age to rob them of their hard-earned life savings. In doing so, he and his co-conspirators imposed devastating financial consequences on their victims.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, plea agreement, and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings:
From at least 2015 through at least 2025, TROUGHT and others engaged in a fraud scheme perpetrated against elderly victims (the “Elder Fraud Scheme”), through which TROUGHT and his co-conspirators defrauded more than 200 elderly victims of more than $9 million. Victims of the Elder Fraud Scheme typically received an unsolicited phone call or text from an individual using a common name—e.g., “David Miller”—claiming they had won a life-changing amount of money and a luxury car from a well-known marketing and sweepstakes company, but needed to pay taxes or fees to addresses and accounts specified by the caller before receiving the prize. The caller then remained in contact with the victims and, after the victims made their initial payments as directed, informed the victims that additional payments were required to receive their purported winnings. Victims were instructed to send money by mailing checks, money orders, and cash, as well as by wire, Zelle, and Venmo transfer, to addresses and accounts identified by the caller. TROUGHT and his co-conspirators also gained control of some victims’ bank accounts, which they used to transfer money out of and through those accounts. Victims’ funds were ultimately transferred to associates of TROUGHT and his co-conspirators, as well as to an automobile business operated by TROUGHT in Jamaica.
TROUGHT, a citizen of Jamaica, operated the Elder Fraud Scheme from Jamaica, alongside co-conspirators based in both Jamaica and the United States. TROUGHT joined the fraud ring in or around March 2021 and became one of its leaders. TROUGHT is being held responsible for more than $6 million stolen from more than 100 victims from March 2021 through TROUGHT’s arrest in August 2025.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, TROUGHT, 31, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of $6,166,227.00.
Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Mr. McDonald also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and Jamaican authorities, including the Jamaican Constabulary Force, for their assistance in securing TROUGHT’s arrest and extradition.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levander, Margaret Vasu, and Ioannis Drivas are in charge of the prosecution.
Indian National Charged with Making False Claim of U.S. Citizenship to Vote in 2024 ElectionRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the District of Minnesota returned a two-count indictment today charging Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari, an Indian national, with knowingly making a false claim of United States citizenship in order to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.
According to the indictment, on or about Nov. 5, 2024, Chaudhari signed the voter signature certificate required by Minnesota law in order to vote in the general election. The certificate required him to swear or affirm that he was a citizen of the United States. The indictment alleges that Chaudhari was not a U.S. citizen and that he knowingly made the false citizenship statement in order to vote.
“The right to vote is a sacred privilege of American citizenship, and every lawful voter deserves an election system in which that right is protected,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department will hold accountable those who knowingly make false claims of citizenship in order to vote. The integrity of our elections depends on ensuring that only eligible citizens cast ballots and that every lawful vote is counted.”
Chaudhari is charged with one count of false information in voting, in violation of 52 U.S.C. § 21144(b), incorporating 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f), and one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to register to vote or vote, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f). If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case, with assistance from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Flavio Abreu and William Rubens of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Indian Citizen in the United States on Student Visa Sentenced for Defrauding a Vietnam VeteranRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – An Indian Citizen residing in the United States on a student visa was sentenced today after a jury convicted him of conspiring to defraud a Vietnam Veteran in April 2026, announced U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 37, living in San Antonio, Texas, to 30 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Chagamreddy was also ordered to pay $99,496 in restitution and is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.
“Elder fraud schemes are despicable, calculated attacks that prey on some of the most vulnerable and trusting members of our community. In this case, an Indian national in the United States on a student visa used fear to deceive and extort a Vietnam veteran who served our country,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar. “Because the victim came forward, and thanks to law enforcement’s coordinated, swift response and the efforts of AUSAs Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster, Chagamreddy was brought to justice. Our office remains committed to protecting older Americans from predatory fraud and ensuring foreign scammers who take advantage of their country’s immigration system are held fully accountable for their crimes.”
In August 2025, the elderly victim called a phone number that he believed was Microsoft support. While speaking with “Microsoft,” the victim was told that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that information would be turned over to the federal government. Someone then contacted the victim and identified themselves as a federal officer, providing a false badge number.
The fake federal officer told the victim that his identity had been stolen and provided to criminals, which resulted in him being “investigated,” and that his identity was used to commit federal crimes. The elderly victim was transferred to the “Treasury Department” and told he needed to transfer his money into gold and that an “officer” would pick it up the following day. The elderly victim complied and provided photos of the gold. When the fake officer arrived, the victim handed over the package.
A few days later, the fake federal officer contacted the victim again and demanded more funds. The victim contacted a family member, who explained that he was being scammed and contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. With the victim's cooperation, deputies scheduled another pickup. When Chagamreddy arrived at the victim’s home at the scheduled time and date, he was arrested. Evidence presented to the jury showed that he had $500 in cash, a cell phone, and 23 ounces of gold in the vehicle.
An agent testified about the messaging found on Chagamreddy’s phone. The exhibits shown to the jury clearly show he worked with another individual to defraud numerous victims within 48 hours. The agent testified that Chagamreddy flew from Austin to North Carolina, where he picked up gold from an 87-year-old woman. Trial evidence showed that after delivering the gold to a different co-conspirator, Chagamreddy sent a photo of a dollar bill with “29 oz rec 3000 paid” written on it.
The messages indicate that the following day, Chagamreddy drove from Austin, Texas, to Andale, Kansas, starting at 1:21 am. Throughout the drive, Chagamreddy would provide status updates, including screenshots of his location and fuel levels, to the co-conspirator. Upon arrival, Chagamreddy booked a hotel room to rest for a few hours and then drove to the destination he had been directed to. The co-conspirator described the 75-year-old woman from whom Chagamreddy would be picking up gold. Chagamreddy then sent the co-conspirator a photo of a sealed box with a message that read, “23 Oz.”
After completing that trip, the agent testified that the messaging showed that Chagamreddy then drove to Delaware County, Oklahoma. The co-conspirator described the 79-year-old that he would be getting gold from and provided a photo of the victim, who was visibly wearing a Vietnam veteran shirt. The agent explained that the victim lived alone on a rural road and that Chagamreddy was actively providing photos, showing that he was lost. After finding the location, Chagamreddy provided one photo confirming that he arrived and was detained shortly after by Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies.
In 2025, the Department of Justice reported to Congress that it took more than 280 enforcement actions against more than 600 defendants, many of whom were in the United States illegally or were extradited to be prosecuted. Collectively, the defendants attempted to steal, or stole, over $2.3 billion from more than one million Americans. The Department pursued more than 40 types of elder fraud. Investment fraud ranked number one, with more than $1.8 billion in losses, followed by fraudulent tech support at $982 million.
The Elder Justice Initiative website provides several scenarios and red flags to help educate yourself and loved ones about the types of abuse, including financial exploitation.
Chagamreddy will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster prosecuted the case.
To find help or report elder abuse, you can contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline
1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday. Elder Justice Neighborhood Resources for Oklahoma are available here.Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Reentering the United States After Being Deported Three TimesRead the Press Release
An illegal alien who returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced yesterday to three months in federal prison.
Mario Noel Rodriguez Castillo, age 51, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 30, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.
At the guilty plea, Rodriguez Castillo admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Rodriguez Castillo was previously deported in 1996, 2002, and 2005. On May 21, 2026, immigration officials learned Rodriguez Castillo had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Johnson County Jail following his arrest on state charges.
Rodriguez Castillo was previously convicted of drug trafficking charges in Utah in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 he was convicted of reentry of a deported alien in federal court in Utah. In 2003, he was convicted of deported alien found in the United States in federal court in California.
Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced to 94 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Rodriguez Castillo is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 26-cr-44.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Peabody, Mass., who served as a “general” in Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a violent transnational criminal organization based in Brazil, has pleaded guilty to multiple drug trafficking and firearm charges. PCC is one of the largest cocaine distributors in the world and is responsible for acts of violence and firearms trafficking.
Adinazio Vinicius Soares Dias-Barbosa, a/k/a “Panda,” 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, being an alien in possession of firearms and ammunition and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Dec. 3, 2026. The defendant was previously charged by criminal complaint on July 30, 2025.
Dias-Barbosa supplied fentanyl and cocaine to a drug trafficking network operating on the North Shore of Massachusetts. During the investigation, a search of Dias-Barbosa’s cell phone revealed numerous messages and photographs detailing his drug trafficking activities.
On July 1, 2025, as part of the investigation, Dias-Barbosa was stopped on Interstate 95 in South Carolina. Dias-Barbosa consented to a search of his vehicle but fled on foot across the interstate just before the search began. He was apprehended in the grassy median. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, nine rifles and ammunition were seized from the floor of the rear passenger compartment. Dias-Barbosa admitted that he had purchased the firearms in South Carolina and was transporting them to a broker in Miami, who would arrange for the rifles to be transported to Brazil through Paraguay.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license each provide for a maximum penalty of 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Division; and Jack D. Buckley, Chief of Medford Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Everett, Framingham, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) and Yemassee (S.C.) Police Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; Massachusetts Army National Guard – Counterdrug Office; and the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) 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, 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.
Honolulu Man Involved in Trans-Pacific Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Kennard Hinano Boyd Kekona, 58, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and carfentanil, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carfentanil. Kekona has been detained since his initial arrest in April 2024.
According to court records, Kekona was part of a conspiracy that was acquiring controlled substances through the U.S. mail and was engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and carfentanil on Oahu and elsewhere. Kekona was held responsible for 2 kilograms of fentanyl and over 900 grams of methamphetamine.
Carfentanil is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which can be lethal at the 2-milligram range, depending on route of administration and other factors.
Kekona is one of eleven defendants charged in three separate indictments for crimes related to the operation of a trans-Pacific drug trafficking network, ten of whom have pled guilty with one remaining awaiting trial. The investigation yielded seizures of more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine, several kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, eight firearms, ammunition, and over $150,000 in cash.
Kekona is the seventh defendant of eleven to be sentenced. Those charged in his and other related indictments have been sentenced as follows:
- On April 30, 2025, Shawn Pauahi Santana was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and to distributing methamphetamine.
- On December 10, 2025, Faith Michelle Nelson was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- On December 16, 2025, Francis Anthony Abergas, Jr. was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony.
- On January 8, 2026, Trish Leila Henderson was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- On January 12, 2026, Travis Kalani Hong-Ah Nee was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony.
- On January 29, 2026, Leonard Gutierrez was sentenced to 340 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and carfentanil, nine counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui Police Departments, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret C. Nammar is prosecuting the case.
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 Hawaii comprises agents and officers from ICE-HSI, FBI, ATF, CBP, CGIS, DCIS, DEA, DSS, IRS-CI, NCIS, USMS, USPIS, and HHIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii.
Honduran National Sentenced for Possessing Firearm While Unlawfully in the United StatesRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Honduran national was sentenced in federal court after he unlawfully possessed a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Osman Andres Figueroa Enamorado, 31, for Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Figueroa Enamorado was ordered to serve 10 months’ imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release. Upon release, he is expected to face removal proceedings.
According to court documents, Figueroa Enamorado was pulled over in September 2025 at the Tulsa International Airport for driving the wrong way. When officers stopped the vehicle, Figueroa Enamorado did not have a valid driver’s license or auto insurance. During the traffic stop, Figueroa Enamorado kept moving his hands around after being asked to stop and was removed from the vehicle. Officers asked Figueroa Enamorado if he had any weapons, and he claimed he did not. Officers found a loaded firearm in Figueroa Enamorado pants.
In March 2024, court documents show that U.S. Customs and Border Protection found Figueroa Enamorado unlawfully present in the United States. He was issued a Notice to Appear and failed to appear.
Figueroa Enamorado will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Airport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Flynn prosecuted the case.
Honduran Illegal Alien Sentenced to More Than Six Decades in Federal Prison for Child Sexual Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a Honduran illegal alien, unlawfully residing in the United States, to prison, today, for child sex-abuse crimes.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Jose Adan Lopez-Guevara, 38, to 65 years in federal prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release, for sexually exploiting children and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In April 2026, a federal jury convicted Lopez-Guevara of 14 counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and State’s Attorney Tara H. Jackson, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office (PGCSAO).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2015 and 2024, Lopez-Guevara sexually abused three minors, ranging from 2 to 11 years old at the time of the abuse. Lopez-Guevara, who lived in Laurel and Baltimore, produced images and videos of himself and the victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, many of which were found on the dark web.
In December 2024, HSI initiated an investigation after its investigators in Portland, Maine, observed previously unseen child sexual abuse videos on the internet. After identifying Minor Victim 1 in the videos, and determining that he lived in Maryland, investigators quickly referred the matter to HSI Maryland.
HSI then executed several search warrants in Maryland and discovered Lopez-Guevara in possession of two phones. Investigators forensically examined the phones and discovered additional images of Lopez-Guevara sexually abusing Minor Victim 1, along with depictions of Lopez-Guevara exploiting Minor Victim 2 and Minor Victim 3. Additionally, investigators found hundreds of CSAM images and videos on the phone associated with an encrypted messaging application.
This case is 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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at www.dhs.gov/know2protect.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, MSP, BCPD, PGCSAO, for their work in the investigation, along with the Center for Hope, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Victoria Liu who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Hawaii Couple Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Nationwide Tax Refund Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Hawaii husband and wife were sentenced yesterday to 16 months and 24 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that involved deceiving the IRS into issuing a nearly $200,000 tax refund and then using shell bank accounts and frivolous legal filings to prevent the government from getting it back.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from approximately February 2015 through November 2018, Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, engaged in a fraudulent tax refund scheme by paying a promoter a series of fees in exchange for fraudulent tax paperwork. Armed with those materials, the Hawvers filed an amended 2014 tax return attaching a fabricated IRS Form 1099-MISC — a document that falsely claimed a mortgage company had paid Hawver $749,163 in income and withheld $424,163 of that amount in federal taxes. The fictitious withholding claim prompted the IRS to issue the Hawvers a tax refund for $192,845 that they were not entitled to receive.
The Hawvers moved quickly to put the money out of the government’s reach. They deposited the U.S. Treasury check into a newly opened bank account. Within days, they transferred $170,000 into a separate account held in the name of BeverlyB Music LLC, an unrelated music business the Hawvers operated. On that same day, the Hawvers paid co-conspirators more than $70,000 from the BeverlyB Music account for their roles in the scheme. Braumuller-Hawver later wired $22,000 from that account to a jeweler to purchase gold and silver coins. When the IRS began seeking to recover the fraudulent refund, the Hawvers did not simply ignore the notices. Instead, they sent scripted, frivolous correspondence to the IRS, filed a petition in U.S. Tax Court to thwart collection and participated as plaintiffs in multiple frivolous civil RICO lawsuits against IRS employees who were doing their jobs.
In March 2026, a federal jury convicted Braumuller-Hawver and Hawver of conspiring to defraud the IRS. The jury also convicted Braumuller-Hawver of filing a false tax return and money laundering.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Chief District Judge Derrick K. Watson ordered Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver to jointly and severally pay $182,438.37 to the United States in restitution.
Along with the Hawvers, the Department of Justice has prosecuted a number of other defendants involved in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that drew in more than 200 participants across at least 19 states. In 2022, the main promoters of the scheme were sentenced to 11 years in prison, more than 8 years in prison, and 51 months in prison. In Hawaii, the scheme was organized and led by Rosemarie Lastimado-Dradi, who marketed the operation as the “Escrow Trust Refund” program, recruited clients (including the Hawvers) and directed her cut of their fraudulent refunds — between 25 and 40 percent — into accounts held in the name of fictitious business entities and purported trusts. In January 2026, Lastimado-Dradi was sentenced to a total of 9 years in prison. Other Hawaii participants in the scheme have also received significant sentences, including Elvah Miranda (48 months in prison), Marciaminajuanequita Dumlao (33 months in prison), Daniel Miranda (30 months in prison), Brigida Chock (27 months in prison) and Lazerrick Lawrence (20 months in prison).
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii made the announcement
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Megan L. Jones and former trial attorney Sarah A. Kiewlicz of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Tax Section prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Hartford Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE BARET, 35, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley to 84 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in March and April 2024, law enforcement made two controlled purchases of fentanyl from Baret. Baret was arrested on state charges on April 10, 2024. On that date, investigators searched Baret’s vehicle, his Goodrich Street residence, a hotel room he used in Windsor, and a storage facility he rented in Hartford, and seized approximately 364 grams of fentanyl, 82 grams of methamphetamine, 272 grams of crack cocaine, 407 grams of powder cocaine, seven oxycodone pills, narcotics processing and packaging materials, two handguns, firearm magazines and ammunition, and $4,511 in cash.
On February 4, 2026, Baret pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and heroin. He has been detained since May 23, 2024, when he was arrested in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on separate charges.
Baret has forfeited the seized firearms, cash, and his Honda Ridgeline SUV.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national who was unlawfully residing in Hudson, Mass. was sentenced in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Edwin Hernandez-Orellana, 33, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served, approximately 16 months. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. Previously, Hernandez-Orellana pled guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. According to court records, Hernandez-Orellana had been in custody since his arrest on May 14, 2025. Hernandez-Orellana was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2025.
According to the charging documents, Hernandez-Orellana was found in the United States on May 14, 2025, after previously having been removed from the United States on or about May 21, 2014.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julissa Walsh and Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Gallup Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man pleaded guilty to federal charges for fatally shooting an 18-year-old man and wounding a 16-year-old girl at a Church Rock residence in April 2025.
According to court records, in the early morning hours of April 6, 2025, a shooting occurred at a Church Rock, New Mexico residence. A resident of the home awoke to gunshots and, along with a second resident, entered 16-year-old Jane Doe’s bedroom, where the residents discovered 18-year-old John Doe deceased on the floor, Jane Doe suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and the suspect, Mario Israel Barraza, 19.
According to court records, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Barraza arrived at Jane Doe’s residence and approached Jane Doe’s bedroom window. Barraza knew the window was sometimes left unlocked because he had previously entered the home through the window when visiting Jane Doe at night. When Barraza opened the window, he encountered John Doe, whom he had never met.
The two began fighting through the window, and during the altercation a handgun was introduced. Barraza gained possession of the handgun and fired at least 11 gunshots into the bedroom. Most of the shots struck John Doe; Jane Doe, who was directly behind John Doe, was also hit by gunfire.
Barraza fled the scene immediately after the shooting, drove home, and disposed of the handgun in an open field. He later provided his attorneys with the location of the handgun.
Jane Doe and John Doe are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation. Barraza is not an enrolled member of any federally recognized Tribe.
Barraza pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. At sentencing, he faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah-Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison for Physically and Sexually Assaulting Two Minors While Serving AbroadRead the Press Release
Adam Schlueter, 40, of Atlanta, was sentenced today to life in prison and lifetime supervised release for physically and sexually assaulting two minors under the age of 10.
According to evidence presented at trial, Schlueter was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany, while a member of the Army from 2009 until 2013. While there, he physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. During trial testimony, both minors described being choked and beaten by Schlueter, among others form of egregious physical abuse. One minor described, at age eight, being pushed through a second-story window and dangled above the ground. Schlueter sexually assaulted both minors when they were under the age of 10. Schlueter also employed threats to prevent his victims and other witnesses from disclosing the abuse to authorities, going so far as to threaten to kill one witness. A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted Schlueter on April 20.
“Adam Schlueter betrayed the honor and duty that comes with serving in the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “There is nothing honorable about subjecting the most vulnerable in our community to violence and sexual exploitation. We are grateful for the strength and courage of the survivors in this case who came forward to end this man’s reign of terror.”
“Through his years of sickening abuse, Schlueter betrayed the uniform of the U.S. Army and inflicted unimaginable harm on defenseless children,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “Today’s sentence underscores that we always stand ready — even years later and on the other side of an ocean — to vindicate the victims of such crimes and ensure justice is served.”
“Schlueter’s horrific abuse inflicted lasting trauma on children who should have been protected from harm,” said Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “The FBI will continue to pursue those who prey upon children and hold them accountable for their crimes, no matter how much time has passed. We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims and reinforces that we will never stop fighting to protect children.”
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew LaGrone for the Northern District of Georgia provided valuable assistance.
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 Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Treasurer for Orange County High School Football Booster Club Arrested for Allegedly Siphoning over $400K to Pay Her Delinquent MortgageRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County woman was arrested today on a federal indictment charging her with defrauding a nonprofit created to financially support a high school football team, an organization for which she served as treasurer, out of more than $400,000, in part, to pay the delinquent balance on her home’s mortgage.
Julie Hanway Molina, 56, was arrested today at her home in Aliso Viejo. She is expected to make her initial appearance and be arraigned later today in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
Molina is charged with four counts of wire fraud.
According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on September 2, from 2023 to November 2025, Molina executed a scheme to defraud the nonprofit organization. Without the nonprofit’s knowledge or authorization, she diverted funds from the group’s bank account for her own personal expenses, including the mortgage on her home and to pay off her credit card bills.
In June 2023, Molina wired approximately $131,523 from the nonprofit’s bank account in Laguna Hills through Federal Reserve facilities in New Jersey and Texas to an account in Santa Ana to pay the delinquent balance on the mortgage on her personal residence.
To conceal these unauthorized payments, Molina sent numerous emails to the nonprofit’s board members attaching false treasurer reports that failed to disclose her misappropriation of funds.
In total, Molina misappropriated approximately $411,761 that belonged to the nonprofit organization.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Molina would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Chief Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Jennifer L. Waier is prosecuting this case.
Former Soldier Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Physically and Sexually Assaulting Minors While Serving AbroadRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Adam Schlueter, a former enlisted member of the United States Army, was sentenced today to life in federal prison for physically and sexually assaulting two minors under the age of ten, following his conviction at trial.
“Through his years of sickening abuse, Schlueter betrayed the uniform of the United States Army and inflicted unimaginable harm on defenseless children,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, “Today’s sentence underscores that we always stand ready—even years later and on the other side of an ocean—to vindicate the victims of such crimes and ensure justice is served.”
“Adam Schlueter betrayed the honor and duty that comes with serving in the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “There is nothing honorable about subjecting the most vulnerable in our community to violence and sexual exploitation. We are grateful for the strength and courage of the survivors in this case who came forward to end this man’s reign of terror.”
“Schlueter’s horrific abuse inflicted lasting trauma on children who should have been protected from harm,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to pursue those who prey upon children and hold them accountable for their crimes, no matter how much time has passed. We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims and reinforces that we will never stop fighting to protect children.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From 2009 until 2013, while stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany, Schlueter physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. Schlueter choked and physically beat both minors repeatedly. When one victim was just eight years old, Schlueter pushed her through a second-story window and let her dangle dangerously above the ground. Schlueter sexually assaulted both children when they were under the age of 10. Schlueter used threats of pain and death to dissuade his victims and witnesses from disclosing the abuse to authorities.
In 2014, after discovering Schlueter’s physical abuse of the children, the U.S. Army discharged Schlueter under Other Than Honorable conditions. In 2021, the Army’s Criminal Investigations Division learned that Schlueter had also sexually assaulted the child. In 2023, a grand jury returned an indictment against Schlueter pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (“MEJA”), which is a federal statute that allows the government to prosecute former servicemembers who committed certain crimes outside the United States while serving in the Armed Forces.
Today, Adam Schlueter, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison. On April 17, 2026, a jury convicted Schlueter of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Department of the Army – Criminal Investigations Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne Marek and Matthew R. LaGrone, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters, and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Quincy City Manager Found Guilty of Firearm Possession as Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Robert Edward Nixon, 61, Qunicy, Florida, has been found guilty by a federal jury in Tallahassee following a two-day jury trial for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty verdict.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My team of tenacious federal prosecutors continues to deliver outstanding trial victories to hold accountable any and all criminals who brazenly violate our laws. My thanks go out to our state and federal law enforcement partners, whose excellent investigative work led to this successful prosecution.”
Court records and trial testimony revealed that on February 10, 2026, during a law enforcement investigation, a search warrant was executed on the defendant’s residence. Two loaded handguns were discovered in the defendant’s nightstand. The defendant was previously convicted in the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, in 2011 of three felonies, including two counts of conspiracy to steal or misapply funds from an organization that receives federal assistance and to commit wire fraud and aiding and abetting or misapplying funds as a credit union employee. The defendant was terminated from his position as the City Manager of Quincy in June 2025.
The case was jointly investigated by the Office of the State Attorney, Second Judicial Circuit, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2026, at 11 a.m. in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former NFL Player Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Operating Large-Scale Dog Fighting and Trafficking Venture in OklahomaRead the Press Release
Note, Johnson was sentenced to 60 months in prison. A previous version of the release misstated his prison sentence. The release has been updated.
Former NFL player LeShon Johnson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $30,000 fine after being convicted at trial of six dog fighting-related charges.
Testimony at trial showed that Johnson — who pleaded guilty in 2004 to Oklahoma dog fighting offenses — had been running a major operation since at least 2007 that bred and sold fighting dogs for profit. Johnson, who previously ran “Krazyside Kennels” referred to his new operation as “Mal Kant Kennels.” The jury heard evidence that Johnson bred and trafficked hundreds of dogs for the purpose of dog fighting around the country. Authorities seized 190 dogs from his property, the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dog fighting case.
Screen grab of a video sent by Johnson of one of his dogs. Screen grab of a video sent by Johnson of one of his dogs.“LeShon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dog fighting scheme,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “As Johnson was well aware, dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states. To anyone attempting to build violent and illicit business schemes: you can run, but you can’t hide from the Department of Justice.”
“LeShon Johnson continued to traffic dogs for illegal fighting despite a 2004 state conviction for similar conduct,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are grateful to our colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma and the FBI for partnering with ENRD to bring this repeat offender to justice and to the U.S. Marshals Service for executing the biggest rescue operation of its kind.”
“The defendant operated a business which promoted and profited from animal cruelty,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “I applaud our law enforcement partners for their work to investigate this case and hold Mr. Johnson accountable for his crimes.”
“The animals in this case were defenseless and the defendant used them to harm each other for his entertainment,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “The FBI appreciates the work of ENRD and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Oklahoma to hold Mr. Johnson responsible for his mistreatment of these animals.”
At trial, the jury heard evidence that Johnson advertised many of his dogs as “champions” and “grand champions,” meaning they had won three or five fights, respectively. Johnson also boasted of the fighting prowess of his dogs. Johnson would sell litters of puppies from favorable fighting bloodlines and “stud fees” for the right to breed with one of his male dogs, with proceeds totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, Shreveport Resident Agency Office investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case. Additional assistance was provided by former Trial Attorneys Ethan Eddy, Sarah Brown, and Todd Gleason of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section, and by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Olivia Staubus for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Former Morgan City Teacher Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Enticing Student via EmailRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE – On September 9, 2026, United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Katherine Albarado, 32, of Morgan City, to 60 months in federal prison for attempted possession of child pornography. Albarado had previously pled guilty to the charge.
“Predators—and especially people in positions of trust—who abuse our children have nowhere to hide in this District,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “We urge parents to remain vigilant and aware of their children’s digital and online communications, and this Office, along with our state and federal partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute those who exploit children for perverse, sexual purposes.”
According to court documents, in May 2022, Albarado was employed as a teacher at Morgan City High School. During this period, Albarado used a personal email account to initiate and continue email communications with a student whom Albarado knew to be 16 years old. The messages were aimed at enticing the student into illegal sexual contact. They were extremely graphic and included a request for the minor victim to send sexually explicit images of himself to her.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The Morgan City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren L. Nickel with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), PSC 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. Learn more at https://www.justice.gov/psc/about-project-safe-childhood.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 6:25-cr-00355-01.
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(337) 262-6704Former Director of Nasdaq Company Convicted of Securities FraudRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Donald Danks of Irvine was convicted by a federal jury today of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and perjury in connection with a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud investors in a Nasdaq-listed company and his subsequent efforts to obstruct the investigation into his conduct.
After a two-week retrial, the jury found that Danks engaged in a six-year securities fraud scheme involving the stock of Loop Industries, Inc. Danks used his position as a company insider to obtain nonpublic information and influence investors while secretly selling Loop shares for his own benefit.
According to evidence presented at trial, Danks helped form Loop and served on its board of directors and audit committee, giving him access to a steady stream of inside information that continued even after he left the board. During the conspiracy, Danks solicited investors to purchase more than $100 million in Loop stock, including through the selective disclosure of inside information. He also directed investors to purchase shares at specific times, prices, and volumes in an effort to influence the stock price.
Danks carried out the scheme through Ventanas Capital LLC, a shell company he created with a former associate. He created fictitious employees and used the company to conceal his and his associate’s roles in the transactions. Danks transferred hundreds of thousands of Loop shares to Ventanas and gradually sold them to finance his and his associate’s lifestyle. He also used Ventanas to conduct stock transactions that concealed his identity as a seller.
Although Danks was required to disclose his control and trading of Loop stock, he failed to disclose that he was selling shares through Ventanas. At the same time, he repeatedly promoted Loop as a strong investment and represented that he was purchasing shares, while secretly selling shares himself and through Ventanas. In total, Danks profited more than $4 million from the scheme.
After the SEC and FBI began investigating, Danks and his associate took additional steps to conceal the fraud. Among other things, they fabricated and backdated promissory notes to create the appearance of legitimate loans. Evidence presented at trial showed that documents purportedly created over a period of years were actually prepared at the same time. Danks subsequently testified about those documents during his first trial without disclosing that they had been created after the investigation began.
Danks also tampered with his associate, encouraging her to repeat his false account of who controlled their shell company. His first trial ended in a mistrial.
Danks is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janaki G. Chopra and Nicholas W. Pilchak.
DEFENDANT Case Number 22-CR-2701-BAS
Donald Danks Age: 69 Irvine, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371
Maximum Penalties: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss
Witness Tampering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(1)
Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison; $250,000 fine
Obstruction of Justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1503
Maximum Penalties: Ten years in prison; $250,000 fine
Perjury, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a)
Maximum Penalties: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Former Bethalto Attorney Accused of Stealing over $400,000 from Minor ClientsRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Yesterday, an attorney who practiced in Bethalto appeared in federal court to face 15 federal charges for bank and mail fraud related to his guardian ad litem appointment for four minors in Madison County.
David K. Elliott, 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 18, 2026. The indictment alleges that Elliott was a lawyer licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois, with his primary practice in Bethalto, Madison County. In 2016, Elliott was appointed by the Circuit Court of Madsion County, Illinois to serve as the guardian ad litem for three minor children in connection to a pending lawsuit brought on behalf of their deceased mother. In 2017, Elliott was appointed to represent another minor in connection with a pending lawsuit brought on behalf of the minor’s deceased father.
According to the indictment, lawyers appointed by a court to act as a guardian ad litem in these cases owe a duty to act in the best interest of the minors, and to make reports and recommendations to the Court on proposed settlements. In this role, guardian ad litem open bank accounts in the name of the minors and serve as the custodian over those accounts until the minor turns 18. Lawyers serving as guardian ad litem are paid for their services prior to the disbursement of settlement funds and are not permitted to withdraw funds from a minor’s account without special order from the court.
The indictment alleges that during his guardian ad litem appointments for these minor children, Elliott opened bank accounts for the minors and deposited settlement funds into the accounts for the benefits of the minors. Thereafter, from May 2019 to October 2022, Elliott fraudulently withdrew more than $400,000 from the minors’ bank accounts and used those funds for his own benefit. To obtain the funds from the minors’ accounts, Elliott provided the bank with fraudulent court orders that appeared to have been filed in the Madison County Circuit Court and entered by the judge presiding over the underlying lawsuit.
Elliott is also accused of executing a scheme to cover up his embezzlement from the minors and their families. According to the indictment, when the first of the minor children approached the age of 18, Elliott withdrew money from two of the minors’ accounts and deposited those funds into the other account to conceal his embezzlement from the minors. Elliott further told one of the minors that they could not access the money in their account until they turned 21. In support of this false information, Elliott mailed the minor a fraudulent court order that appeared to have been entered in the Madison County Circuit Court. According to the indictment, two of the minors never received any of their respective settlement funds. Another only received a small portion of their settlement funds.
“The indictment charges that a lawyer appointed to protect minor children took more than $400,000 from their accounts and used fake court orders to do it,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Conduct of that kind, if proved, cannot be tolerated.”
Trial is set for November 9, 2026 in the Benton Courthouse before Chief Judge Staci M. Yandle.
Bank fraud convictions carry a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment and fines not more than $1,000,000. Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and fines not more than $250,000.
"An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury."
FBI Springfield is investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross is prosecuting the case.
Florida woman sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraudRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, Georgia: A Florida woman has been sentenced to prison for her role in a multi-state scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Cheryl Galloway, 67, of Yulee, Florida, was sentenced to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $454,624.20 and criminal forfeiture of $96,119 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud.
There is no parole in the federal system.
As described in court documents and testimony, over a two-year period Galloway, along with her co-conspirators, electronically submitted fraudulent applications with agencies in at least 40 states. The fraud scheme employed by Galloway and her co-conspirators involved filing for pandemic unemployment benefits around the country, stating they were impacted in those states, and lying about various material aspects of the applications. As a result, the conspirators received approximately $480,000 to which they were not entitled, and they attempted to obtain even more money through fraudulent and deceptive means. Some of the benefits were in the form of a debit card sent to Galloway through the U.S. Mail.
Galloway’s co-defendant, Ricki Johnson, 42, of Trenton, South Carolina, was previously sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $104,632 after pleading guilty to Mail Fraud.
“This sentence demonstrates this offices commitment to safeguarding taxpayer-funded benefits against illegal access by those that would seek to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “This case, and many others like it, demonstrate that federal investigators and prosecutors will work together to identify these criminals and hold them accountable.”
In March 2020, Congress authorized additional funding and expanded eligibility for state-administered unemployment insurance programs as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In an effort to maintain the integrity of those benefits, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor (OIG-DOL) investigates individuals attempting to fraudulently access unemployment insurance funds.
"Cheryl Galloway and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits they were not entitled to, draining hard-earned tax dollars and betraying the trust of hardworking Americans. Stealing benefits is a crime and every fraudster will face the consequences they deserve,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor. "This ruling stands as a powerful reminder that my office, in partnership with the Department of Justice, is committed to identifying and prosecuting every individual who defrauds our benefits programs. Accountability and justice will always prevail.”
Anyone with information about attempted unemployment insurance benefits fraud can contact OIG-DOL at www.oig.dol.gov/hotline.htm.
The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelsey L. Scanlon, J. Bishop Ravenel and former Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.
Felon Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing Multiple Firearms and Violating Supervised Release Terms for Prior Federal Drug ConvictionRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An armed felon was sentenced to prison yesterday for possessing multiple firearms and for violating the terms of his supervised release stemming from a prior federal conviction, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Rex Allen Hawkins, 55, of Traphill, N.C. was ordered to serve 20 months in prison for the firearms offense, and an additional 12 months in prison for the supervised release violation, for a total active sentence of 32 months in prison. Hawkins was also ordered to serve three years of court supervision after he is released from prison.
According to court records, Hawkins was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute, possess with intent to distribute, and to manufacture methamphetamine. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to serve a term of supervision upon completion of his prison sentence. Between 2021 and 2023, the court revoked Hawkins’s supervision twice for violating conditions of supervised release. According to court records, Hawkins began his most recent term of supervision in May 2024.
According to court documents, in September 2024, U.S. Probation officers conducted a warrantless search of Hawkins’s residence in Traphill, N.C., pursuant to the standard conditions of the court-ordered supervision. During the search, probation officers found multiple firearms inside residence, including a Marlin, Model 25MN, .22 WMR bolt action rifle; a Rossi, Model S201220RS, Youth Matched Pair firearm with interchangeable .22LR barrel and 20-gauge shotgun barrel; a firearm lower receiver; and multiple live rounds of various calibers of ammunition. Probation officers also found hydrocodone pills, well as small amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the residence.
In February 2026, Hawkins pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.
This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Probation Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Gleason of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Federal Firearms Offenses Weekly RoundupRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, working with our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement, are combining resources to protect Nevada’s communities from offenders who violate federal firearms laws. We are jointly committed to bringing to justice those who endanger our communities.
“This week's sweeping indictments send a clear message: if you flood our streets with illegal guns or use a firearm to terrorize our neighborhoods, you will be caught and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal law,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Our office, alongside our dedicated local and federal law enforcement partners, will continue to use every tool at our disposal to dismantle the networks driving gun violence and bring peace back to our communities.”
This week, federal firearms enforcement efforts in the District of Nevada resulted in the sentencing of an individual involved in the unlawful purchase of firearms and separate federal indictments charging four individuals prohibited from possessing firearms.
Jerion Ballott was sentenced today to three years’ probation for providing a false statement during the purchase of a firearm at a Federal Firearms Licensee in Las Vegas. Between May 2020 and March 2022, he aided his co-defendant in purchasing 18 firearms that were later resold to others – some of those firearms ended up in the hands of criminals. He has a prior domestic violence conviction, and he is prohibited by law from possessing firearms. The government recommended 18 months’ imprisonment.
In addition, a federal grand jury returned separate indictments this week charging three individuals with prior felony convictions and one individual who is unlawfully in the United States with illegally possessing firearms.
According to allegations made in the separate indictments: • On or about August 13, 2026, Charles Richard Cleary, Jr. possessed a semi-automatic .32 caliber pistol, a .30-06 Springfield caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a 12-gauge shotgun, after he had previously been convicted of murder in Indiana. Cleary Jr. is charged with one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
• On or about August 27, 2026, Vadim Merkulov, who is an illegal alien in the United States, possessed multiple firearms including a 9x18mm Makarov firearm, a .45 caliber firearm, and a 5.56 caliber firearm. Merkulov is charged with one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
• On or about June 9, 2026, Rondall Talley possessed a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol after he had previously been convicted of carjacking, interference with commerce by robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in Nevada. Talley was on federal supervision at the time of this alleged offense. Talley is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
• On or about February 20, 2026, Wesley Alan Wilson possessed a 9mm semi-automatic pistol after he had previously been convicted of grand larceny auto, possession of forged instrument, two counts of possession of stolen vehicle, and attempt possession of stolen vehicle, all in Clark County, Nevada. Wilson is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
These cases are being investigated by the ATF, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Melinda Brewer, Steven Rose, Joseph Sciscento, and Melanee Smith are prosecuting these cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fall River Man Sentenced for Shipping Cocaine Through the MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a drug trafficking offense arising from his shipment of cocaine through the U.S. mail from California to Massachusetts.
Justin Dupras, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (two days). In May 2025, Dupras pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute. Dupras was charged by criminal complaint in January 2025.
Dupras mailed a package containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine from a post office in Los Angeles, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. on Dec. 17, 2024. Dupras then returned to Massachusetts and, on Dec. 19, 2024, drove to the Fall River Post Office. Another individual signed for the package containing cocaine and handed it to Dupras.
In addition, Dupras mailed packages containing cocaine from California to Massachusetts on multiple prior occasions. For example, on Sept. 17, 2024, Dupras mailed a box containing more than two kilograms of cocaine from Chino Hills, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. On Oct. 29, 2024, Dupras mailed a box containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles, Calif. to Fall River, Mass. Flight records show Dupras returning to Massachusetts on the same day that he mailed the two packages.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Fall River Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely prosecuted the case.
Dompé U.S. Agrees to Pay $32M to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Relating to Self-Disclosure of Patient KickbacksRead the Press Release
Dompé U.S. Inc. (Dompé), based in California, has agreed to pay $32 million to resolve allegations that, between 2018 and 2021, it paid Medicare beneficiary co-pays through two patient assistance foundations to induce the purchase of its drug, Oxervate, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
“This settlement demonstrates the United States’ commitment to enforcing the Anti-Kickback Statute and ensuring that pharmaceutical manufacturers do not use unlawful inducements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department encourages companies that uncover improper kickbacks to self-disclose such conduct.”
“Kickbacks to beneficiaries undermine the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and drive up the cost of drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “My Office has recovered over $1.4 billion for taxpayers through settlements and enforcement actions concerning drug company kickbacks to purported charities, and we will continue to pursue these matters to ensure that all drug companies play by the rules and to protect federal taxpayer funded healthcare programs.”
“Pharmaceutical manufacturers that attempt to disguise kickbacks as charitable patient assistance are engaging in blatant misconduct which corrupts medical decision‑making and drains federal health care programs,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Dompé’s actions undermined critical safeguards Congress put in place to protect Medicare, driving up costs for taxpayers while exploiting patients. HHS-OIG does not tolerate such conduct and will continue to work tirelessly for justice and accountability.”
When a Medicare beneficiary obtains a prescription drug covered by Medicare, the beneficiary may be required to make a partial payment, which may take the form of a co-payment, co-insurance, or deductible (collectively “co-pays”). Congress included co-pay requirements in these programs, in part, to encourage market forces to serve as a check on health care costs, including the prices that pharmaceutical manufacturers can demand for their drugs.
Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, a pharmaceutical manufacturer is prohibited from offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration – which includes money or any other thing of value – to induce Medicare patients to purchase the company’s drugs. This prohibition extends to the payment of patients’ co-pay obligations.
As part of the settlement, Dompé admitted that, around the time of Oxervate’s 2018 launch in the United States, Dompé U.S. employees expressed reservations about launching the drug before making a payment to a patient assistance foundation that paid the co-pays for Oxervate. After conversations with Dompé employees, two foundations opened funds that, among other things, paid co-pays for Oxervate, and Dompé made contributions to those foundations. Dompé also solicited patient assistance foundation data directly from the foundations, and from the specialty pharmacy that provided hub services to Dompé U.S. patients. This data was provided, directly or indirectly, to certain individuals involved in the patient assistance foundation budgeting process.
Dompé is the U.S. subsidiary of Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company incorporated in Italy. Dompé farmaceutici self-disclosed this conduct to the United States. Following the disclosure, both Dompé farmaceutici and Dompé U.S. cooperated with the government in this matter and received credit under the Department’s guidelines for taking self-disclosure, cooperation, and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Sarah Arni of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia for the District of Massachusetts.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Dompé U.S. Agrees to Pay $32 Million to Resolve Kickback Allegations Involving Patient Assistance FoundationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Dompé U.S., Inc. (Dompé), based in California, has agreed to pay $32 million to resolve allegations that, between 2018 and 2021, it paid Medicare beneficiary co-payments through two patient assistance foundations to induce the purchase of its drug, Oxervate, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
When a Medicare beneficiary obtains a prescription drug covered by Medicare Part B or Part D, the beneficiary is often required to make a partial payment, which may take the form of a co-payment, co-insurance, or deductible (collectively “co-pays”). These co-pay obligations may be substantial for expensive medications. Congress included co-pay requirements in these programs, in part, to encourage market forces to serve as a check on health care costs, including the prices that pharmaceutical manufacturers can demand for their drugs. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits pharmaceutical companies from offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration – which includes money or any other thing of value – to induce Medicare patients to purchase the companies’ drugs.
Dompé admitted that, around the time of Oxervate’s 2018 launch in the United States, Dompé U.S. employees expressed reservations about launching the drug before making a payment to a patient assistance foundation that paid the co-pays for Oxervate. After conversations with Dompé employees, two foundations opened funds that, among other things, paid co-pays for Oxervate, and Dompé made contributions to those foundations. Between 2019 and 2021, despite having an annual budgeting process for contributions, Dompé sometimes approved mid-year increases to those foundations or held certain amounts in “reserve” so that it could determine mid-year which of the foundations were running low on funding and allocate the “reserve” accordingly. Dompé also solicited patient assistance foundation data directly from the foundations, and from the specialty pharmacy that provided hub services to Dompé U.S. patients. Certain Dompé employees involved in the patient assistance foundation budgeting process received this data through either direct or indirect means.
“Kickbacks to beneficiaries undermine the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and drive up the cost of drugs,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My Office has recovered over $1.4 billion for taxpayers through settlements and enforcement actions concerning drug company kickbacks to purported charities, and we will continue to pursue these matters to ensure that all drug companies play by the rules and to protect federal taxpayer funded healthcare programs.”
“This settlement demonstrates the United States’ commitment to enforcing the Anti-Kickback Statute and ensuring that pharmaceutical manufacturers do not use unlawful inducements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department encourages companies that uncover improper kickbacks to self-disclose such conduct.”
“Pharmaceutical manufacturers that attempt to disguise kickbacks as charitable patient assistance are engaging in blatant misconduct which corrupts medical decision‑making and drains federal health care programs,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Dompé’s actions undermined critical safeguards Congress put in place to protect Medicare, driving up costs for taxpayers while exploiting patients. HHS-OIG does not tolerate such conduct and will continue to work tirelessly for justice and accountability.”
Dompé is the U.S. subsidiary of Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company incorporated in Italy. Dompé farmaceutici voluntarily self-disclosed this conduct to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, which Dompé U.S. discovered following an internal compliance review. Following the voluntary disclosure, both Dompé farmaceutici and Dompé U.S. fully cooperated with the government in this matter. By 2022, Dompé implemented changes to its patient assistance foundation contribution practices.
U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Shumate and HHS-OIG SAC Coviello made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia, Chief of the Affirmative Litigation Unit, handled the matter along with Senior Trial Counsel Sarah Arni of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.
dompe_settlement_agreement_fully_executed.pdf
District Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearm After Ditching Cocaine Trafficking Evidence in a Trash CanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tavon Valentine Lee, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison in connection with his possession of a loaded Glock 23 while participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Lee pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 60-month prison sentence, Judge Ali ordered Lee to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court papers, beginning in the summer of 2024, the FBI launched an investigation into a large-scale cocaine conspiracy spanning the District, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The investigation revealed that Lee possessed a firearm as he distributed gram quantities of cocaine, which he obtained from co-defendant Marcus Devonta Williams, in the D.C. area. Williams in turn received multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine transported from New York by co-defendant Daryl Smith-Winfree.
On March 24, 2025, law enforcement observed co-defendant Daryl Smith-Winfree meet with co-defendant Marcus Williams in a parking lot in Wilmington, Delaware. After entering and remaining in Smith-Winfree's vehicle for about two minutes, co-defendant Williams left Smith-Winfree's vehicle and reentered his own Ford Raptor holding a brown paper bag. The next day, on March 25, 2025, investigators followed co-defendant Williams to a parking lot in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he met briefly with Lee. Investigators witnessed Lee as he got into co-defendant Williams’ Ford Raptor empty-handed and emerge about two minutes later carrying a brown paper bag. Lee threw the bag into a trash can before driving off alone in a Mercedes SUV.
Investigators recovered the discarded bag. Inside, they found packaging materials consistent with kilogram-quantity distribution, cocaine residue on cutting instruments, and a parking receipt matching the license plate of the Williams’s Ford Raptor.
Montgomery County police officers stopped Lee’s Mercedes a short time later. A search of the vehicle turned up about 257 grams of cocaine, roughly 65 pills suspected to be counterfeit oxycodone, and a loaded Glock 23 handgun with an extended 15-round magazine.
Co-defendant Smith-Winfree pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and was sentenced to 96 months in prison. Co-defendant Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Washington Division Office, the Montgomery County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and the Arlington County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael L. Barclay, Daniel Seidel, and Anthony Scarpelli prosecuted this matter.
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Defendants sentenced after pleading guilty in Georgia prison drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, Georgia: A defendant and his co-conspirators in a Georgia prison drug trafficking operation have been sentenced in district court.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Deivon Waller, a/k/a “Hitman,” a/k/a “VP”, 32, an inmate at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia, was sentenced to 240 months in prison and a $2,000 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana.
Waller was a co-conspirator in a network of prison inmates and outside conspirators who used drones and other methods to deliver large quantities of drugs, cell phones and other contraband to Smith State Prison in Glennville, Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, and various other Georgia state prisons beginning as early as 2019 and continuing through July 2024.
Amongst more than 20 defendants, six were not in Department of Corrections custody at any time during the conspiracies, and each of them is alleged to have been in contact with incarcerated co-defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Additional defendants associated with the operation have also been sentenced, they include:
- Kelvin Rogers, a/k/a “Gangsta,” 40, an inmate at the Smith State Prison, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and a $500 fine followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility.
- Tristahn Ash, a/k/a “Mohawk,” 29, an inmate in the Georgia Department of Corrections, was sentenced to 92 months in prison and a $1,500 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Asa James Ward, a/k/a “Foolay,” 30, an inmate at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, was sentenced to 56 months in prison and a $1,500 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana.
There is no parole in the federal system.
More than a dozen additional co-conspirators await sentencing while others have upcoming trials in federal court for various charges including, Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
“This is but one step of many to bring these defendants to justice in a widespread conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We commend the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose collaborative work unraveled this criminal scheme.”
“Prisons should not be targets for sophisticated drug trafficking operations,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This investigation exposed an effort to use technology to circumvent security and deliver dangerous drugs and contraband behind prison walls. DEA’s commitment to pursuing those responsible does not stop at the prison gate.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Department of Corrections Criminal Investigations Division, the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, and local law enforcement agencies including the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Telfair County Sheriff’s Office, Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the McRae-Helena Police Department, and the Eufaula, Ala., Police Department.
“Identifying and managing those participating in criminal activity using contraband cell phones introduced into our facilities via drone or otherwise, is paramount in our commitment to public safety,” said GDC Commissioner Tyrone Oliver. “We appreciate the support of our federal partners in ensuring that justice will be served on these individuals for their role in jeopardizing the safe operations of our facilities, and most importantly, the safety of the public.”
This case is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. Dean and Criminal AUSA Chief Patricia G. Rhodes.
Defendants Convicted for Scheme Enabling More Than 100 Drivers, Many Not Proficient in English, to Fraudulently Obtain Commercial Driver’s LicensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – All six defendants involved in a bribery scheme, that enabled more than 100 people to fraudulently obtain commercial driver’s licenses, have now pleaded guilty, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
JENAY DAVIS (“DAVIS”) pleaded guilty on September 2, 2026, and CHRISTOPHER BRYAN BURNS (“BURNS”) and SHAKERA MILLIEN (“MILLIEN”) pleaded guilty on September 9, 2026. The other defendants—MAHMOUD ALHATTAB (“ALHATTAB”), JONATHAN PARSONS (“PARSONS”), and MARLINE ROBERTS (“ROBERTS”) pleaded guilty on July 29, 2026. All six defendants appeared before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
ALHATTAB, a restaurant owner, led a scheme in which Commercial Driver’s License (“CDL”) applicants paid him an average of $5,000 to obtain unearned CDLs. The scheme enabled applicants to bypass all three main federally-mandated steps of the CDL qualification process: the knowledge test, entry-level driver training, and the skills test.
“The commercial transportation industry is a vital component of this nation’s economy. As a result, the competency and fitness of commercial drivers to safely and knowledgeably operate those vehicles on our streets and highways, is vital to the welfare of all the other drivers in our communities,” said United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana David I. Courcelle. “Solely to satisfy their own greed, the perpetrators of this sweeping fraudulent scheme callously endangered the lives of other drivers by allowing commercial drivers, who were woefully unprepared to safely navigate travel hazards, to operate on America’s roadways. However, today’s convictions demonstrate the combined mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region, to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and to keep American roads safe for commuters.”
“Every defendant in this case was willing to endanger the motoring public by giving unqualified people authorization to operate commercial vehicles,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “Our partners at the DOT-OIG, Louisiana Department of Public Safety Office of Motor Vehicles, and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General helped us build a strong case for prosecutors. We thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for their unwavering support in our fight against dangerous fraud.”
“The convictions announced today underscore the grave danger posed by schemes that undermine the integrity of the commercial driver’s licensing process. Deliberately circumventing federally mandated safety requirements is not only unlawful—it puts everyone on our nation’s roadways at risk,” stated Joseph Harris, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region. “We will continue working with our federal, state, and local partners to aggressively investigate these schemes, dismantle them, and hold accountable those who put the traveling public at risk for personal gain.”
The knowledge test, administered at the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV), is a written examination covering vehicle safety systems, emergency situations, procedures for various maneuvers, and extreme driving conditions. Passing this test results in the issuance of a commercial learner’s permit, which is required before an applicant can proceed to training and the skills test.
To bypass the knowledge test, ALHATTAB bribed MILLIEN and DAVIS, employees at the Donaldsonville, Louisiana OMV office. ALHATTAB typically sent MILLIEN or DAVIS a photograph of an applicant’s driver’s license via cell phone, along with any requested endorsements, such as a school bus endorsement. MILLIEN or DAVIS then completed the applicant’s knowledge test. They used their cell phones to conduct online research to answer test questions. For example, one on occasion, MILLIEN visited webpages on brake inspection, vehicle fires, hazardous materials, and how to stop a skidding trailer. Similarly, on one occasion, DAVIS conducted online searches for emergency-controlled braking, hydraulic brake failure, and pre-trip vehicle inspections.
After MILLIEN or DAVIS falsified the test results, ALHATTAB would bring the applicant to the Donaldsonville OMV office, where MILLIEN or DAVIS issued a commercial learner’s permit based on the fraudulent scores. MILLIEN and DAVIS allowed ALHATTAB to bring applicants into the OMV office through a non-public side door and permitted him access to non-public areas. On some occasions, ALHATTAB even went behind the counter and operated the OMV camera to take applicants’ photographs for the permits. ALHATTAB paid MILLIEN and DAVIS in cash and provided them with meals.
After passing the knowledge test and obtaining a commercial learner’s permit, most CDL applicants are required to complete entry‑level driver training, which includes demonstrating proficiency in operating a commercial vehicle on public roads.
To bypass the training requirement, ALHATTAB bribed PARSONS and BURNS, each of whom operated a truck‑driver training business. ALHATTAB typically sent PARSONS or BURNS a photograph of an applicant’s commercial learner’s permit via cell phone, thereby providing the information to create false training records. PARSONS and BURNS, in exchange for payments from ALHATTAB, reported in a federal database that applicants successfully completed training when, in fact, no training occurred.
The final major step in the CDL process is the skills test, administered by state‑authorized examiners who are agents of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Federal regulations require the skills test to include a pre‑trip vehicle inspection, vehicle control skills, and safety‑related on‑road driving skills.
To defeat the skills test requirement, ALHATTAB again bribed PARSONS and BURNS, who, in addition to being trainers, were certified by Louisiana to administer the test. They falsely reported to the State that applicants passed the skills test when the applicants had not taken it. Early in the scheme, ALHATTAB would pose as an applicant and drive the test vehicle to make it appear that PARSONS was conducting a legitimate test. Eventually, ALHATTAB and PARSONS concluded that such precautions were unnecessary, and thereafter PARSONS routinely entered fraudulent test results with neither ALHATTAB nor the applicant present. On some occasions, PARSONS paid another examiner, defendant ROBERTS, to assist by creating fake score sheets to support PARSONS’s fraudulent test entries.
After an applicant received false skills test scores, ALHATTAB typically alerted MILLIEN or DAVIS that the applicant would be returning to the OMV office to obtain the CDL. Because many applicants were not proficient in English, ALHATTAB sometimes informed MILLIEN and DAVIS of the language barrier. For example, on one occasion he texted DAVIS that an applicant “is outside [the OMV office] to get his CDL” and “No English,” meaning the applicant did not speak English.
In August 2023, ALHATTAB and PARSONS, who had been in the scheme for years, met with BURNS at ALHATTAB’s restaurant to discuss BURNS joining. BURNS initially agreed to compensation of $400 per fraudulent skills test entry. However, BURNS later complained that the amount was too low, texting ALHATTAB that this was why BURNS “only agreed to 3 or 4 [false skills test entries] per week.” ALHATTAB then agreed to increase BURNS’s payment to $500 per entry and to assign BURNS more skills tests to enter.
To conceal the scheme, PARSONS and BURNS occasionally rescheduled purported skills tests to avoid the appearance that applicants tested in bad weather. For example, in February 2021, when asked whether an applicant was “good to go” to the OMV, PARSONS texted ALHATTAB who replied, “Naw, we couldn’t do any testing today because of the frozen roads up here. I couldn’t pass him, it wouldn’t look right.” Similarly, in December 2023, BURNS texted ALHATTAB, “I had to cancel test today. Raining bad. Will reset Tuesday.”
Text messages showed a desire to increase the volume of applicants. For example, in January 2021, ALHATTAB told PARSONS that he had approximately 20 individuals seeking CDLs and that “[t]his year it will be a good year,” to which PARSONS replied, “Heck yeah”; ALHATTAB texted PARSONS, “I have to[o] many” applicants to which PARSONS replied, “That's a good thing”; and PARSONS texted, “Keep them coming!” to which ALHATTAB replied, “Will do.” Similarly, in December 2023, ALHATTAB and BURNS discussed targeting out‑of‑state applicants, whom they believed would pay more. BURNS texted, “My original plan funnel people from Texas and Florida” and “Get it set up and we roll”; ALHATTAB replied, “the door is open now to Texas the guy you did has over 15 guys they have permit”; and BURNS texted, “Sweet!”; “line em up” and “send some to [PARSONS] so we spread it around.”
From August 2020 through February 2024, ALHATTAB caused at least 124 people to fraudulently receive CDLs. During that time, MILLIEN issued at least 108 commercial learner’s permits in exchange for payments from ALHATTAB. Also, during that period, PARSONS caused at least 118 people to fraudulently receive CDLs by providing each person with a false training entry, or a false skills test entry, or both. In early 2023, ROBERTS created false score sheets for PARSONS on seven occasions. From August 2023 through January 2024, BURNS caused at least 18 people to obtain fraudulent CDLs by providing each person with a false skills test entry, and, for some of them, also providing false training entries. From March 2023 through February 2024, DAVIS issued at least 14 commercial learner’s permits in exchange for payments from ALHATTAB.
The six defendants each pleaded guilty to Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, which is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Sentencing is set for October 28, 2026, for ALHATTAB, PARSONS, and ROBERTS; for December 2, 2026, for DAVIS; and December 9, 2026, for BURNS and MILLIEN.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle thanked the Louisiana State Office of Inspector General and Louisiana Public Safety Services for their valuable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Cuban National Sentenced for Assaulting Transportation Security Officers and Local Law Enforcement Officers at AirportRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Cuban national who was on probation following a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and with other prior violent convictions was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to 33 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to access a secure passenger boarding area using a fake boarding pass then assaulting four officers at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The government recommended a sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment.
“The violent actions of this defendant directly threatened the safety of everyday travelers and the dedicated personnel who work tirelessly to secure our nation's airways,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Physical assault against our TSA and local law enforcement partners will be met with the full force of federal prosecution. Our office remains steadfastly committed to ensuring our transit hubs remain safe and secure, and we will continue to hold accountable anyone who compromises public safety through violence.”
“TSA officers perform a vital public safety mission every day, and assaults against them are unacceptable,” said TSA Administrator David P. Cummins. “I commend the TSA officers at Harry Reid International Airport, along with TSA Investigations and our law enforcement partners, for their professionalism and quick response in protecting the checkpoint and the traveling public. TSA will continue to work closely with local law enforcement and the criminal justice system to ensure individuals who attempt to compromise airport security or assault our employees are held accountable.”
According to court documents, on November 3, 2025, Jhon Raul Vizcaino Ramirez presented a TSA screening officer a boarding pass in the name of another person and attempted to enter the passenger boarding area. After Vizcaino Ramirez refused to provide his identification, the TSA officer would not return the boarding to Vizcaino Ramirez and Vizcaino Ramirez assaulted that officer. Officers attempted to detain Ramirez, but he resisted arrest. During the altercation, Vizcaino Ramirez assaulted two TSA officers and two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers who were assisting TSA. One officer sustained an injury that required surgery.
Vizcaino Ramirez pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with security screening personnel; two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding person assisting certain officers or employees; and one count of entry by false pretenses to secure area of any airport.
This case was investigated by TSA Investigations with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Tina Snellings prosecuted the case.
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Convicted Felon Found Guilty of Using a Firearm During a Brooklyn Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Pierre Lee, also known as “Pierre Wilmoth,” was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charge relates to Lee’s attempted robbery of a Capital One Bank branch in Brooklyn on April 26, 2026 (the Capital One Attempted Robbery). The verdict followed a three-day trial before United States Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie. Prior to trial, on September 1, 2026, Lee pleaded guilty to four counts of the indictment: bank robbery, two counts of attempted bank robbery—including the Capital One Attempted Robbery—and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (Lee had a prior robbery conviction). The bank robbery and attempted robberies were committed over a four-day spree in Manhattan and Brooklyn. When sentenced, Lee faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for bringing a firearm to a bank robbery and attempting to use the threat of violence to steal monies that did not belong to him,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who use firearms to threaten and endanger our communities.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for their assistance in the case.
“Today’s verdict serves as a stark reminder that the FBI and NYPD Violent Crime Task Force will employ every available resource to aggressively investigate anyone who attempts to rob a bank in New York City. Thanks to the outstanding work of our partners at the NYPD and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Lee has now been held fully accountable for his actions,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As proven at trial, Lee knowingly used a firearm during an attempted bank robbery, which is a crime of violence. On April 26, 2026, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Lee, carrying a red Target bag, entered a Capital One Bank branch located at 2150 86th Street in Brooklyn, New York, and handed the teller a note that stated he was armed, “dead serious,” and demanded “loose bills” in denominations of $100, $50, $20, and $10. The teller was unable to access the cash at his station and informed Lee. In response, Lee demanded return of the note, exited the bank, and stashed the Target bag inside a grey shopping bag.
NYPD officers canvassed the area and located Lee one block from the bank at the Bay Parkway subway station approximately 25 minutes later. After his arrest, Lee was taken to the 62nd Precinct, where a loaded Hi-Point A .380 caliber firearm was recovered inside his Target bag, as well as the handwritten note that he had passed to the Capital One Bank teller.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Brachah Goykadosh and Joseph P. Klemme are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Yael Wellisch.
The Defendant:
PIERRE LEE
Age: 43
Zebulon, NCE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-143 (MKB)
Colombian National Indicted in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation into $135M Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Greenville returned a single-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charging William Andres Holguin Mendez, 40, of Colombia, for his role in a $135 million money laundering conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that in August 2023, FBI agents began investigating individuals believed to be involved in the international laundering of drug proceeds in the Greenville area. Law enforcement identified numerous bank accounts associated with shell corporations that were receiving proceeds from the sale of illegal narcotics. These bank accounts would then, in turn, send the drug proceeds to a single account with a United States-based cryptocurrency exchange. Know Your Customer (KYC), a compliance process used by financial institutions to verify customer identities and assess risks, revealed that the sole owner of the accounts was Holguin Mendez. The investigation revealed that the drug proceeds in this account would be converted to stablecoin cryptocurrency before ultimately being moved to an account with a foreign-based cryptocurrency exchange. KYC information provided to the foreign-based cryptocurrency exchange also revealed that the sole owner of the account was Holguin Mendez. The investigation showed that the cryptocurrency in the foreign based cryptocurrency exchange account was then converted to Colombian pesos and distributed to 207 Colombian bank accounts. Approximately $135 million in United States dollars traveled through Holguin Mendez’s account from March 2023 to May 2024.“The Homeland Security Task Force continues to disrupt drug money laundering organizations, as is alleged in the indictment of a $135 million scheme orchestrated by Holguin Mendez,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Law enforcement will work together across domestic and international borders to trace illegal drug profits to investigate and prosecute narcotics dealers.”
“The defendant, as alleged in the indictment, backchanneled approximately $135 million of illegal drug proceeds tied to Upstate South Carolina,” said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Anish Shukla. “The FBI, along with our HSTF partners, is on a continuous mission to identify, investigate, and prosecute every criminal involved in large-scale drug operations from the dealers to the money facilitators. We are committed to making our communities safe and removing the threat of cartels.”
Holguin Mendez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and is currently detained pending trial.
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.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bondura is prosecuting the case.
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.###
Coggon Man Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
A man who received and possessed child pornography was sentenced today to more than 27 years in federal prison.
Matthew Jason Manos, age 42, from Coggon, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 11, 2026, jury verdict finding him guilty of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, including a depiction of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.
The evidence at trial and sentencing showed that in February 2023, law enforcement officers searched Manos’s residence in Coggon and took his cell phone. Between December 2022 and February 2023, Manos had downloaded images of child pornography. He viewed the images on his cell phone multiple times. Manos then fled Iowa, abandoning his pets in his home where the pets were later rescued by law enforcement. Manos ultimately moved to Illinois, where he was arrested in August 2023. During his arrest, law enforcement officers took his new cell phone. Evidence showed that Manos had used that new phone to access child pornography as well. Manos was previously convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child, lascivious acts with a child, lascivious conduct with a child, dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors, and indecent exposure.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Manos was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Manos was sentenced to 327 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $3,000 in restitution to a victim in the case. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Manos is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Ashley Corkery and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department, with assistance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-14.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Cleveland Man Sentenced to Six Months in USDA Fraud Scheme That Netted $400,000 for Himself and His UncleRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jamarea Grant, 33, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison in connection with a kickback scheme in which he and his uncle, Kirk Perry, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture program director, conspired to bill the federal government nearly $400,000 for work that Grant did not actually perform, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Jamarea Grant conspired with his uncle to line their pockets with hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “He will now join his uncle behind bars for their attempt to exploit the government for personal gain. Fraud will not be tolerated, especially when those entrusted with government authority use their positions to commit it.”
Grant pleaded guilty on Nov. 27, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to conspiracy to commit money, property, and honest services wire fraud. In addition to the six-month prison term Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered Grant to serve 36 months of supervised release and to pay restitution of $399,319. Federal prosecutors had requested restitution and a prison term of six months.
Perry, 62, of Loraine, Ohio, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money, property, and honest services wire fraud and was sentenced on August 7, 2026, to 24 months in prison, and ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $399,319.
“This corrupt fraud scheme siphoned nearly $400,000 in taxpayer funds to a no‑show job orchestrated by a federal official and a family member,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Public funds exist to serve the American people, not to enrich those who abuse positions of trust. Protecting the integrity of government programs is essential, and the Department will not tolerate schemes that betray that trust.”
“The sentence issued today reflects our continued commitment to thoroughly investigate fraud, waste, and abuse. This individual benefited from his family member in a government position by receiving payment for work he never performed. The USDA OIG is ensuring oversight is in place to uncover these deceptive fraud schemes and we will relentlessly investigate these types of allegations in order to safeguard taxpayer dollars. We are grateful to our partners at the USAO for their support in bringing this investigation to its culmination,” said Jeldrys Lowry, Special Agent in Charge for USDA OIG Sensitive Investigations Office.
According to court documents, Perry was a senior director within the USDA’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and used his position to secure employment for Grant as an Equal Opportunity Assistant. They billed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and Grant received about $399,319 from the government for work that was not performed.
In pleading guilty, Perry and Grant admitted that, from August 2015 through November 2022, Perry arranged for Grant to be hired by two companies under contract with the USDA Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. Grant reported directly to Perry, who also approved the invoices billing for Grant’s time, and the two of them conspired to bill the government for work that Grant did not perform.
Perry additionally had access to Grant’s bank account. As part of the criminal scheme Perry transferred approximately $125,000 of the USDA payments from Grant’s account to his own account.
This case was investigated by the USDA Office of Inspector General Sensitive Investigations Office. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Kelly.
The Department of Justice in April announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Career Criminal Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A Huttonsville, West Virginia man will spend the next 87 months in prison for selling methamphetamine in Randolph County, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
Justin Michael Hoover, 35, sold methamphetamine to a confidential source from both his home and his vehicle. In total, investigators recovered more than 61 grams of methamphetamine. Hoover’s criminal history includes earlier offenses involving drugs, firearms, domestic battery, and various driving violations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
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.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
California Man Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining $46 Million in Public Benefits and Laundering Proceeds to ChinaRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos A. Grijalva, age 60, of Simi Valley, California, was sentenced yesterday to 72 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in the amount of approximately $46.4 million.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Grijalva previously pleaded guilty and admitted that he and his coconspirators, Brian R. Cleland, age 72, and Bruce Jin, age 61, along with other unnamed coconspirators, conspired to obtain state unemployment compensation funds, and other public funds, through fraudulent means. Grijalva, Cleland, and Jin, and others entered into a series of agreements to make it appear as if they were operating legitimate businesses selling masks and other COVID19 personal protective equipment. The funds that the defendants obtained and laundered through their companies were derived mostly from fraudulently obtained state unemployment compensation (“UC”) benefits.
Unnamed members of the conspiracy, including some believed to be in China, established thousands of accounts at banks across the United States using the personal identifying information (“PII”) of identity theft victims. From there, fraudulent UC claims were generated and paid to these accounts, including accounts in the names of people residing in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. These fraudulent UC claims were also generated by fraudsters based in China. As a result of this fraudulent activity, tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent UC payments were made by Pennsylvania and other states.
After UC funds were paid out, they were then transferred from identity theft victims’ accounts to companies controlled by Grijalva, Cleland, and Jin. Grijalva and Cleland, for instance, used ACH processing—a type of electronic bank-to-bank transfer—to obtain over $46 million in fraudulent funds from the accounts of identity theft victims. This money mostly went from the accounts of identity theft victims to companies controlled by Cleland and Grijalva, including MexUS Service, Group Mex USA, CCB Group, and GC Accounting. After that, Grijalva and Cleland transferred over $30 million to Jin’s companies, knowing that some of the funds were then going to be transferred to parties located in China.
Grijalva was also ordered to pay certain property forfeitures, including approximately $46.4 million in US currency, as well as the contents of several bank accounts and real properties located in Hawaii and California that were purchased using funds traceable to the charged offenses. One of these properties, located in California, was purchased in the name of one of Grijalva’s family members.
Jin was sentenced on April 30, 2026, to 144 months in prison and was ordered to forfeit over $59 million in US currency, along with other properties. Cleland was sentenced on May 14, 2026, to 120 months in prison and was ordered to forfeit approximately $46.4 million.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and K. Wesley Mishoe are prosecuting the case.
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