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21 January 2026
37 Mexican Nationals Wanted for Serious Crimes Transferred to the United States from Mexico, Including Leaders of Foreign Terrorist OrganizationsRead the Press Release
The United States announced today that yesterday evening it took into custody 37 fugitives from Mexico facing a range of federal criminal charges around the country, including charges relating to narcoterrorism, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, firearms trafficking, human smuggling, money laundering, and various drug trafficking offenses, including conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
Among the fugitives taken into U.S. custody are prolific human smugglers, violent arms traffickers, and alleged members of dangerous drug cartels, including those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (CDN, formerly Los Zetas), and Cártel de Golfo (CDG) as well as additional drug trafficking organizations, such as the Gulf Cartel, La Linea, and the former Beltrán-Leyva Organization.
“This is another landmark achievement in the Trump Administration’s mission to destroy the cartels. These 37 cartel members – including terrorists from the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, and others – will now pay for their crimes against the American people on American soil,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are grateful for this collaboration with our international partners and will deliver swift, comprehensive justice for members of Foreign Terrorist Organizations who have spent years preying on the American people.”
“The FBI has proven that we will hold dangerous criminals accountable for their egregious violent acts, no matter where they try to hide,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement of the return of dozens of fugitives from Mexico to face charges is yet another example of the FBI’s relentless work and partnerships here in the U.S. and in Mexico. We will continue to work to put a stop to these drug cartels, arms traffickers, and terrorists from bringing crime, drugs, and firearms to our city streets and neighborhoods.”
“The significance of this transfer cannot be overstated. Thirty-seven fugitives were brought from Mexico to the United States to face justice for alleged crimes that have spread violence, threatened public safety, and devastated families. Among them are individuals tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, both designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “We thank the Government of Mexico for standing with us. DEA will keep driving forward with our U.S. and international partners to dismantle these terrorist cartels, cut off the fentanyl supply, and save American lives.”
“Leadership like President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s to work diligently to bring all of these wanted criminals back to the United States reinforces their commitment to getting justice for their victims,” said Director Gadyaces S. Serralta of the United States Marshals Service (USMS). “This sends a very clear message; justice does not stop at borders.”
“ATF is on the front lines of the fight against violent crime,” said Deputy Director Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Our agents are hunting down gangs, cartels, and transnational organizations that traffic illegal firearms and turn our streets into war zones. We will dismantle these networks at every level, cut off their access to weapons, and hold every criminal accountable. Those who profit from violence will be found, stopped, and brought to justice.”
Yesterday’s transfer marks only the third time that Mexico has used its National Security Law to expel fugitives to the United States. It is also the largest such transfer of fugitives to occur — the first transfer, on Feb. 27, 2025, involved 29 fugitives, and the second, on Aug.12, 2025, involved 26 fugitives.
Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. Custody Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. Custody Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. CustodyIncluded in yesterday’s transfer are the following fugitives:
- Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez. Navarro-Sanchez is the first Mexican national to be charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization based on her involvement with the CJNG, including providing the cartel with grenades and engaging in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics trafficking on its behalf. CJNG, which controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade, also engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation.
Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon and Eliomar Segura Torres. Velasco Calderon and Segura Torres are alleged to be members of Mexico-based money laundering organizations responsible for collecting bulk cash drug proceeds in the United States and transferring the funds to Mexico through cryptocurrency transfers. These organizations help launder funds for Mexico-based drug trafficking organizations, including the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion and the Sinaloa Cartel. Velasco Calderon and Segura Torres received financial compensation for the money laundered in the form of a commission, or percentage of the money laundered, each time that proceeds of drug sales were returned to the drug trafficking organization.
Heriberto Hernández Rodriguez. Hernández Rodriguez is accused of having been a member of Cártel del Noreste responsible for drug trafficking, kidnappings and assassinations, and procuring weapons for the cartel. Between 2006 and his arrest in November 2022, Hernández Rodriguez is alleged to have commanded hundreds of sicarios and ordered the deaths of multiple people. Hernández Rodriguez is also alleged to have overseen security for the cartel’s stash houses in Mexico, which served as staging points for thousands of kilograms of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine to be transported into the United States for distribution.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega. In May 2025, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, also known as Sagitario and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were the first Sinaloa Cartel leaders in the nation to be charged with narcoterrorism and material support of terrorism, along with drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) is a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that is believed to be the world’s largest known fentanyl production network. Five other BLO leaders are charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. Pedro Inzunza Noriega worked closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to produce and aggressively traffic fentanyl to the United States. The father and son led one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world. Over the past several years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. On Dec. 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided multiple locations in Sinaloa that are controlled and managed by the father and son and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl – the largest known seizure of fentanyl in world history. On Nov. 30, 2025, the son, Inzunza Coronel, was killed during a capture operation in Mexico. On Dec. 31, 2025, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, aka Sagitario was captured by the Mexican military.
Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas also known as Payo. Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas aka Payo is a high-ranking lieutenant of the Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and the long-time right-hand man of Consolidated Priority Organization Target Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, also known as “El Musico”. Bastidas has operated with impunity for over 20 years and has imported and distributed thousands of tons of cocaine from Colombia to the United States, via Mexico. In addition to cocaine trafficking, Bastidas has imported and distributed large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Mexico to the United States. Bastidas is also responsible for laundering millions of dollars from drug proceeds, weapons trafficking, and has engaged in kidnapping, torture, and murder. Bastidas was captured on May 28, 2025, by the Mexican military.
Juan Carlos Alonso Reyes. Regional Priority Organization Target Juan Carlos Alonso Reyes was the leader of “The Office,” a transnational criminal organization which operated physical locations in Tijuana where Alonso Reyes and his co-conspirators sold mainly fentanyl and methamphetamine. The Office’s physical locations worked as a type of illicit 24/7 drug convenience store for mostly American buyers. It operated so openly and notoriously that at one time you could search The Office on Google Maps, and the physical location would appear in Tijuana. Alonso Reyes coordinated drug sales and distribution from The Office to hundreds of internal body carriers who then smuggled the drugs into the United States via the district’s Ports of Entry. On Jan. 23, 2024, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) physically seized and closed the Office’s latest location in Tijuana.
Julio Cesar Mancera Dozal. Julio Cesar Mancera Dozal was the leader of a drug smuggling organization that is part of the Sinaloa Cartel that imported and distributed hundreds of pounds of cocaine into the United States from Mexico. His organization was headquartered in Tijuana, Mexico, and imported drugs into San Diego, California, through vehicles with sophisticated non-factory compartments, with further distribution into the Central District of California (Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside). Once crossed, additional co-conspirators also under the leadership and coordination of Mancera removed, stored, and transported the drugs further into the United States.
Juan Pedro Saldivar-Farias, also known as “Z-27,” is charged in the Southern District of Texas with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as associated drug trafficking offenses. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. According to the indictment, Saldivar-Farias served as a Zeta Regional Commander and Plaza Boss located in the Falcon Lake area of South Texas. Along with his brother, Jose Manuel Saldivar-Farias, also known as “Z-31” or “El Borrado,” Saldivar-Farias oversaw all narcotics moving in and around the Falcon Lake area. Agents estimate that several multi-ton quantities of marijuana were crossed into the United States through this area every week. During their time as Plaza bosses, multi-ton quantities of cocaine were also imported into the United States on a monthly basis. The Saldivar-Farias brothers were the source of marijuana and cocaine for the NETO Drug Trafficking Organization. Any other dope or contraband moving through the area from non-Zetas had to be approved by one of the brothers, or was subject to a “piso,” or tax, paid for landing in or crossing through the area. A separate piso was charged for crossing the contraband into the United States. Individuals who did not secure permission or pay the piso would be held hostage, beaten, tortured, killed, or some combination of all four. Saldivar-Farias’s brother, Z-31, was caught by immigration authorities in 2015, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in 2017, and is currently serving a thirty-year sentence.
Ricardo Cortez-Mateos, also known as “Billeton,” is a former high-ranking member of the Cartel del Golfo, and is charged in the Southern District of Texas with significant drug trafficking offenses for his role in importing large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Cortez-Mateos, 41, of Mexico, was originally indicted by a grand jury in Brownsville on Nov. 10, 2021, with nine counts, including conspiracy to possesses with intent to distribute and conspiracy to unlawfully import more than 50 grams of meth, more than five kilograms of cocaine, and more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Cortez-Mateos faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison if convicted.
Below is a complete list of fugitives,[1] as well as the districts in which they are charged:
Fugitive
Jurisdiction
Statutory Maximum
Ricardo Cortez MateosSouthern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentFidel Felix OchoaSouthern District of FloridaUp to life imprisonmentOscar Hernandez FloresWestern District of OklahomaUp to life imprisonmentLuis Alonso Navarro QuezadaDistrict of ColoradoUp to life imprisonmentDavid Eliezer Seas CentenoDistrict of New MexicoUp to life imprisonmentJuan Pedro Saldivar FariasSouthern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentCarlos Alberto Guerrero MercardoEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentJair Francisco Patron TobiasEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentGuillermo Isaias Perez ParraEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentManuel Ignacio CorreaEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentYahir Alejandro Lujan RojoWestern District of PennsylvaniaUp to life imprisonmentLucas Anthony MendozaSouthern District of IndianaUp to life imprisonmentEliomar Segura TorresEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentEduardo Rigoberto Velasco CalderonEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentFrancisco Arredondo ColmeneroWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentGustavo Castro MedinaWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentLuis Carlos Davalos LopezWestern District of Texas25 years’ imprisonmentSEALEDWestern District of Texas25 years’ imprisonmentHeriberto Hernandez RodriguezWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentDaniel Manera MaciasWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentMaria del Rosario Navarro SanchezWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentHumberto Rivera RiveraWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentRicardo Gonzalez Sauceda Western District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentJuan Carlos Alonso Reyes Southern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentJuan Pablo Bastidas ErenasSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentPedro Inzunza NoriegaSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentSEALEDDistrict of Arizona20 years’ imprisonmentJulio Cesar Mancera DozalSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentRodrigo Perez MesquiteDistrict of Arizona20 years’ imprisonmentJose Luis Sanchez ValenciaWestern District of WashingtonUp to life imprisonmentJorge Damian Roman FigueroaDistrict of ArizonaUp to life imprisonmentArmando Gomez NunezDistrict of ColumbiaUp to life imprisonmentSEALEDDistrict of ColumbiaUp to life imprisonmentJose Pineda PerezMiddle District of GeorgiaUp to life imprisonmentJose Gerardo Alvarez VasquezSouthern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentJose TorresSouthern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentDaniel Alfredo Blanco-JooDistrict of New MexicoUp to life imprisonmentAttorney General Pamela Bondi thanked the law enforcement officers of the DEA, FBI, ATF, USMS, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their valuable contributions to these investigations.
Attorney General Bondi also thanked the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs for coordinating the transfers, as well as the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and the Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, the Southern District of California, the District of Columbia, the District of Colorado, the Southern District of Florida, the Eastern District of Kentucky, the Middle District of Georgia, the Southern District of Indiana, the District of New Mexico, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Western District of Oklahoma, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, and the Western District of Washington for handling the prosecution of the cases.
These transfers are 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
[1] This chart contains the maximum penalty for the single most serious crime for which the defendant is currently charged. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
19-Year-Old Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography, Including Videos He Recorded While Sexually Abusing Two Young ChildrenRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isaiah Smith, 19, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Mary Kay Costello on possession of child pornography.
As detailed in the indictment and admitted to by the defendant, Smith maintained a collection of child pornography images and videos of prepubescent minors, including videos that the defendant recorded as he sexually abused two different child victims: a six-year-old girl, and a nonverbal three-year-old boy, on multiple occasions. The child sexual abuse material was discovered after a friend of the defendant walked in on Smith orally raping one of the child victims.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6 and faces a maximum possible term of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, mandatory financial penalties, and mandatory registration as a sex offender under SORNA and Megan’s Law.
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 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 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.
20 January 2026
Western District of Texas Prosecutors File 229 New Immigration Cases in One WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced that federal prosecutors in the district filed 229 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 9 to Jan. 15. Additionally, the district received 125 new habeas petitions bringing a total of 817 civil immigration cases received since Jan. 20, 2025. Charges were brought against illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes and DWIs, as well as alleged human smugglers and aliens with multiple prior removals.
Among the cases, Ricardo Mujica-Calderon, a Mexican national, had illegally re-entered the United States, and sold a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential source. When agents executed a search warrant at Mujica’s house, he slammed the door shut and fled before being arrested in a neighbor's yard. Agents found approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine in Mujica’s home. Agents also found an AR-15, two "ghost guns", and three other pistols, all of which were loaded. While being transferred to jail, Mujica fought the officer in an attempt to escape. The officer pulled over, requested assistance from local authorities, and was able to secure him preventing the escape. Mujica’s criminal record includes a conviction for assault of a family member by choking/strangulation; a conviction for driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age; and two convictions for illegal re-entry into the United States.
On Jan. 13, ICE officers were conducting operations in San Antonio and approached a vehicle registered to Robyn Argote-Brooks. The driver, Argote, a Cuban national, had entered the US in Laredo where Customs and Border Protection issued Argote a Notice to Appear and paroled him into the U.S. on Oct. 11, 2024. His parole had been terminated on April 18, 2025. When officers decided to apprehend Argote, Argote rolled up his window and refused to come out. Argote turned on the ignition and drove his car in reverse causing the officers to jump out of the way of the moving vehicle. Argote then drove forward crashing into another government vehicle and injuring the officer who was driving that vehicle. In so doing, Argote caused $4,847.19 in damage. Argote was placed under arrest and transferred for processing.
On Jan. 9, in Frio County, Rodrigo Jose Cedeno-Espinos, a citizen of Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. on or about Oct. 1, 2023, attempted to escape the Dilley Immigration Processing Center by scaling the perimeter fence after having been detained for immigration proceedings. The Dilley Police Department was notified and Cedeno was in custody within an hour.
A Hollywood Park Police Officer conducting a traffic stop for a traffic violation on Jan. 10, encountered four suspected foreign nationals. After requesting assistance from ICE/ERO, database checks identified Jesus Antonio Flores-Pineda, a citizen of El Salvador who had been previously removed from the U.S. to El Salvador on Dec. 23, 2022. Flores had been convicted in Nevada for Statutory Sexual Seduction and sentenced to a maximum of 48 months and a minimum of 16 months confinement. Flores has not been granted permission to reapply for admission to the United States after his removal.
Lenin Israel Guifarro-Almendarez, an alien to the United States, was found in a storm ditch approximately 0.18 miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, on Jan. 16. The arresting agent determined that Guifarro is a native and citizen of Honduras without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the United States legally. Guifarro had previously been removed from the U.S. to Honduras on Dec. 2, 2024, through Alexandria, Louisiana.
On Jan. 6, at the James R. Dominguez checkpoint on Highway 90 near Uvalde, a canine alerted Customs and Border Protection personnel to a black sedan. Passenger Maximiliano Arellano became combative, refused commands, and struck a Border Patrol agent in the chest, then resisted on the ground. Arellano is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer.
Border Patrol Agents in Eagle Pass arrested Nelson Alexander Velasquez-Velasquez on Jan. 12. Velasquez was determined to be in the U.S. illegally after having previously deported on November 18, 2016, through Del Rio.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Violent Felons in Indianapolis Receive Federal Sentences for Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Four violent felons have been removed from the streets of Indianapolis having been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing firearms. Each case stemmed from separate investigations and was prosecuted independently.
DefendantCharge(s)SentencePrior Felony ConvictionsRoscoe Nuckols, 39Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon15 years, 5 monthsFelony burglary (x3)Andres Espinosa, 37Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon5 years, 11 monthsConspiracy to commit robbery; Unlawful possession of a syringe; Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felonStephen Davis, 41Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon3 yearsSexual misconduct with a minor; Failure to register as a sex offender; Possession of methamphetamineJarvis Watson Jr., 57Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon5 yearsConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substanceAs part of these investigations, the following firearms were seized and forfeited to law enforcement:
- FN 9 mm handgun
- RF-15 rifle
- Ruger 5.7 handgun
- Ruger Security 9 handgun
- Glock 44 .22 caliber firearm with extended magazine
- Smith & Wesson handgun
- Smith and Wesson 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol
Roscoe Nuckols:
On October 5, 2023, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to 37th Street and Washington Boulevard after several 911 callers reported a man in jean shorts and a red shirt lying unconscious in the road. When the first officer arrived, they found the man, identified as Roscoe Nuckols, on the ground with a 9mm handgun tucked into his shorts. Further investigation indicated that Nuckols, a career criminal, was suspected to be under the influence of an illegal substance while unlawfully carrying the handgun.
Andres Espinosa:
On August 5, 2024, Marion County Community Corrections and IMPD officers conducted a home‑detention compliance check on Andres Espinosa. When they arrived, Espinosa opened the door while hiding a loaded handgun behind his back, then briefly shut the door to stash it under the couch. During the full check of the home, officers found a rifle under the same couch, along with ammunition, holsters, and multiple handgun and rifle magazines in his nightstand. They also found two additional handguns in the house.
Stephen Davis:
Around 1:00 a.m. on January 28, 2024, Fishers police officers pulled over Stephen Davis after noticing his Jeep had dark tinted windows and no license plate light. Davis told officers he did not have a valid driver’s license or insurance. He appeared jittery, was wearing a firearm sling, and admitted to having knives on him. After searching the Jeep, police found a loaded .22‑caliber Glock handgun under the front passenger seat. While being transported to jail, Davis also tried to hide a small baggie, later found to contain amphetamines, between the seat cushions of the police car.
Jarvis Watson Jr.:
On December 31, 2022, Carmel police officers approached Jarvis Watson Jr. after finding his vehicle stopped at a stop sign for several minutes, blocking traffic. When officers checked on him and searched the vehicle, they discovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P Shield pistol on his person.
According to federal law, individuals with prior felony convictions are prohibited from legally possessing a firearm.
“Convicted violent felons who continue to arm themselves pose a grave threat to our communities. These prosecutions demonstrate our commitment to working with federal, state, and local law enforcement to remove illegal firearms from the streets and hold offenders accountable. We will not tolerate individuals who repeatedly disregard the law and endanger public safety.,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
“The ATF is pleased with the outcomes in all these cases,” said Special Agent in Charge Jorge Rosendo. By leveraging our unique capabilities in coordination with our partner agencies, we work to suppress violent crime at its core and help create safer neighborhoods. Our foremost concern remains felons who continue to illegally possess firearms in furtherance of criminal activity, and we will continue to hold them accountable.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IMPD, Fishers and Carmel Police Departments investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judges Richard L. Young, Matthew P. Brookman, Tanya Walton Pratt, and Sarah Evans Barker.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Preston, Carolyn Haney, Cristina Caraballo-Colon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Nate Walter, who prosecuted these cases.
These cases are 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.
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U.S. Attorney Heap Announces over Three Million Dollars Disbursed in Equitable Sharing to Local Law Enforcement Partners and Federal AgenciesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, today announced that, based on joint criminal investigations conducted by federal, state, and local partners in the Southern District of Georgia, the federal government has disbursed $3,072,605 in equitable sharing of forfeited assets to over 50 local law enforcement partners and federal agencies for the 2025 fiscal year.
“The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the FBI, DEA, IRS, USPIS, and our local and state law enforcement partners, worked diligently to locate and forfeit these assets,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “These ill-gotten gains included cash, money in bank accounts, and real estate, and were connected to a wide variety of criminal activity, including domestic and international drug trafficking, illegal pill mills, money laundering, and wildlife trafficking. Once taken from the hands of criminals, these funds will now be used to enhance South Georgia law enforcement departments and investigations.”
The following local and state law enforcement partners received proceeds from forfeited assets, which were seized by the FBI and DEA:
- Appling County Sheriff’s Office
- Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office
- Baker County Sheriff’s Office
- Blackshear Police Department
- Burke County Sheriff’s Office
- Camden County Sheriff’s Office
- Chatham County Police Department
- Chatham County Sheriff’s Department
- City of Alpharetta Police Department
- City of Douglas Police Department
- City of Pooler Police Department
- City of San Jose Police Department
- Clay County Sheriff’s Office
- Coffee County Sheriff’s Department
- Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
- Dekalb County Police Department
- Effingham County Sheriff’s Office
- Fernandina Beach Police Department
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- Georgia Department of Community Supervision
- Georgia National Guard
- Georgia Ports Authority Police Department
- Glynn County Police Department
- Glynn County Sheriff’s Office
- Green Cove Springs Police Department
- Greenwood Police Department
- Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office
- Gwinnett County Police Department
- Heard County Sheriff’s Office
- Jacksonville Beach Police Department
- Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
- Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office
- Jonesboro Police Department
- Laurens County Sheriff’s Office
- Liberty County Sheriff’s Office
- McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office
- Mesa County Sheriff’s Office
- Metter Police Department
- Nassau County Sheriff’s Office
- Oconee District Attorney’s Office
- Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
- Redwood City Police Department
- Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
- Riverdale Police Department
- Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department
- Santa Clara Police Department
- Savannah Police Department
- Spalding County Sheriff’s Department
- Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office
- Treutlen County Sheriff’s Office
- Ware County Sheriff’s Office; and
- Waycross Police Department
“Asset forfeiture ensures that criminals do not profit from their crimes, while directly strengthening the law enforcement agencies that protect our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Through close collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners, the FBI is committed to dismantling criminal enterprises and reinvesting seized assets into the tools, training, and resources needed to keep South Georgia safe.”
The Department of Justice’s (Justice) Asset Forfeiture Program encompasses the seizure, forfeiture, and disposition of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate, federal crimes. The Attorney General exercises statutory authority to manage the Program. See 28 U.S.C. § 524(c)(1) (establishing the Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF), managed by the Attorney General). One of the ancillary benefits of asset forfeiture is the potential to share federal forfeiture proceeds in appropriate cases with cooperating state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies through equitable sharing. The Program enhances cooperation among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement by providing valuable additional resources to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies assisting with investigations into violations of federal laws. However, the Program is designed to supplement and enhance, not supplant, appropriated agency resources.
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Two Senior Members of Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – On January 13 and January 14, 2026, the last two defendants in the Stephen Crane Village drug trafficking case – the enforcer who murdered one of their own and the main drug supplier – were sentenced to 540- and 211-months’ imprisonment, respectively, for their roles in the organization, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
In January 2025, following a three-week trial before U.S. District Court Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court, Michael Mayse, 39, and Gary Shahid, 67, both of Newark, were convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy and related drug and firearms offenses. Mayse was also convicted of murder in relation to the drug trafficking conspiracy.
“These sentences hold accountable two senior members of a violent drug trafficking organization that ruled Stephen Crane Village through fear, violence, and murder. They deliver justice for the family of a young man whose life was senselessly taken and underscore this Office’s commitment to attacking violent crime wherever it exists. We will continue to protect the people of New Jersey by aggressively pursuing violent criminals and removing them from our streets.”
- Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:
Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex near Branch Brook Park, on the border of Newark, New Jersey and Belleville, New Jersey. Stephen Crane Village was the site of an open-air drug market controlled by a violent drug trafficking organization (DTO) from at least February 2019 through February 2020.
Through numerous controlled drug purchases, recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, and analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the members of the DTO conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, at Stephen Crane Village.
The DTO used a stash apartment to package and store drugs for distribution. The DTO sold significant quantities of drugs to confidential sources and an undercover agent. In the early morning of December 15, 2019, Mayse entered the DTO’s stash apartment and murdered a 21-year-old member of the DTO over a drug debt.
On January 13, 2026, the Court sentenced Shahid to 151 months’ imprisonment for the drug trafficking conspiracy and drug trafficking offenses, to run concurrent to 60 months for his possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon, and consecutive to an additional 60 months’ imprisonment for his possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking, for a cumulative sentence of 211 months in prison.
On January 14, 2026, the Court sentenced Mayse to 480 months’ imprisonment for the drug trafficking conspiracy and the murder, to run concurrent to 240 months for his distribution and possession with intent to distribute drugs, to run concurrent to 120 months for his possession of two firearms as a previously convicted felon, and consecutive to an additional 60 months’ imprisonment for his possession of another firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking, for a cumulative sentence of 540 months in prison.
Co-defendants Jose Lora, Dayquan Jordan, Ricky Terrell, Charles Mells, Raquan Rawls, Nasir Williams, Quadir Hatcher, Tyree Purkett, James Wicker, and Dayana Valderrama – all members or associates of the DTO – all previously pleaded guilty in federal court to crimes related to their respective roles.
Special Counsel Lamparello credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Chief Mitchell G. McGuire; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda; and the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance with this case.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the DHS/HSI, the USMS, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg, Chief of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel:
Thomas Ambrosio, Esq., for Gary Shahid
Joel Silberman, Esq., and Keith Oliver, Esq., for Michael Mayse
Two Plead Guilty to Drug-Involved MurderRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Two individuals connected to a drug trafficking organization (DTO) pleaded guilty last week to charges stemming from a 2022 murder in Miami. Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, and Jimmy Sanchez, 37, of Spring Valley, California, face up to life imprisonment for their crimes.
“This case illustrates that drugs and violence go hand in hand,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As part of their drug operation, these defendants shipped large amounts of methamphetamine, and when they thought the victim stole their product, they killed him in cold blood. The Criminal Division will continue prosecuting serious drug crimes, with and without violence involved, to protect the public from the grave consequences that occur, like they did here.”
“These guilty pleas lay bare the deadly reality of drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This was a cold-blooded murder driven by the drug trade, where intimidation and greed turned narcotics trafficking into violence and death. Our Office will use every federal tool available to dismantle these organizations and hold accountable anyone who chooses violence as a means of doing business.”
“This transnational investigation is the result of law enforcement partners pulling resources and working together to bring these criminals to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division.
“Illegal drug trafficking inherently results in violence which is inflicted by the criminal drug networks that distribute them,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The impact on our communities is real and devastating. The FBI is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners in our common goal of making our communities safe by combating drug-related violence.”
“Postal Inspectors are committed to maintaining the safety of the community and employees of the U.S. Postal Service,” said Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue anyone who uses the nation's mail system for illegal or dangerous use.”
Court documents and statements made in court show that the defendants admitted to murdering a Miami man (the victim) in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs. In retaliation, Kol and Sachez met the victim in a hotel room. Kol armed Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location, but the audio of the call portrayed a physical altercation ensuing and gunshots firing. Sanchez admitted that he shot and killed the victim in the hotel room and left his body, which was not discovered until the following morning. Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the murder.
As part of their plea agreements, the defendants admitted that they each committed the murder and that they distributed almost 11 pounds of methamphetamine. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled to take place later this year.
The DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Miami Dade Sherriff’s Office, the Hialeah Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monique Botero and Jacob Koffsky for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20264.
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Two Plead Guilty to Drug-Involved MurderRead the Press Release
Two individuals connected to a drug trafficking organization (DTO) pleaded guilty last week to charges stemming from a 2022 murder in Miami. Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, Florida, and Jimmy Sanchez, 37, of Spring Valley, California, face up to life imprisonment for their crimes.
“This case illustrates that drugs and violence go hand in hand,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As part of their drug operation, these defendants shipped large amounts of methamphetamine, and when they thought the victim stole their product, they killed him in cold blood. The Criminal Division will continue prosecuting serious drug crimes, with and without violence involved, to protect the public from the grave consequences that occur, like they did here.”
“These guilty pleas lay bare the deadly reality of drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This was a cold-blooded murder driven by the drug trade, where intimidation and greed turned narcotics trafficking into violence and death. Our Office will use every federal tool available to dismantle these organizations and hold accountable anyone who chooses violence as a means of doing business.”
“This transnational investigation is the result of law enforcement partners pulling resources and working together to bring these criminals to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division.
“Illegal drug trafficking inherently results in violence which is inflicted by the criminal drug networks that distribute them,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The impact on our communities is real and devastating. The FBI is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners in our common goal of making our communities safe by combating drug-related violence.”
“Postal Inspectors are committed to maintaining the safety of the community and employees of the U.S. Postal Service,” said Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue anyone who uses the nation's mail system for illegal or dangerous use.”
Court documents and statements made in court show that the defendants admitted to murdering a Miami man (the victim) in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs. In retaliation, Kol and Sachez met the victim in a hotel room. Kol armed Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location, but the audio of the call portrayed a physical altercation ensuing and gunshots firing. Sanchez admitted that he shot and killed the victim in the hotel room and left his body, which was not discovered until the following morning. Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the murder.
As part of their plea agreements, the defendants admitted that they each committed the murder and that they distributed almost 11 pounds of methamphetamine. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled to take place later this year.
The DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Miami Dade Sherriff’s Office, the Hialeah Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monique Botero and Jacob Koffsky for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
Texas Man and His Romantic Partner Sentenced to Prison for their Roles in Harming Elderly Victims Through A Romance Fraud ScamRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Texas man was sentenced on January 15, 2026, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a romance fraud scam in which he received money from elderly victims, including from New Jersey, and then transferred the money abroad, primarily to Ghana, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced. The man’s romantic partner was sentenced on January 7, 2026, to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release for her role in the scheme as an unlicensed money transmitter in accepting and transmitting some of the funds for profit.
Felix Clark, a/k/a “Joseph Moore,” a/k/a “Stanley Smith,” 37, of Royse City, Texas, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release by Hon. Renée Marie Bumb, Chief, U.S. District Judge, in federal court in Camden. Clark previously pleaded guilty on May 6, 2025, to a two-count Information, charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with the romance fraud scam. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Bumb remanded Clark to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to begin serving his sentence.
On January 7, Chief Judge Bumb sentenced Clark’s romantic partner, Esther Amppiaw, 34, of Royse City, Texas, to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On May 23, 2025, Amppiaw pleaded guilty to a one-count Information charging her with operating an unlicensed money transmitter business. Amppiaw will report to serve her sentence on a later date.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From at least as early as October 2021 through September 2022, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida, Clark conspired and agreed to receive the proceeds of fraud perpetrated by a co-conspirator in Ghana and transfer proceeds overseas. During the conspiracy, one or more of Clark’s co-conspirators went onto online dating sites and, using fake names, pretended to be romantically interested in elderly victims, including stating that they wanted to marry them. Many of the victims had recently lost their spouses.
The co-conspirators used electronic messages and emails to con victims into sending money—for instance, claiming that there was a large amount of gold in Ghana, but in order to get it, the victim had to pay taxes, fees, or other sums. The co-conspirators directed victims to send money to Clark and others acting at his direction, including Amppiaw. Clark used fake names, including “Joseph Moore” and “Stanley Smith”—as well as financial accounts in those fake names—to transfer the victims’ funds.
During his guilty plea hearing, Clark admitted responsibility for $501,071 in victim losses. He also admitted that after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home, he attempted to obstruct justice by arranging for a falsified death certificate and funeral notice to be submitted to the United States, falsely claiming the death of a family member in order to obtain a passport that had been lawfully seized and to which he was not legally entitled.
Amppiaw admitted that she operated an unlicensed money transmitting business from January 2022 through June 2023, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida. Amppiaw also admitted that she knowingly received checks, money orders, and electronic payments totaling $317,290 from individuals she did not know, and that she knowingly transmitted most of the funds to other individuals, including at least one recipient in New Jersey and also to recipients overseas, including Ghana. During that time, Amppiaw lied in four separate conversations with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (in her interview for U.S. citizenship), federal law enforcement, and her bank about the nature and amounts of her financial transaction activity.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello credited agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, with the investigation leading to the sentencings.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
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Defense Counsel:
Felix Clark: Jeremy McLymont, Esq., Miami, Florida
Esther Amppiaw: James Maguire, Esq., AFPD, Camden, New Jersey
Texas Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Marcos Gonzalez, 62, Los Fresnos, Texas, was sentenced January 8, 2026, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. The prison term will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Gonzalez pled guilty to this charge on October 21, 2025.
Between December 2023 and June 2024, Gonzalez served as the leader of a conspiracy that trafficked more than thirty kilograms of cocaine from the southern border to Dane County, Wisconsin. As part of the conspiracy, Gonzalez arranged for the cocaine to be smuggled from Mexico into southeast Texas. From there, Gonzalez arranged for a courier to transport the cocaine to coconspirator Ernesto R. Abeyta in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
Judge Peterson explained that he imposed a significant sentence because of the “very aggravated” nature of Gonzalez’s offense. Judge Peterson noted that Gonzalez not only trafficked a large quantity of cocaine, but he also had a clear connection to a large criminal enterprise in Mexico. Judge Peterson also expressed concern that Gonzalez was “a committed recidivist,” since this was his third federal drug conspiracy conviction. Gonzalez previously served twenty-two years in federal prison for a 1995 conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine conviction. In 2003, while serving that sentence, Gonzalez was convicted for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, for trying to smuggle marijuana into a federal prison.
“Gonzalez is a career drug trafficker who leveraged his Mexican cartel connections to sell pounds of cocaine across the United States, including here in Dane County,” said Acting United States Attorney Elgersma. “Today’s sentence not only ensures significant prison time for the leader of a drug organization, but it also sends a message that the United States Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to using every legal tool available to disrupt and dismantle terrorist organizations that profit from addiction and violence. I commend everyone who played a role in bringing Gonzalez to justice.”
On November 6, 2025, Judge Peterson sentenced coconspirator Ernesto R. Abeyta to nine years in federal prison for his role in the cocaine trafficking operation.
The charge against Gonzalez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sherriff’s Office, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Madison Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’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 federal 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.
Texas Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Donald Spivey, 43, Spring, Texas, was sentenced January 16, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 9 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Spivey pleaded guilty to this charge on October 27, 2025.
On November 30, 2021, an inspector from the United States Postal Inspection Service intercepted a suspicious parcel sent from Houston, Texas to an address in Verona, Wisconsin, which was associated with Spivey. The inspector searched the parcel pursuant to a federal warrant and found approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
As the investigation continued, law enforcement officers identified an apartment in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where Spivey stored his drugs. On April 6, 2023, investigators obtained a search warrant for the apartment and seized approximately two kilograms of cocaine, $5,160 in cash, multiple cell phones, a heat sealer, shipping material, a digital scale, and a drug press. Numerous text messages on Spivey’s phones revealed his involvement in drug trafficking.
Spivey waived his rights and admitted to mailing the two kilograms of cocaine seized on November 30, 2021. Spivey further confessed to regularly trafficking cocaine from Texas to Wisconsin.
As part of the investigation, investigators also searched the residences of coconspirators Shelby Longino and Darnold Thomas. Inside Longino’s house, investigators found 183 grams of fentanyl pills, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and $22,878 in cash. During the search of Thomas’s house, investigators seized two kilograms of methamphetamine.
At Spivey’s sentencing, Judge Conley noted that Spivey was responsible for bringing a significant amount of cocaine into the community. Judge Conley found that a lengthy sentence was warranted.
On August 29, 2025, Thomas pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Conley sentenced Thomas to 90 months in prison on December 11, 2025.
On July 31, 2025, Longino pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Judge Conley sentenced Longino to five years in prison on October 29, 2025.
The charges against Spivey, Thomas, and Longino were the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison Police Department. Acting U.S. Attorney Elgersma prosecuted this case.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’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 federal 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.
Texas Couple Pleads Guilty for Operating Website Selling Smuggled Pesticides and Veterinary DrugsRead the Press Release
Thao Duong of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty today for conspiring to smuggle and sell unregistered pesticides and misbranded veterinary drugs. Duong’s husband, Lam Mai, also pleaded guilty for conspiring to sell unregistered pesticides and misbranded veterinary drugs. The couple operated a website selling those drugs and pesticides, which had been smuggled into the United State from Mexico. They are scheduled to be sentenced on June 9.
“Stopping transborder crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We will continue to investigate and prosecute those who flout our customs laws and endanger the health and safety of Americans.”
“No one should profit from bringing illegal chemicals into the United States and poisoning American communities,” said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Illegal Mexican pesticides and animal steroids are a toxic combination. The guilty plea in this case underscores the importance of the cooperative efforts of federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt smuggling operations and secure our nation’s borders from foreign harm.”
“This case highlights the need to protect unwitting consumers from dangerous, misbranded products smuggled in from foreign sources at the expense of the health and safety of our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “We applaud the diligent work of our law enforcement partners to interrupt these illegal practices and punish those who commit them.”
“Smuggling prohibited and misbranded products into the United States, and then selling them to unsuspecting consumers, greatly endangers public health,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Lamb of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, Kansas City Field Office. “The FDA will continue working with our federal government partners to bring to justice anyone who carries out these illegal actions.”
According to filings and evidence presented in court, in approximately 2011, Duong began using various online platforms to sell animal care products to customers throughout the United States. The products she sold were used primarily by people engaged in rooster fighting ventures. Duong was not a veterinarian and did not require customers to provide veterinary prescriptions to purchase veterinary drugs. She also sold products such as Cipio Vet, Baytril Max, and Caterrol, which are produced in Mexico and not approved by the FDA for use in the United States. In 2017, she added the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz to her inventory. Taktic and Bovitraz are not registered with the EPA for sale or use and cannot be sold legally in the United States.
In 2018, Duong started a website which she used as her primary means of selling and distributing veterinary drugs and pesticides. After launching the website, Duong entered into agreements with several co-conspirators to purchase veterinary drugs and pesticides that she knew had been smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
The smuggled pesticides and veterinary drugs were brought into the United States through the Calexico Port of Entry in Imperial County, California, and placed in storage units near the border. Duong’s co-conspirators then shipped the products from California to Texas. Between 2018 and 2022, Duong obtained approximately $2.4 million worth of smuggled merchandise from her co-conspirators.
Lam Mai was the shipping manager for the website. After orders were received he packaged the pesticides and veterinary drugs and distributed them to customers throughout the country using the United States Postal Service and other shippers.
According to the EPA, the active ingredient in the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz is amitraz, which is toxic to bees if released into hives, and then ultimately to humans when it ends up in honey, honeycomb, and beeswax. Misuse of amitraz-containing products in beehives can result in exposures that could cause neurological effects and possibly reproductive effects in humans from the consumption of contaminated honey. Signs of neurotoxicity from exposure to amitraz have been documented in multiple animal species and include central nervous system depression, decrease in pulse rate, and hypothermia.
The EPA and FDA investigated the case, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the United State Postal Inspection Service.
Trial Attorney Lauren D. Steele of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section is handling the prosecution with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent J. Mazzurco for the Northern District of Texas.
Tennessee Man Sentenced for Stealing Firearms from Vehicles in MissouriRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a man who in 2023 broke into 24 vehicles in Scott County and New Madrid County to steal and stole firearms to 137 months in prison.
Corterian L. Wright, now 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in April to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted stealing five handguns from vehicles on Oct. 24, 2023. The thefts were among 24 vehicle break-ins in a 3½ hour span at multiple businesses in those counties, according to court documents. Wright is a felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms.
The Matthews Police Department, the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Office, the New Madrid Police Department, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Tennessee Man Convicted for Three Bank Robberies and One Attempted Bank Robbery Ending in a ShootoutRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Memphis, Tennessee convicted a man on Friday for a series of brazen bank robberies, one of which ended with the defendant shooting two people with an assault rifle. At trial, the defendant was convicted of robbing three banks and joining a conspiracy that robbed a total of five bank branches. This is the last of eight defendants indicted in this case, which charged robberies and related firearm charges. All defendants have now been convicted either by guilty plea or at trial.
“This defendant was part of a violent robbery crew whose actions put lives in grave danger and seriously injured innocent people,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The series of bank robberies committed by these eight defendants terrorized bank employees and customers and threatened the lives of hardworking Americans. The Criminal Division will aggressively prosecute those who commit violence, just as it has here.”
“Bank robbery committed with a firearm is an inherently violent offense and threatens the very fabric of our financial institutions that provide commercial services to citizens and the community,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “These brazen and disturbing armed robberies of multiple Memphis banks by Patterson and his co-conspirators terrorized the community and inflicted fear and harm on multiple victims. Now they will have plenty of time in federal prison to suffer the consequences of their violent criminal conduct, and the citizens of Memphis will be safer for it.”
“Friday’s conviction should send a strong message that violent crime will not be tolerated, and law enforcement will not rest until violent offenders are caught, prosecuted, and held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to fight violent crime in communities across Tennessee.”
Evidence at trial proved that over about eight months between April 2023 and December 2023, the defendant, Mario Patterson, 45, joined a conspiracy with his co-defendants to rob banks throughout Memphis. The robbers even attempted to rob the same bank branch twice.
Patterson carried a gun in each robbery, and during one attempted robbery he shot two people with an assault rifle. In another robbery, Patterson wore a bulletproof vest and pointed a rifle at bank employees while a co-defendant stole thousands of dollars from the bank. By the end of 2023, Patterson and his group stole over $160,000 from Memphis-area banks.
Patterson’s sentencing is scheduled for April 24. Three of Patterson’s co-defendants ─ Robert Haley, Devin Hinds, and Joshua Cribbs ─ were sentenced in late 2025 for their role in the offenses, with Haley receiving 17 years in prison, Hinds receiving 16 years and 1 month in prison, and Cribbs receiving 12 years in prison. The four additional co-defendants, Travis Drain, Monterrio Trenell, Marquarius Trenell, and Courtney Trenell, face sentencing later this year.
The FBI and the Memphis Police Department’s Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case. This case is part of the Safe Streets Task Force’s efforts to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas.
Trial Attorney Ashleigh Atasoy of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, with assistance from Trial Attorney Aaron Hendricks, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory A. Wagner and Tony Arvin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
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Tennessee Man Convicted for Three Bank Robberies and One Attempted Bank Robbery Ending in a ShootoutRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Memphis, Tennessee, convicted a man on Friday for a series of brazen bank robberies, one of which ended with the defendant shooting two people with an assault rifle. At trial, the defendant was convicted of robbing three banks and joining a conspiracy that robbed a total of five bank branches. This is the last of eight defendants indicted in this case, which charged robberies and related firearm charges. All defendants have now been convicted either by guilty plea or at trial.
“This defendant was part of a violent robbery crew whose actions put lives in grave danger and seriously injured innocent people,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The series of bank robberies committed by these eight defendants terrorized bank employees and customers and threatened the lives of hardworking Americans. The Criminal Division will aggressively prosecute those who commit violence, just as it has here.”
“Bank robbery committed with a firearm is an inherently violent offense and threatens the very fabric of our financial institutions that provide commercial services to citizens and the community,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “These brazen and disturbing armed robberies of multiple Memphis banks by Patterson and his co-conspirators terrorized the community and inflicted fear and harm on multiple victims. Now they will have plenty of time in federal prison to suffer the consequences of their violent criminal conduct, and the citizens of Memphis will be safer for it.”
“Friday’s conviction should send a strong message that violent crime will not be tolerated, and law enforcement will not rest until violent offenders are caught, prosecuted, and held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to fight violent crime in communities across Tennessee.”
Evidence at trial proved that over about eight months between April 2023 and December 2023, the defendant, Mario Patterson, 45, joined a conspiracy with his co-defendants to rob banks throughout Memphis. The robbers even attempted to rob the same bank branch twice.
Patterson carried a gun in each robbery, and during one attempted robbery he shot two people with an assault rifle. In another robbery, Patterson wore a bulletproof vest and pointed a rifle at bank employees while a co-defendant stole thousands of dollars from the bank. By the end of 2023, Patterson and his group stole over $160,000 from Memphis-area banks.
Patterson’s sentencing is scheduled for April 24. Three of Patterson’s co-defendants ─ Robert Haley, Devin Hinds, and Joshua Cribbs ─ were sentenced in late 2025 for their role in the offenses, with Haley receiving 17 years in prison, Hinds receiving 16 years and 1 month in prison, and Cribbs receiving 12 years in prison. The four additional co-defendants, Travis Drain, Monterrio Trenell, Marquarius Trenell, and Courtney Trenell, face sentencing later this year.
The FBI and the Memphis Police Department’s Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case. This case is part of the Safe Streets Task Force’s efforts to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas.
Trial Attorney Ashleigh Atasoy of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, with assistance from Trial Attorney Aaron Hendricks, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory A. Wagner and Tony Arvin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
Tallahassee Fugitive Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Possession of Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Justin Grantsteadman, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The U.S. Marshals are second-to-none in tracking down fugitives and bringing them to justice. My office stands ready to back up their hard work to get dangerous felons off our streets with successful prosecutions and lengthy prison sentences to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
Court documents reflect that the United States Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force located the defendant at a motel in Midway, Florida, due to an active warrant for absconding from state felony probation. Law enforcement arrested the defendant and found a Taurus 9-millimeter pistol in his front pocket, which had been reported stolen several days before in Tallahassee.
“Grantsteadman was an armed and dangerous fugitive who thought he could outrun the law. Our community is now safer with him behind bars,” remarked Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal.
Upon his release from prison, Grantsteadman will be on three years of supervised release.
The case involved an investigation by the United States Marshals Service, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
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, human and drug trafficking.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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.
Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Arif Karicic, age 36, of Syracuse, New York, pled guilty on January 16, 2026, to distribution and possession of child pornography. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.
As part of his plea, Karicic admitted that between November 2024 and February 2025, he sent child pornography files to other people through smartphone social networking applications. The FBI’s investigation also revealed that on February 12, 2025, Karicic possessed child pornography on two electronic devices at his Syracuse residence.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “The evidence of this defendant’s illegal activity reveals a disturbing sexual interest in young children. In addition to the serious harm child pornography offenses do to the original victims portrayed in the files, there is a real risk such offenders turn to hands-on abuse of their own. Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, this defendant’s deviancy has been identified and he will be held accountable for his despicable actions.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Karicic’s offenses are heinous and the impact on his innocent victims is immeasurable. This plea ensures he will spend a substantial amount of time in federal prison where he can no longer exploit our children. FBI Albany’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force will continue to leverage our federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships to aggressively investigate and bring to justice these sick predators terrorizing our most vulnerable.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2026, before United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi. Karicic faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in federal prison on the distribution charges, a maximum term of 20 years in federal prison for each of the charged offenses, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. Karicic will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Thomian Man Arrested for COVID-19 Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loan FraudRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that on January 15, 2026, David J. McDonald, 31, appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III on criminal charges related to bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and false statements.
According to court documents, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in or around March 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
Investigation revealed that from 2020 through 2021, McDonald fraudulently obtained PPP loan disbursements of amounts in excess of $400,000. McDonald submitted false documents and statements in support of Small Business Administration (SBA) loan applications to various banks. These certifications alleged that McDonald owned the businesses Ocean Breeze, LLC and DEMS Holdings, LLC, and that the funds would be used to pay employees of the businesses. The investigation revealed that the businesses had no employes and PPP funds were being used for personal expenses and wire transfers to other accounts and individuals unrelated to the business. The investigation also revealed that McDonald applied for and obtained PPP loan forgiveness from the SBA. Over a period of approximately 5 years, McDonald expended all PPP loan funds.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Baker of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 170 Months in Prison on Drug, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon caught twice with drugs to 170 months in prison.
Quentin Simms, 54, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in September to five counts: possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in connection with drug trafficking crimes and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He admitted that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives conducting a court-approved search of a home in the 4000 block of Labadie Avenue on May 31, 2024, spotted Simms nearby, trying to hide in a red Dodge Ram. Officers saw a large baggie of capsules containing fentanyl, $3,668 in cash and a loaded Ruger 5.7 model 5.7x28mm caliber semi-automatic pistol in the truck. They found a bag containing heroin, cocaine and cocaine base and a stolen Smith & Wesson 10mm pistol in a subsequent search. After Simms was indicted on drug and gun charges, Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him on Oct. 9, 2024, and found about $1,000 in cash and a baggie that contained 27.95 grams of cocaine base, Simms’ plea says.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
Shawano Man Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 20, 2026, Brandon M. Boogren (Age: 29) of Shawano, Wisconsin, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William C. Griesbach to 180 months’ incarceration in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of Production of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).
According to court documents, in June of 2025, the FBI office in Green Bay was contacted by the FBI office in Houston alerting them that a search of a Texas suspect’s phone revealed videos of child pornography created and transferred by an individual in the Shawano, Wisconsin, area. The videos depicted a two-and-a-half-year-old child being sexually assaulted by Boogren at the request of an “online model” in Houston. The “online model” was, in fact, a man posing as a woman to “catfish” the defendant.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach described the defendant’s crime as “horrendous” and “extremely serious.” He further stated that Boogren’s criminal acts called for strong punishment. After his 15-year prison sentence, the defendant will serve 5 years on supervised release. He will further be required to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
This case was investigated by the Houston and Green Bay offices of the FBI with the assistance of the Shawano Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.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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Serial Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Tuscaloosa County man has been sentenced on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona.
United States District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Jalan Christopher Lewis, 31, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to 35 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Lewis was also ordered to pay a $5,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act. In October 2025, Lewis pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, transferring obscene materials to minors, production of child pornography, and receipt and distribution of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, in July 2024, an undercover (UC) law enforcement officer used a social media application to pose as a 15-year-old female in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Lewis messaged the UC, and after learning her age, proposed engaging in sexual activity. Lewis continued messaging the UC and attempted to meet her for sexual activity. Upon arrival at the proposed meeting location in August 2024, Lewis was arrested. He had a condom in his sock.
Later, in December 2024, law enforcement discovered that Lewis had engaged in sex acts with a 14-year-old victim after he was released on bond following his August 2024 arrest. Lewis also met this minor victim on a social media application. Records from the social media application revealed that Lewis had produced child pornography depicting the 14-year-old and sent the produced material to the child. Lewis also received child pornography from the 14-year-old. Lewis was arrested for these additional offenses following a search warrant executed at his home in January 2025.
This case was part of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort by FBI field offices across the country, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorneys’ Offices around the country to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators, and in connection with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
If you suspect or become aware of the possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
The FBI Birmingham Field Office investigated the case along with the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
School Superintendents Plead Guilty to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – Earl Joe Nelson of Biloxi, Mississippi and Monekea Smith-Taylor of St. Louis, Missouri appeared in Federal Court before District Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen today and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit embezzlement. On a previous court date, in October 2025, Mario Willis of Southaven, Mississippi also pled guilty to the same conspiracy.
According to court documents, from July 2019 to May 2022, Nelson was the superintendent of Clarksdale Municipal School District. In October 2022, Nelson became the superintendent of Leake County School District. Mario Willis was the superintendent of Hollandale School District. Monekea Smith-Taylor was a schoolteacher in the St. Louis, Missouri area.
Nelson and Willis used their position as school superintendents to enter into reciprocal consulting contracts and generate reciprocal payments for consulting services at an inflated rate of payment and for consulting services that were not actually provided. From November 2021 to June 2023, at the direction of Mario Willis as superintendent, the Hollandale School District paid a total of approximately $94,400 to Ira Reed Consulting, Inc. and N17 Group, LLC for the personal benefit of Nelson.
From November 2021 to May 2022, at the direction of Nelson as superintendent, the Clarksdale Municipal School District paid a total of approximately $25,400 to K&S Enterprises, LLC and ALM Brothers, LLC for the personal benefit of Mario Willis. From January 2023 to May 2023, at the direction of Nelson as superintendent, the Leake County School District paid a total of approximately $23,500 to K&S Enterprises, LLC for the personal benefit of Mario Willis.
Many of the invoices used to justify these payments were identical with only the names changed. Nelson often used the same invoices generated by Willis, changed the names and sent them back to the Hollandale School District for payment to Nelson.
In addition to the conspiracy with Nelson, Willis used his position as school superintendent to generate payments to Erudition Consulting Company, a company owned and controlled by Monekea Smith-Taylor, for consulting services at an inflated rate of payment and for consulting services that were not actually provided. After receiving payment, Smith-Taylor would meet Nelson in person and provide him with a cash payment, often exactly half of what she had been paid by the Hollandale School District. From June 2021 to May 2023, at the direction of Mario Willis as superintendent, the Hollandale School District paid approximately $250,902 to Erudition Consulting Company, LLC.
Nelson, Willis and Smith-Taylor face a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. District Judge Sharion Aycock will determine their sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“The protection and education of children goes to the very heart of who we are as a people,” said U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary. “Those that violate this sacred trust will face the consequences of their actions. Always remember those law enforcement officers who spend their careers protecting the public and especially the children of this great state.”
“Today’s action shows that these former school leaders not only knowingly and willfully abused their positions of trust for personal gain but did so at the expense of the educational development of children. That is unacceptable," said Adam Shanedling, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office. “Deservedly, they will both be held accountable for cheating Mississippi students and taxpayers."
“Thank you to the US Attorney’s Office for helping us bring this case to a close,” said State Auditor Shad White. “My office will continue to work with prosecutors to deliver record results for taxpayers.”
The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs is prosecuting the case.
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Sarasota Man Convicted of Producing, Distributing, Receiving, and Accessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Sean Anthony Christie (43, Sarasota) guilty of production, distribution, and receipt of child sex abuse material and access with intent to view child sex abuse material. Christie faces a maximum penalty of 80 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Christie used a social media application to solicit, receive, and distribute child sexual abuse material depicting minors under 12 years of age. Christie also used another social media application to meet minor girls, including a 12-year-old victim whom he used to produce child sex abuse material.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
It is another 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.justice.gov/psc.
Sarasota Doctor Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Production of Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Pete Supan (36, Bradenton) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to 15 years in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and production of child sex abuse material. Supan pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Supan used an app to coerce and entice an individual under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity. Supan misrepresented his age as 19 years old and persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. Supan admitted to communicating with the victim who he knew was a minor.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Registered Sex Offender’s U.S. Citizenship Revoked After Fraudulent NaturalizationRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Peruvian-born registered sex offender has had his U.S. citizenship revoked and his Certificate of Naturalization canceled after he obtained citizenship by fraud.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith entered the order against Renzo William Alegre, 25, of Fort Lauderdale, and also sentenced him to 150 days of home detention and one year of probation after he pleaded guilty to unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization.
“United States citizenship is a privilege, not a shield for deception,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant lied to obtain citizenship while actively engaging in crimes that exploit children. When citizenship is procured by fraud, the law requires that it be revoked. Our Office will act decisively to protect children and to preserve the integrity of our immigration and naturalization system.”
According to court records, on March 16, 2019, Alegre applied for U.S. citizenship. The application asked: “Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?” Alegre answered “no.” On Oct. 23, 2019, Alegre appeared for an immigration interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where he again stated that he had never committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. On Oct. 31, 2019, Alegre was granted U.S. citizenship.
In September 2020, Alegre was arrested on child pornography charges. He was later convicted of possessing at least 600 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised released. In his factual proffer, Alegre admitted that he had been using a computer to receive and download CSAM for approximately one year prior to his arrest—a period that predated his naturalization.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.
HSI Fort Lauderdale investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Latoya C. Brown prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-60161.
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Registered Sex Offender Indicted for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Dawaun Shunard Jackson, 40, of Tallahassee, has been indicted in federal court on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of penalties for registered sex offenders. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Jackson appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin J. Fitzpatrick on January 13, 2026, in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for March 16, 2026, before District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted of attempted enticement of a minor, Jackson faces between 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment. If convicted of penalties for registered sex offenders, Jackson faces an additional 10 years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case 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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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.
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.
Providence Resident Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man has been sentenced in federal court for trafficking thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and more than 400 grams of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.
Carlos Molina, 35, was sentenced on January 15, 2026, by Chief U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 15 years in federal prison. Molina pleaded guilty in August 2025 to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
“Trafficking counterfeit pills containing fentanyl puts lives at risk and fuels a public health crisis affecting communities across the country,” said United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “The 15-year sentence imposed in this case holds the defendant accountable for conduct that endangered others and underscores the serious consequences of distributing drugs that pose a lethal threat to our communities.”
According to court documents, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Molina’s residence in November 2022, where investigators seized 1,503 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills weighing a total of 170.6 grams, and a mixture of powder containing fentanyl weighing 411.75 grams.
The investigation further revealed that, while under surveillance by DEA agents and members of the DEA Drug Task Force, Molina made multiple sales of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills to another individual. A total of 2,416 pills were seized immediately following the transactions.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force.
Pensacola Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Kill a Pensacola Police DetectiveRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Tamal W. Jenkins, 19, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court for interstate threatening communication with intent to extort. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office has zero tolerance for acts of violence and threats directed toward law enforcement. We will continue to back up the brave men and women who keep our streets safe with aggressive prosecutions against anyone who dares to threaten their safety.”
Court documents reveal that in July 2025 the Pensacola Police Department arrested suspects in a homicide investigation. Within days of the arrest, one of the Pensacola Police Detectives involved in the investigation received an electronic message making threats against her life for taking a suspect into custody. Law enforcement traced the threatening messages back to a device belonging to Jenkins.
Jenkins faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment upon sentencing, which is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Pensacola Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
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, human and drug trafficking.
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.
Nurse Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 13, 2026, Troy Schaden (age: 43), a nurse from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Brett H. Ludwig.
According to court records, Schaden was purchasing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from an individual in the United Kingdom. After reviewing electronic devices seized during the execution of a search warrant at Schaden’s home, law enforcement discovered that Schaden also distributed images of CSAM to users on an application called Teleguard between February 2025 and March 2025. Some of those images depicted the abuse of infants and toddlers.
At his sentencing hearing, Judge Ludwig described Schaden’s offense as very serious and one that perpetuated the abuse of children. Upon completion of his federal prison sentence, the defendant will spend five years on supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan J. Thomas.
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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North Reading Man Indicted for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A North Reading man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Ralph Hannan III, 68, a Level 2 sex offender, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography.
According to the charging documents the defendant allegedly possessed child pornography involving a minor under the age of 12.The charge of possession of child pornography provides for at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.North Little Rock Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Troy Moseley, III will spend 27 years in federal prison for his production of child pornography. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On November 8, 2023, Moseley, 26, of North Little Rock, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. On July 22, 2025, Moseley pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Moseley to 10 years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on May 31, 2023, Special Agents with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office obtained a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children filed by Snapchat on January 28, 2023. The cybertip included information that two videos were uploaded to Snapchat on January 28 and 29, 2023. The videos depicted an adult male engaging in sexual acts with a minor female.
After further investigation, the Special Agents identified Moseley as the individual who uploaded the videos to the social media platform. On September 27, 2023, Special Agents then obtained a search warrant for the residence where Moseley resided. During a search, it was learned that the password to the Wi-Fi at the residence was only available to those who lived in the residence. Officers went to Moseley’s place of employment where he fled out the back door and into the woods. Officers located Moseley later in the day and took him into custody. When he was arrested, Moseley had in his possession a backpack that contained three electronic devices, suspected marijuana, a can of beer, and women’s thongs and panties.
On September 28, 2023, Special Agents obtained a search warrant for the devices found in Moseley’s possession. During the execution of the search warrant on September 29, 2023, Special Agents discovered on one device over 100 images and videos containing child pornography and pictures of women taken in public places. One of the videos depicted Moseley following a woman in a department store, who was not aware of Moseley following her, and in the video, he is observed masturbating. Another video discovered on the device showed a tablet that was resting on a table that showed a photograph of a 3 or 4-year-old girl with Moseley recording himself masturbating while focused on the minor victim’s photograph. Another video discovered by Special Agents, which formed the basis for the production of child pornography count, depicted Moseley with his pants pulled down to his knees and masturbating while next to a sleeping 2-year-old girl who was strapped in a car seat. In this video, Moseley showed his face and is observed placing his penis closely to the minor victim’s face and near her mouth.
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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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. Parents are encouraged to always monitor your children’s online activity.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office and the North Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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New Jersey Woman Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 Bank Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kisha Sutton, 45, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was sentenced on January 15, 2026, to two years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $184,014.04 in restitution for aiding and abetting bank fraud and aiding and abetting money laundering.
After a two-day trial, a federal jury found Sutton guilty of both counts on July 15, 2025. Evidence at trial proved that Sutton and co-defendant Shamiese Wright aided and abetted one another to obtain a fraudulent $15,625 Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan on behalf of Wright, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Sutton received $3,000 in fraudulent PPP loan proceeds from Wright as part of their scheme.
On April 19, 2021, Sutton submitted the PPP loan application on Wright’s behalf, listing Wright as a self-employed individual who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, reflecting that Wright had earned $75,000 in 2020. Evidence at trial showed that Wright was not self-employed, had never earned $75,000 in any year, had received unemployment benefits in 2020, and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with Wright’s application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan.
A PPP lender in Florida approved Wright’s loan application, and $15,625 in fraudulent loan proceeds were electronically deposited in Wright’s personal bank account in Charleston on or about May 7, 2021. Wright transferred the $3,000 to Sutton from the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds using a digital wallet application between May 7 and May 21, 2021. Wright staggered her payments to Sutton and provided misleading transfer descriptions for them to conceal and disguise the nature and the source of the money.
The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.
Sutton and Wright and are among several individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging Sutton led a conspiracy to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. Wright, 32, of Charleston, and three other defendants pleaded guilty in the case and were ordered to pay a total of $65,611.73 in restitution.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson prosecuted the case.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-192.
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Muskogee County Resident Sentenced for Stealing Firearms from A Federally Licensed DealerRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jorden James Thierry, age 22, of Boynton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for one count of Stealing a Firearm from a Federal Licensed Dealer.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Checotah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On June 9, 2025, Thierry pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, in the early hours of April 17, 2025, Thierry broke into the Checotah storefront of a federally licensed firearms dealer and stole two 9mm semi-automatic handguns, leaving behind a trail of blood. When agents detained Thierry, they observed a deep cut on Thierry’s right hand and recovered one of the stolen firearms from Thierry’s backpack; the second firearm was later recovered from a residence in Checotah.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Thierry will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Missouri Man Admits Being Caught Again with Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Butler County, Missouri faces at least 10 years in prison after being caught with child sexual abuse material at a halfway house.
Leslie Bryan Clark, 59, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted being caught with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on June 13, 2025, the day he was to be released from a halfway house in Butler County. A Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had alerted investigators that Clark had uploaded CSAM via the Kik app. When confronted by a probation officer, Clark handed over his phone, which contained video clips of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
In 2017, Clark pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release.
Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20. The charge carries a penalty of at least 10 years in prison, due to his prior conviction, with a maximum of 20 years. Clark also admitted violating his supervised release in the prior case and faces sentencing for that.
The U.S. Probation Office of the Eastern District of Missouri and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Milwaukee Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding in Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig accepted the guilty plea of Cameron Summers to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(2).
According to the information and plea agreement, Summers worked at a tax preparation business in Milwaukee beginning in 2018. From 2020 through 2022, he filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over 400 individual income tax returns (Forms 1040) for clients, using his name, preparer tax identification number, and business name. Summers repeatedly used false items on clients’ tax returns to inflate refund amounts, including false business expenses, Sick and Family Leave Credits, Fuel Credits, and Educational Tax Credits. Summers made notations stating that he had “boosted” the refund amount on some returns, and told the IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, in an interview that he did everything he could to get a big refund, such as using whatever numbers were available and maximizing credits on the returns. The loss to the IRS totaled over $1.1 million.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., before Judge Ludwig. At sentencing, Summers faces up to three years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on each count, as well as a term of supervised release after completing any period of imprisonment.
The IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Scully is prosecuting.
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For further information contact:
Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Mexican National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Kansas City, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court today for Illegal Re-entry by an Alien.
Gilberto Javana-Zuniga, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven Bough to one year and one day imprisonment in federal prison without parole followed by one year of supervised release.
On July 8, 2025, North Kansas City Police Department officers saw the defendant rummaging through trash bins in a business area. Upon contacting the defendant, Officers determined he was driving a van which had been reported stolen. Javana-Zuniga gave officers a false name. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents identified Javana-Zuniga was illegally in the United States after having been removed three times before – once in 2011 and twice in 2013.
Javana-Zuniga had been convicted of misdemeanor battery in 2011 and had six pending cases for theft, driving under the influence, driving without a license, and displaying license plates of another.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Mahoney. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Meridian Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Drug Manufacturing and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Meridian, Mississippi man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for drug manufacturing and drug trafficking.
According to court documents, law enforcement recovered over 87 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 pounds of fentanyl, and 35 pounds of cocaine, 2 different pill press machines, 13 firearms, and 1 suppressor from a residence occupied by Jabreon Deshon Mosley, 35. From at least October of 2023 until January of 2024, Mosley was utilizing an illegal automatic pill press machine to manufacture thousands of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. These counterfeit pills were then distributed to the streets of Meridian, Mississippi and parts of Alabama.
U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi; DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw; and Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Jackson and Birmingham District Offices, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam T. Stuart and Kabah S. Ealy prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama also provided assistance during the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Maryland Cousins Indicted on Tax Return and Cares Act Unemployment Insurance Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed a superseding indictment today, charging three cousins in connection with a tax-fraud scheme.
Daiwor “Mark Brown” Woah-Tee, 52, of Belcamp, Maryland; Dekwii Woah-Tee, 47, of Baltimore, Maryland; and Laiworpaye Woah-Tee, 49, of Nottingham, Maryland, are charged with conspiracy to submit false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims. The superseding indictment also charged Daiwor Woah-Tee and Dekwii Woah-Tee with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft stemming from a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); and Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG).
Beginning in January 2018, and continuing until December 2024, Daiwor Woah-Tee, Dekwii Woah-Tee, and Laiworpaye Woah-Tee knowingly and willfully conspired to defraud the United States and the Department of the Treasury by filing fraudulent Form 1040s seeking tax refunds from the IRS through fictitious claims based on fraudulent material representations. The co-conspirators identified and recruited individuals willing to become customers of their tax return business and obtained tax documentation and personal identifiable information from those individuals seeking tax return preparation assistance.
Daiwor Woah-Tee used the information obtained from individuals to prepare tax filings with the IRS. Then the co-conspirators filed or caused the filing of false tax returns, which contained fabricated information regarding the taxpayer’s dependents, income, education expenses, and eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The co-conspirators caused the IRS to deposit funds into bank accounts that they controlled and then caused the IRS to deliver treasury checks to addresses they controlled. As a result, the co-conspirators obtained tax refunds they were not entitled to in connection with submitting tax returns in which they illegally sought at least $3.5 million in refunds.
Dekwii Woah-Tee and Daiwor Woah-Tee were also charged with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft arising out of their scheme to unlawfully obtain UI benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The co-conspirators submitted UI applications to the Maryland Department of Labor on behalf of victims, often without the victim’s knowledge, falsely stating that the applicant was entitled to UI benefits. As a result, the co-conspirators caused the Maryland Department of Labor to deposit UI benefits into bank accounts that they controlled, allowing them to withdraw the funds for their own personal use. The co-conspirators sought UI benefits in excess of $550,000.
Charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, and DHS-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D’Amico and Matthew Phelps who are prosecuting this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Manufacturing Company Settles Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud Allegations for $2.9 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, NJ – A Delaware corporation with a place of business in Fairfield, New Jersey entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by applying for and receiving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which the company was not eligible, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
According to the contentions of the United States in the settlement agreement:
Protech Powder Coatings, Inc. (“Protech Powder”) is a Delaware corporation with a place of business in Fairfield, New Jersey. Protech Powder is a subsidiary of the Protech Group, a Canadian company that manufactures and distributes paints, powder coatings, and specialty materials. During the period of March 12, 2021 to January 14, 2022, Protech Powder applied for and received PPP loan and loan forgiveness totaling $2,016,888 (including interest).
The United States contends that Protech Powder falsely certified eligibility to receive this second-draw PPP loan and loan forgiveness totaling $2,016,888 (including interest). The United States contends that Protech Powder knowingly made false statements, or caused false statements to be made, when it certified in its PPP loan application that it was eligible for a loan. At the time of its loan application, the United States contends that Protech Powder was not eligible to participate in the PPP because, inclusive of affiliates’ employees, Protech Powder exceeded applicable size standards. In addition, because of Protech Powder’s false statements on its loan application, the United States paid $60,000 in lender processing fees associated with the second-draw loan for which Protech Powder was ineligible.
In accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement, Protech Powder paid the United States $2,907,643. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. In this matter, the relator is receiving $290,764 as the share in the recovery.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and revenue size limits. In their loan applications, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited the SBA’s Office of General Counsel for their assistance in this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan J. Pappy of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark represents the government.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The qui tam case is captioned US ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v Protech Powder Coatings, Inc., 24-cv-08805 (D.N.J.).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
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Counsel for Protech Powder Coatings, Inc.: Mark A. Rush, K&L Gates LLP
Relator’s counsel: David Abrams, Esq.
protech.agreement.pdfMan arrested with weapons near airport now faces federal chargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man arrested on Jan. 9 who allegedly had multiple loaded guns near the John Glenn Columbus International Airport has now been charged with a federal firearms crime as well.
William T. Griffith III, 40, of Delaware, Ohio, is charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally possessing ammunition as a convicted felon.
According to charging documents, on Jan. 9, local law enforcement responded to a 911 call at approximately 4am regarding Griffith trespassing in a construction area at the airport. Law enforcement officers located four firearms, including an AK-style rifle, shortened shotgun and two handguns, as well as several rounds of ammunition.
At the time of Griffith’s arrest, he was dressed in military-style fatigue trousers. Body armor with ceramic plates and a ballistic helmet with night vision were also located nearby.
In 2011, Griffith was convicted of kidnapping. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Griffith appeared in federal court in Columbus today and his case was unsealed at that time.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Luxury home builders and owners to pay $2.65 million to resolve loan fraud allegationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Four companies and their three owners have agreed to pay millions to resolve allegations they allegedly submitted false claims for federally funded loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Carnegie Homes & Construction LLC and Signature Collection Inc. (also operating as Fifty Seventh & 7TH Luxury Homes) design and build high-end residential luxury homes. Ram Gupta and Arpan Gupta own Carnegie and Signature, respectively. The Everstone Group provides consulting and construction services. Sapna Patel is the director and sole member of Everstone and also owns The Mosaic Group LLC.
The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act following a whistleblower lawsuit a Houston-area realtor filed in October 2021.
According to the allegations, the Guptas and Patel applied for and received PPP loans by falsely reporting payroll costs, misrepresenting the number of employees they employed and falsifying the purpose of the loans. This resulted in the submission of alleged ineligible and improper claims for payment to the United States. In addition, they allegedly submitted false information to justify loan forgiveness.
“Those who misuse federal programs to falsely obtain public funds are stealing from the American people,” said Ganjei. “This settlement reflects our commitment to recovering ill-gotten gains and vindicating the interests of the taxpayer.”
“The Small Business Administration’s pandemic relief programs were created to help legitimate small businesses keep employees on the payroll during an unprecedented crisis, not to be exploited through false claims,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Michelle Blank of SBA-Office of Inspector General. “This $2.65 million settlement underscores that misuse of PPP funds will be pursued, and SBA-OIG will continue working with the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and safeguard the integrity of SBA programs.”
Under the False Claims Act, a private party (relator) can file a complaint on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.
SBA-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill O. Venezia handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Lockport man going to prison for more than 10 years on fentanyl charge involving death of a toddlerRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Javonte Holloway, 24, of Lockport, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and to distribute, acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 128 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that Holloway sold large quantities of heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl in the Lockport area. Typically, Holloway sold these substances in the form of counterfeit hydrocodone pills known as “percs” or “M-30s.” Between July and December 2022, Holloway regularly sold counterfeit pills to a Lockport couple, who had a small child. In the early morning hours of December 2, 2022, Lockport Police responded to an apartment, where they found the couple’s young child unresponsive. The child was taken to Eastern Niagara Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement seized several straws with residue and four blue pills with markings “M” and “30,” from a bedroom where the small child was found unresponsive. Testing determined that the straws and pills contained fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl. On February 1, 2023, law enforcement seized 27 round blue pills marked “M-30,” from Holloway’s residence, which were tested and confirmed to contain fentanyl.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino, III, New York Field Division, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti, and the Lockport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Steven Abbott.
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Kentucky man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug and gun crimes in Massac CountyRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – A southern Illinois district judge sentenced a Kentucky man to 15 years in federal prison for possessing more than 150 grams of meth and a firearm as a felon.
James W. Towery, 45, of Salem, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute meth and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
“Armed drug dealers belong in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Southern Illinois communities are safer with this defendant locked up.”
According to court documents, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Towery’s vehicle on March 11, 2024, in Massac County. He was found in possession of 150.4 grams of actual meth and a .38 caliber handgun.
Towery had multiple prior felony convictions and therefore unable to legally possess a firearm.
The Illinois State Police, Kentucky State Police, DEA, HSI, ATF and local law enforcement contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sanders prosecuted the case.
Kansas Resident Who Assaulted Flight Attendant is SentencedRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIUS JORDAN PRIESTER, 25, of Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine for assaulting a crew member on a flight from Bradley International Airport last year.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 27, 2025, Priester was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 3359 that departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, at approximately 9:30 p.m. bound for Chicago. Thirty minutes to an hour into the flight, Priester stood up, began to take off his shirt, then ran to the back of the plane yelling “Help me.” He then grabbed a flight attendant (“the victim”), who was seated, shouted “you’re coming with me,” and forcefully brought the victim to the ground. Priester then attempted to drag the victim up the aisle. With the assistance of another flight attendant, Priester was returned to his seat where he continued to act erratically and made incoherent statements. The captain declared an emergency and the flight was diverted back to Bradley Airport. After the plane landed safely at Bradley, Priester was removed by Connecticut State Police and taken by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation.
Priester was detained in federal custody until July 8, 2025, when he was released on bond. On October 1, 2025, he pleaded guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendants.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Lembo and Neeraj Patel.
Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Firearms without a LicenseRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty to willfully dealing firearms without a license.
Delron Montrez Pickens, 29, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of engaging in the business of firearms sales despite not having a federal firearms license. According to the plea agreement, Pickens admitted that he purchased or attempted to purchase 23 firearms from federal firearms licensees to obtain firearms that he would later sell to other persons for profit. Pickens admitted that he made false statements on the required ATF Form 4473 documents that he was required to complete at the time he purchased the firearms. On these forms, Pickens intentionally provided an incorrect address for his residence and falsely claimed he was purchasing the firearm for himself. In his plea agreement, Pickens admitted that he was purchasing the firearms for third parties. Pickens acknowledged that on several occasions he was serving as a “straw purchaser” of firearms – Pickens was buying the firearms for persons whom he knew were legally prohibited from possessing them. Pickens engaged in this business for profit despite not having a valid federal license to sell firearms.
Under federal statutes, Pickens is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Jury Convicts Florida Fuel Supplier of 34 Felonies at Trial in Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud U.S. Department of War and Other Federal AgenciesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal jury in West Palm Beach found Jasen Butler, 37, of Jupiter, guilty of 34 felonies, including wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of War and other federal agencies out of over $4.5 million. After the verdict, U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks immediately remanded Butler into custody at the United States’ request.
As charged in the indictment, Butler submitted altered and fake invoices to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships through the SEA Card Program, which allows U.S. vessels to purchase critical fuel to conduct military operations around the world.
According to the evidence at trial, Butler, the owner of Independent Marine Oil Services LLC, submitted dozens of falsified documents such as wire transfer memos and invoices to multiple U.S. warships, including the USS Patriot, between August 2022 and January 2024. These ships were attempting to purchase fuel in international ports such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Croatia to defend strategic American interests around the globe. Butler received over $4.5 million dollars in payments for phony expenses that Butler had not incurred.
After Butler came under scrutiny by Navy officials, he continued his scheme by concealing his identity from government officials. Butler adopted a false name and feigned employment by a fictitious fuel division of a different company. Butler used the millions in fraud proceeds to personally enrich himself and purchase multiple multi-million dollar properties in Florida and Colorado.
“This defendant brazenly defrauded the U.S. Military out of millions of dollars and put critical fuel resources at risk, all to fund his cushy and fictitious lifestyle,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will continue to uncover these schemes and bring perpetrators to justice to protect the American people and their tax dollars.”
“The defendant — a convicted felon — defrauded his own country in order to unjustly line his own pockets,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “He deprived the United States Armed Forces of the resources they need to help keep our country safe. Despite his fake identity, fake job, and fake invoices, a jury of his peers saw through it and found him guilty of 34 felonies. We salute our wonderful trial team and applaud Judge Middlebrooks’s decision to imprison the defendant for his crimes pending sentencing.”
“This defendant didn’t just commit fraud, he betrayed the trust placed in those who support our nation’s warfighters,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “By falsifying invoices and siphoning millions from a program designed to keep U.S. military vessels operational around the world, he put critical missions and taxpayer dollars at risk. Today’s verdict makes clear that schemes targeting our military supply chain will be met with swift accountability and severe consequences.”
“The Coast Guard Investigative Service is pleased with the jury’s verdict in this case, which sends a strong message that fraud against our military and the American taxpayer will not be tolerated,” said Acting Assistant Director Josh Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and prosecutors for their outstanding collaboration and dedication throughout this investigation. CGIS remains committed to protecting the integrity of federal procurement and ensuring that those who seek to exploit government resources are brought to justice.”
“The guilty verdict in this case is a direct result of our commitment to safeguarding the Department of Defense's critical supply chain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “This scheme stole millions from the American taxpayer and threatened to undermine a program essential for our global military operations. DCIS, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who seek to defraud our military and exploit systems designed to support our nation's warfighters.”
“Those who profit from illicit schemes that defraud the American people and place our warfighters and national security at risk will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “Mr. Butler exploited the integrity of the SEA Card Program — a vital logistical capability that enables the U.S. Navy to conduct rapid, global refueling operations and sustain mission readiness. NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to rooting out criminal activity that undermines public trust in the integrity of the Department of the Navy’s procurement process.”
Sentencing is set for April 8, 2026. Butler faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years for each count of forgery, and up to 10 years for each count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as a part of the Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force.
Trial Attorneys Jonathan Pomeranz, Ebonie Branch, and Haley Pennington of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, and Deputy Chief Elizabeth Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, tried the case.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-80093.
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Jury Convicts Bellair Man for COVID Loan Fraud Scheme Using Deceased Former Business Partner’s IdentityRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Stephen L. Gurba (69, Belleair) guilty of wire fraud, making a false statement to a financial institution, and aggravated identity theft. Gurba faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment on each wire fraud count (2 counts), up to 30 years in prison on the false statement charge (one count), and a 2-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment on each of the aggravated identity theft counts (2 counts). U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between March and June 2020, Gurba submitted false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications and supporting documentation on behalf of Big Red Express Trucking, LLC and Zenith Express, LLC. To obtain approval and funding for the Big Red and Zenith EIDL loans, Gurba fraudulently assumed the identity of his former business partner who passed away in 2019, listed his former business partner’s name, signature, and other means of identification on the EIDL loan applications certifying under criminal penalty that the applications were true and correct. Gurba also used his deceased business partner’s name and forged his signature on the EIDL loan authorization agreements and loan notes he submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA). During post-loan related communications with the SBA, Gurba continued to impersonate his deceased business partner. As a result of his fraudulent scheme, Gurba induced the SBA to approve and fund the Big Red and Zenith EIDL loans.
Additionally, Gurba applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan on behalf of Big Red from an SBA authorized financial institution. Gurba certified and signed under criminal penalty that all the PPP loan proceeds would be spent on payroll, mortgages, rent, or other SBA authorized expenses. In reality, Gurba used PPP proceeds at a casino, to enrich himself and family members, payoff unrelated business debts, and other impermissible expenses. As a result of Gurba’s false statement, the financial institution approved and funded a $955,448.75 PPP loan to Big Red.
This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced to Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Jefferson County man has been sentenced for drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
United States District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Tyreses Katino Bosha, 25, of Birmingham, Alabama, to 37 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to the plea agreement, in October 2023, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security Investigations were investing narcotics trafficking involving Bosha. On October 12, 2023, as part of the investigation, a confidential source (CS) met Bosha at a restaurant to purchase a half pound of methamphetamine for $1400. The CS waited several minutes in the parking lot before Bosha called the CS and instructed them to drive around to the back of the restaurant. The CS complied, and Bosha drove up next to the CS—driver door to driver door. The CS then provided the money to Bosha in exchange for the agreed amount of methamphetamine.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Kirk prosecuted the case.
Jacksonville 16-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Malcolm Jewell Williams (39, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm after he was convicted of a felony and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and for possessing cocaine. The court also ordered Williams to forfeit the firearm used in the offense. Williams was found guilty after a jury trial on July 25, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Williams was previously convicted of 16 felonies and 2 misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, each of which prohibited him from possessing firearms under federal law. On January 23, 2024, a detective from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) was posing as a drug user and encountered Williams in a gas station parking lot where Williams agreed to sell “molly” to the detective. After the sale, Williams fled from JSO officers on foot across a four-lane divided highway before being tackled in an alleyway next to a palm tree. In the base of the tree was a loaded firearm. Williams also had in his possession cocaine and a drug scale with residue.
After Williams was transported to the Duval County Jail, he broke free from his flex cuffs and fled once again through downtown Jacksonville before being apprehended by JSO a second time. Four months prior, Williams had been arrested by the Camden County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office for possessing a half pound of methamphetamine, for which he was on bond at the time he committed this offense.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Camden County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Kelli Swaney.
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.
Illegal Alien, Previously Deported Three Times, Charged in Arranging Sexual Contact with a Child and Re-Entry to U.S.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Felipe Contreras-Varillas, 31, a Mexican citizen who has been previously deported three times, was charged in a complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court with unlawful re-entry after removal from the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Contreras-Varillas was arrested Jan. 12, 2026, on a felony charge out of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia of arranging for a sexual contact with a real or fictious child by the United States Attorney’s Office Investigations Unit and the Metropolitan Police Department. When he was processed by law enforcement later that day, his fingerprints matched those on file with the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The fingerprints confirmed that Contreras-Virallas was a citizen of Mexico, had been deported on three separate occassions from the United States, and had not obtained permission to re-enter the United States from either the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Here is yet another case of an illegal immigrant, coming to the United States, after being deported three times with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, with the purpose of preying on our children,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Now, this criminal is finally being held accountable and will be enjoying his latest illegal stay in America from the confines of his prison cell.”
According to court documents, law enforcement arrested Contreras-Virallas at a hotel on the 1700 block of Euclid Street, NW, where Contreras-Varillas allegedly had intended to meet an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.
At the time of his arrest, Contreras-Viralles was in possession of both his Mexican passport and his birth certificate. He was previously removed from the United States by ICE on three separate occasions, with the most recent removal occurring at Laredo, Texas, in 2017.
This case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Investigations Unit and the MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Swanson, Josh Satter, and David Liss.
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