Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
8 January 2026
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects over $10 Million in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
Charlottesville, Va. – Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci announced today that the Western District of Virginia collected $10,621,656.97 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $9,151,869.51 was collected in criminal actions and $1,469,787.46 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Western District of Virginia worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $60,245,937.67 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $10,076.28 was collected in criminal actions and $60,235,861.39 was collected in civil actions.
“The men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia work tirelessly to ensure taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from fraud and abuse,” Acting United States Attorney Tracci said today. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the work of those involvement in the collection of criminal and civil penalties as well as the forfeiture of property obtained through criminal activity. The people of the Western District of Virginia should be proud of the work these civil servants perform on their behalf each and every day.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.
Additionally, the Western District of Virginia utilized a Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act writ to seize over $1.1 million from a criminal defendant to pay criminal restitution. These collection numbers demonstrate the district’s strategic use of all debt collection tools available under the law to ensure that criminal defendants are held responsible for repaying the victims of their crime and that civil debtors are held accountable for their debts to the government.
These collection amounts include $5 million in criminal fines from the prosecution of Envigo RMS, LLC and Envigo Global Services, Inc., a dog breeding facility that conspired to violate the Animal Welfare Act and Clean Water Act.
Separately, the Western District of Virginia forfeited $72.2 million to the United States related to its criminal and civil prosecutions. This amount includes $24,878,594.89 from Indivior, and $46,773,249.50 from McKinsey & Co.
Additionally, $200,000 was collected from the conviction of Duane Dixon, a former doctor, who concealed health care fraud and prescribed highly addictive opioid painkillers to at-risk patients at pain clinics in Central and Southwest Virginia. Forfeited funds also include tens of thousands of dollars seized from individuals who acted as money mules for foreign criminals employing various fraud schemes against victims in the United States.
The Western District of Virginia strategically used both civil and criminal judicial forfeiture to help victims and hold criminals accountable. As a result, significant portions of the funds forfeited to the United States in FY25 were returned to victims of crime.
Tribal Police Officer Charged with Sexually Abusing Three Victims While on Duty: FBI Seeks Additional VictimsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A White Mountain Apache Tribal Police officer was arrested Wednesday in Canyon Day on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, after being charged in a federal indictment with sexual abuse and kidnapping.
Karl Eugene Leslie, 42, of Whiteriver, Arizona, is charged in a 15-count indictment, returned Dec. 23, 2025, with Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping (including one count of Kidnapping-Victim Under 18), Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law.
Leslie was an active law enforcement officer with the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation from April 2007 through June 2024. The indictment alleges that while working as an on-duty law enforcement officer, Leslie sexually abused three victims on dates ranging from Dec. 1, 2020, through Sept. 25, 2023. The indictment alleges that Leslie forcibly raped and kidnapped two of the three victims, one of whom was a minor, and that Leslie twice engaged in sexual acts with a third victim by threatening her and placing her in fear. Each victim is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office believes there could be additional victims and is asking anyone with information and/or any potential victims to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit the information via this seeking victim page: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victim-information-in-karl-leslie-investigation.
A conviction for Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law all carry a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Kidnapping-Victim Under 18 carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.
The FBI Phoenix Pinetop-Lakeside office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dimitra H. Sampson (Flagstaff) and Lindsay L. Short (Phoenix), District of Arizona, are handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: CR-2025-08232-PCT-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-003_Leslie
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Tracy Man Sentenced to over 7 Years in Prison for his Role in Murder-for-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 52, of Tracy, was sentenced today to seven and a half years in prison for conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Sandhu conspired with Jagninder Singh Boparai, 49, of Manteca; and Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 47, of Dublin, to murder a victim identified as Victim 2. In February 2023, Boparai met with a person he believed to be a hitman at a Starbucks in Manteca. Unbeknownst to Boparai and his co-defendants, throughout their interactions, the hitman was in fact a confidential informant working for the FBI. Boparai told the supposed hitman that the first job involved the assault of another man with whom the defendants were feuding. Once the hitman proved his trustworthiness, he would be given another job.
The following day, Boparai met the confidential informant again and offered to pay $6,000 for the assault. In March 2023, in the presence of Birla and another individual, Boparai met with the confidential informant, and Boparai gave the confidential informant $1,000 as a down payment for the assault. After more time had passed, the confidential informant showed Boparai a staged photo of the supposed assault victim lying on the ground covered in bruises, dirt, and blood to show the assault had occurred. Boparai said he liked the photo and told the confidential informant that he had two other “jobs,” one of which involved robbing a business, and the other involved making a person “disappear.”
Then, in March 2023, Boparai met with the confidential informant to pay the confidential informant $10,000 as a down payment for the murder for hire job. Sandhu provided the second victim’s address, and Boparai instructed the confidential informant that the victim must disappear without any evidence remaining. On March 24, 2023, Sandhu and Birla met with the confidential informant in a parking lot in Manteca. Sandhu and Birla claimed that Boparai was out of town, but Boparai was observed remaining in a car in the same parking lot. Sandhu and Birla instructed the confidential informant to kill the victim and take his remains to Mexico in a suitcase. All three defendants were arrested on March 31, 2023, and are currently in federal custody.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Highway Patrol, the Ceres Police Department, the Dublin Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lathrop Police Department, the Modesto Police Department, the San Joaquin County Probation Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the Tracy Police Department, the Turlock Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian T. Kinsella and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
Sandhu pleaded guilty on July 31, 2025. Boparai pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 23, 2025. On August 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta sentenced him to nine years in prison.
Birla is scheduled for a further status conference on February 12, 2026. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges against Birla are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Three Men Charged in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Mail Collection Boxes and Postal VehiclesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three men were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud connected to theft of mail from collection boxes and postal vehicles across Northern New Jersey, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced today.
Jeffrey Bennett, a/k/a “Bizz,” a/k/a “Riley Smith,” 31, of Irvington and Rahway, New Jersey, Aquil Hubbard, 31, of Middlesex and Newark, New Jersey, and Tashon Ragan, a/k/a “Ta,” 26, of Union, New Jersey, were charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Bennett, Hubbard, and Ragan made their initial appearances in court before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court. They were detained pending further proceedings.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
From December 2024 to December 2025, Bennett, Hubbard, and Ragan conspired to steal mail and packages from United States Postal Service mail collection boxes and postal vehicles. The conspirators sought checks, financial instruments, and other items of value from the mail. The conspirators altered checks and attempted to deposit them at various financial institutions in New Jersey, and they used social media to recruit account holders at various financial institutions to further the goals of the conspiracy. Investigators connected Bennett, Hubbard, and Ragan to a series of smash-and-grab burglaries of United States Postal Service vehicles across Northern New Jersey. In those incidents, members of the conspiracy either smashed windows of postal vehicles or opened unlocked vehicle doors and stole trays of mail, often in broad daylight while postal workers were out delivering mail.
The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to a person other than the defendant, whichever is greater.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello credited postal inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked postal inspectors of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, and agents and investigators from the United States Secret Service, Newark Field Office, as well as law enforcement officers from the Bernards Police Department, Belleville Police Department, Chatham Borough Police Department, Clifton Police Department, East Hanover Police Department, Maplewood Police Department, Middlesex Police Department, Metuchen Police Department, Nutley Police Department, Parsippany Police Department, Rahway Police Department, Roseland Police Department, and Union Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael K. O’Leary of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Defense counsel for Bennett: Laura Sayler, Esq. Assistant Federal Public Defender
Defense counsel for Hubbard: Perry Primavera, Esq.
Defense counsel for Ragan: Adam Elewa, Esq.
St. Louis Woman Admits $177,000 Pandemic-Era Tax Credit SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri woman on Thursday admitted fraudulently obtaining $177,000 by falsely claiming tax credits for retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ayana J. Brown, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felony counts of theft of government property. Brown admitted filing two fraudulent quarterly employment tax returns (IRS Form 941s) with the IRS on behalf of Yaya Flowtiques LLC on Dec. 22, 2022. The filings falsely claimed that the company had 5 employees and paid $177,321.77 and $145,098.88 in wages for the first and second quarters of 2021, respectively. The forms sought Employee Retention Tax Credits, which were designed to encourage businesses to retain employees during the pandemic. Generally, businesses qualified for the ERC if they paid qualifies wages to employees during the pandemic and were shut down by a government order, experienced a 50% decline in gross receipts or qualified as a recovery startup business.
Brown did not have employees or pay wages during this period and the company had little or no operations. Brown had never reported income from Yaya Flowtiques and knew that the forms 941 were false. Based on these fraudulent IRS Forms 941, the IRS issued two U.S. Treasury checks for $97,645.53 and $79,901.40 to Yaya Flowtiques. Brown deposited the checks before making multiple large cash withdrawals and spending the remaining proceeds on personal expenses, food, and shopping.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6. Each theft of government property charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Killing Two Women and a BabyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man on Thursday admitted shooting four teens in St. Louis in 2023, killing two and causing the death a month later of one woman’s baby.
Eddie Marcus Love, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four felony counts: conspiracy to distribute marijuana, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of ammunition and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Love admitted shooting the four women after failing to buy marijuana for them.
On the evening of May 6, 2023, one of the victims contacted Love and arranged for herself and her friends to be picked up so they could obtain marijuana and visit a bar. Love’s co-defendant, Charles Webster, was driving and Love was in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Passat. The victims shared the back seat.
Webster and Love tried and failed to buy marijuana twice. When the victims expressed their frustration, Love told them to get out of the car near the 1900 block of Agnes Street in St. Louis. Love shoved one victim, who told him to stop because she was pregnant. Love was armed with a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and began shooting at the women as they walked away, killing the two 18-year-olds and wounding the two 17-year-olds, he admitted Thursday. Love told Webster to circle the block, and he then shot one of the wounded victims twice more in the head. She was 10 weeks pregnant but her child was not injured. The child of the other wounded victim, who was 30 weeks pregnant, was delivered by emergency C-section and died about a month later as a result of gunshot wounds.
On May 12, 2023, investigators conducted a court-approved search of Love’s home in Bellefontaine Neighbors and found the Passat, a cell phone that contained Love’s messages with one of the victims, clothing worn by Webster and Love at the time of the shooting, one spent nine-millimeter cartridge casing that matched the casings from the crime scene, three guns and various magazines and ammunition. Love is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms or ammunition. Investigators also found a pair of shoes with multiple apparent blood stains containing DNA matching one of the victims.
Webster pleaded guilty in December to three counts: conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
Love is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend 50 years in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis and Don Boyce are prosecuting the case.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Victor Villarreal, 30, from Sioux City, was sentenced today, to more than 3 years in federal prison, after a September 16, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence in the case revealed on May 3, 2025, Villarreal, the mother of his children, and others went out for dinner and drinks, leaving Villarreal’s minor children under the care of a 15-year old babysitter. He became intoxicated, agitated, and returned home. When the mother of the children attempted to stop Villarreal from driving the children away while he was intoxicated, he became violent and pulled a gun. The babysitter called 911 for help. In the early morning hours of May 4, 2025, law enforcement responded to the report of an angry, intoxicated, man waving a firearm in the air and threatening others, including minors. Villarreal fled the scene in another person’s car prior to officers’ arrival. Law enforcement learned he was a felon and also subject to an active no contact order both of which precluded his lawful possession of a firearm. Officers found Villarreal, attempted to stop him, but he fled leading officers on a pursuit. Villarreal drove through residential neighborhoods in Sioux City at a high rate of speed, eventually hitting a wooden fence where he exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Villarreal was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Villarreal is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4044.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Previously Convicted Killer Sentenced in Taking a Loaded Revolver into a DC Government BuildingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dwayne Taylor, 49, a convicted murderer residing in the District, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to one year and one day in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a loaded revolver he carried into a government building that had been designated as a gun-free zone, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Taylor pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2025, before Judge Jia M. Cobb to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the prison term, Judge Cobb ordered Taylor to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Washington Field Office, and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on June 30, 2025, shortly after 9 a.m. an MPD officer responded to the Minnesota-Benning Government Center on the 4000 block of Minnesota Avenue NE. The officer approached a security official who pointed to Taylor and identified him as a man who had a gun in his bag.
The officer asked Taylor, “What’s going on?” Taylor replied, “My weapon in my backpack.” The officer asked Taylor if he had a permit, Taylor stated, “No it’s at home, I don’t got none of my stuff with me . . . I forgot when I was rushing out the door this morning. I forgot. I just put it in my bag and ran out the door.” The officer asked Taylor if he was licensed to carry. Taylor responded, “No, I’m not licensed to carry.” The officer then placed Taylor in handcuffs and called for more officers.
Officers recovered a Hopkins & Allen 36 .38 Special Revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition from Taylor’s backpack.
As a previously convicted felon, Taylor was prohibited from possessing a firearm. In 1995, Taylor was convicted in D.C. Superior Court of second degree murder while armed; armed robbery; and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in the 1994 execution-style killing of cab driver Keith Moore. Taylor was sentenced to 15-years-to-life in prison and served 27 years.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the ATF Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Liss for the District of Columbia.
An X-ray image of Taylor’s backpack as it passed through the X-Ray machine at the Minnesota-Benning Government Center. The revolver is circled in yellow.
In this photo, an officer pulls a revolver from Taylor’s backpack.
Previous sex offender sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempted coercion and child pornographyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A previous sex offender from Billings who attempted to obtain nude photos from a person he thought was 12 years old was sentenced today to a total of 324 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Steven Dwyane Scott, 51, was found guilty at a September 2025 trial of one count of attempted coercion and enticement and one count of possession of child pornography. Mr. Scott was also ordered to pay a total of $17,200 in special assessments.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents and at trial that in March 2024, law enforcement, acting in an undercover capacity and posing as a 12-year-old juvenile female, electronically reached out to Scott on Facebook. Scott accepted the invite and the two parties began conversing. The communications eventually transitioned to KIK.
The communications lasted from roughly March 7, 2024, until May 28, 2024. During the chats, Scott was put on notice of the “child’s” age, indicated he should not be talking to her yet continued, and sought pictures of her, including nude pictures. On May 21, 2024, Scott sent the “child” images of a gift card and payment for possible nude images from her. Scott provided instructions to the undercover officer as to the best way to verify money was on the card. Thereafter, on May 27, 2024, Scott sent a $25 Amazon gift card to the “child,” again for the purpose of obtaining images from the child. The last communication law enforcement received from Scott was on May 28, 2024.
When law enforcement reached out to Scott, he was a registered sex offender following a 1997 conviction for Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.
Several years before the conduct in this case, in 2018, Scott corresponded with multiple juvenile females online. One of those children was Jane Doe 1. A law enforcement investigation stemming from Jane Doe 1’s disclosure led to a search warrant of Scott’s Snapchat account and the discovery of his interest in juvenile females. Sexually explicit images of a different victim, Jane Doe 2, were discovered on Scott’s Snapchat account.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Montana Department of Criminal Investigations, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and the Townsend, Massachusetts Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
XXX
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Violent Home Invasion Robberies Targeting Business Owners and EmployeesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Abdullah Hartage, 28, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and $60,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez for two violent home invasion robberies targeting business owners and employees.
Hartage and codefendant Ali Chandler were charged by superseding indictment in October 2022. Both pleaded guilty in October 2024 to conspiracy to commit robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery) and two counts of committing or threatening physical violence in furtherance of a plan or purpose to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery. Chandler is still awaiting sentencing.
As detailed in court filings and statements, on November 13, 2021, Hartage, Chandler, and others met at their intended victims’ area business and waited outside until closing time, when the owners and their adult daughter left. The robbers, who had conducted prior surveillance to determine where the family lived, then drove to the residence, arriving before the victims.
When the victims opened their garage and parked inside, the four perpetrators, armed with handguns, stormed in. One of the gunmen struck the 61-year-old male victim several times in the head, causing injuries, and forced him to the ground. Another gunman forced the business owners’ daughter to the ground at gunpoint, and yet another perpetrator forced the 65-year-old female victim from the garage into the home at gunpoint, striking her several times in the head and causing injuries. After the home’s security alarm sounded, the perpetrators fled, taking the daughter’s backpack, which contained her credit/debit cards and ID.
In the next robbery, committed on December 4, 2021, Hartage, Chandler, and others targeted an employee of an area store. They had spent weeks casing the store, following the victim home and identifying her house. On the night of the robbery, the perpetrators again arrived ahead of the victim. Within minutes of the victim arriving home, three armed men broke in, one telling her “I know where you work.”
The 68-year-old victim was zip-tied to a chair and pistol whipped in the face, causing head injuries, including a gash requiring stitches and a concussion. The perpetrators made off with a safe containing cash, coins, and jewelry.
Hartage had served more than two years in state prison for previous violent home invasion robberies targeting business owners and was still on state probation when he planned and committed these 2021 home invasions.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Montgomery Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Doherty.
Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Member Pleaded Guilty for Armed Assault Against RivalRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A member of the Los Valerosos Motorcycle Gang, a support club for the Pagan’s Motorcycle Gang, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, for his involvement in an armed assault against a member of rival motorcycle club.
Graham S. Gattis, also known as “Dro,” 41, of East Ridge, Tn., pleaded guilty today to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
On Sept. 17, 2022, Gattis and other members of the Pagan’s and Los Valerosos chased and forced a lone rival gang member from the road in Blue Springs, Mo. Various members of the Pagan’s and Los Valerosos were armed with firearms and at least one axe handle. Gattis and the others confronted the victim on the side of the roadway and ultimately, the victim was shot seven times, with wounds to his knee, thigh, forearm, biceps, buttocks and back of his leg.
Under federal statutes, Gattis is subject to a sentence of not less than five years and up to life 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. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Orangeburg Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Pierre Desmond Morgan, 36, of Orangeburg, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence presented in court showed that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives identified Morgan as an individual involved in trafficking firearms in the Orangeburg area. On April 24 and May 8, 2024, Morgan sold six firearms and ammunition to law enforcement. The firearms included weapons capable of accepting large-capacity magazines, as well as firearms without serial numbers. During these transactions, Morgan disclosed that he had access to additional firearms and switches—devices designed to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns.
On Dec. 6, 2024, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Morgan. During the stop, a drug-detecting K-9 alerted to the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a loaded firearm and distribution quantities of marijuana and methamphetamine.
Morgan has prior felony convictions and is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition. At the time of the offenses, Morgan was on federal supervised release for a prior firearm conviction.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Morgan to 120 months in prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. Morgan was also sentenced to an additional 15 months’ imprisonment for violating the terms of his supervised release related to a 2017 firearm conviction. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case.
###
Oklahoma Medical Supply Company Owner Indicted for $30M Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida today charging an Oklahoma chiropractor and medical supply company owner for his role in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent claims to multiple federal health care programs for orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment (DME), and for the theft of government funds intended to support health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment, Mark Loftis, 38, of Cushing, Oklahoma, was the owner of a medical supply company called Back Pain Home Supplies LLC, which did business as EZ Medical Supply. As alleged, Loftis paid illegal kickbacks to marketers in exchange for the referral of Medicare patients, and to marketers and telemedicine companies in exchange for signed doctors’ orders that could be used to support claims to health care benefit programs. The telemedicine providers did not engage in meaningful evaluation of the patients before signing the orders. Loftis allegedly caused Back Pain to bill Medicare, TRICARE (the health care benefit program for U.S. service members and their families), and CHAMPVA (the health care benefit program for spouses and children of permanently disabled veterans) for DME that was medically unnecessary, obtained through the payment of illegal kickbacks, and not provided as billed. In total, Back Pain submitted approximately $30 million in false and fraudulent claims, for which the three health care programs paid approximately $8 million.
As further alleged, Loftis converted for his own use and the use of others money he received from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. PRF funds were appropriated to help health care providers that were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to provide care to patients who were suffering from COVID-19 and compensate providers for the cost of that care. As alleged, Loftis received more than $133,000 in PRF funds and then falsely attested to a series of conditions to retain the funds, including that he would use the funds for health care expenses and to replace revenue lost due to the pandemic. In reality, Loftis used a portion of the funds to further the DME fraud scheme and for a variety of personal expenses.
Loftis is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks, and two counts of theft of government property. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the health care and wire fraud conspiracy count, five years in prison on the conspiracy and kickback count, and 10 years in prison on each of the theft of government property counts. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
FBI, HHS-OIG, DCIS, and VA-OIG are investigating the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Catherine Wagner of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Cornell Cordon, 58, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty today to failure to update his registration as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), following interstate travel.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Cordon was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse in Putnam County, West Virginia, Circuit Court on July 15, 2019. Cordon was living in West Virginia when he obtained permission from his probation officer to visit family in Elizabeth, New Jersey, from April 14, 2025, to April 21, 2025. Cordon failed to return to West Virginia following the authorized trip and there is no record of Cordon registering as a sex offender in New Jersey as required.
Cordon is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
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. 2:25-cr-142.
###
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Scheme to Generate Revenue for North Korean Weapons ProgramsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his involvement in a scheme to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. The scheme involved the dispatchment of skilled information technology (IT) workers who, using stolen identities of U.S. persons, posed as domestic workers to obtain remote IT jobs with U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 companies and a defense contractor.
Zhenxing “Danny” Wang, 39, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 14, 2026. In June 2025, Zhenxing Wang was indicted by a federal grand jury along with nine co-conspirators, including eight overseas operatives.
In response to U.S. and U.N. sanctions, the DPRK government dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers around the world, who falsified and stole identities of U.S. persons and posed as domestic workers to obtain remote IT jobs with U.S. companies and generate revenue for DPRK WMD programs. The DPRK IT workers’ scheme involved the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and third-party enablers in the United States and abroad. According to the court documents, the IT workers employed under this scheme also gained access to sensitive employer data and source code, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies.
According to the indictment, from approximately 2021 through October 2024, Zhenxing Wang and his alleged co-conspirators perpetuated a massive fraud scheme resulting in the transmission of false and misleading information to dozens of U.S. companies, financial institutions, and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Specifically, Zhenxing Wang and his alleged co-conspirators compromised the identities of more than 80 U.S. persons; fraudulently obtained remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 companies; received laptops and other hardware from U.S. companies; accessed, without authorization, the internal systems of these U.S. companies, including sensitive employer data and source code; generated at least $5 million in revenue for the overseas IT workers; and caused U.S. victim companies to incur legal fees, computer network remediation costs and other damages and losses of at least $3 million.
The overseas IT workers were assisted in this scheme by Zhenxing Wang, Kejia Wang and at least four other identified U.S. facilitators. Kejia Wang pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme in September 2025.
Zhenxing Wang and other U.S. facilitators received and/or hosted laptops belonging to U.S. victim companies at their residences to deceive the U.S. companies into believing the IT workers were in the United States. Zhenxing Wang and his alleged co-conspirators facilitated remote access to the computers for the overseas IT workers through illicit means, including downloading software to the computers without authorization from the U.S. companies, connecting the U.S. companies’ computers to internet-connected KVM switches, and creating shell companies with corresponding websites and financial accounts, including Hopana Tech LLC, Tony WKJ LLC and Independent Lab LLC, to make it appear as though the overseas IT workers were affiliated with legitimate U.S. businesses. These facilitators also allegedly established accounts at U.S. financial institutions and online money transfer services to receive money from victimized U.S. companies, much of which was subsequently transferred to overseas co-conspirators. In exchange for their services, Zhenxing Wang and Kejia Wang collected at least $700,000 in fees.
This investigation is the culmination of a multi-year investigation by federal law enforcement agencies and is one of several charged as part of the Justice Department’s initiative, DPRK: Domestic Enabler. Under the initiative, Department prosecutors and agents continue to prioritize high-impact, strategic, and unified enforcement and disruption operations targeting DPRK’s illicit revenue generation efforts through remote IT workers and the U.S.-based individuals who enable them.
The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt North Korea’s illicit financial activities, including for certain information related to individuals who are sent outside of North Korea to work to generate money for the North Korean government or who facilitate the activities of such North Korean nationals.
The charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Chistopher S. Delzotto, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Vegas Division; John E. Helsing, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office; and Kevin Murphy, Acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey, Deputy Chief of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI New York, Newark and San Diego Field Offices; HSI Newark Field Office; United States Postal Inspection Service’s San Diego Field Office; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of California.
\The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Morgantown Construction Company Sentenced for Tax Fraud, Employing IllegalsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Hetzon Marroquin Reyes, owner and operator of A&M Homes, LLC, in Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for employing illegal aliens and tax fraud, United States Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
Reyes, also known as “Hector,” age 41, hired and harbored illegal workers for his construction company. Reyes, a Guatemalan resident, in the United States on a temporary visa himself, created fraudulent documentation for the illegal workers to provide to the West Virginia Division of Labor inspectors and fraudulently used others’ social security numbers for the aliens’ tax paperwork.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General.
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.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Missouri Man Who Neglected Veteran and Concealed His Corpse Sentenced to 156 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone on Thursday sentenced a man to 156 months in prison for neglecting his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for years and concealing his corpse to fraudulently obtain $1.8 million in his uncle’s disability benefits.
Brian K. Ditch, now 45, of Salem, Missouri, became solely responsible for his uncle’s care in 2008. At some point, instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch kept him locked away and subjected him to insufficient care and verbal abuse. Ditch fraudulently gained access to his uncle’s financial accounts and regularly wired himself money. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed his death from relatives, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration so that he could continue to steal his uncle’s money. Ditch hid the body in a shed behind his house, telling relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home and police that his uncle was living with someone else.
Since 2008, the VA’s Disability Compensation program deposited approximately $1.6 million into the victim’s account. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in benefits from the Social Security Administration. Ditch used the money for personal purchases, including exotic reptiles and firearms. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms. On Thursday, Judge Bluestone ordered Ditch to repay the money.
“Our veterans, particularly those who were wounded while serving our country, deserve our profound respect and admiration, not a life afflicted by neglect, abuse, and exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “I hope that this sentence sends a message that we will not tolerate this conduct, or the defrauding of programs intended to support veterans and those with disabilities.”
“This sentencing sends a clear message that the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General will vigorously investigate and hold accountable those who exploit veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the VA OIG’s Central Field Office. “Egregious crimes against those who served our nation will not be tolerated, and the VA OIG extends its gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to achieving justice in this case.”
"For over a decade, Brian Ditch was entrusted as the sole caregiver for his uncle, a vulnerable Army veteran; yet he betrayed that trust in the most egregious way. Once his uncle passed away, Ditch then concealed his uncle’s death, hiding his body in a shed, all to keep siphoning Social Security benefits," said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit as First Assistant, Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General. “This was not just theft; it was a calculated scheme to defraud SSA of over $235,000, carried out with shocking deception and disregard for human dignity. We will continue to pursue those who abuse Social Security for personal gain.”
Ditch pleaded guilty in October to four felony counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
Milford Man Sentenced to Time ServedRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Douglas Thrams, 24 years old, of Milford, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to making interstate communication with a threat to injure, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
After serving 10 months and 14 days in custody, Thrams was sentenced to time served followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in January 2025, Thrams posted a series of threatening videos to his TikTok account. In the videos, Thrams advocated for the bombing of government buildings and the assassination of politicians.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service, with assistance from the Goshen Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.
Mexican citizen pleads guilty to production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Victor Francisco Lucas, 32, a citizen of Vera Cruz, Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, who is handling the case, stated that beginning on January 3, 2025, and continuing for approximately two weeks, Lucas, who was residing in the Western District of New York, communicated with an out of state 12-year-old minor victim through TikTok, text message, phone calls and video calls. During these communications, Lucas, who claimed to be a 13-year-old boy, requested and directed the minor victim to produce sexually explicit images and send the images to him by text message. Also, during these communications, Lucas engaged in sexually explicit live stream facetime video calls with the minor victim.
During the investigation, a search of Lucas’ cell phone recovered material constituting child pornography, as well as multiple additional chat conversations with additional minors, which included sexually graphic communications and the transmission and receipt of child pornography.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 18, 2026, before Judge Vilardo.
# # # #
McLean man sentenced to over a year in prison for luxury watch fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man was sentenced today to a year and nine months in prison for mail fraud.
According to court documents, from November 2022 through June 2024, Jaivin Raj Karnani, 45, frequently used American Express card accounts he controlled to order luxury watches and related products from Harrods Limited, a luxury department store in London. Karnani would use his own name as well as the fictitious names “Quinn Bash” and “Steve Johnson” to make the purchases. After the luxury watches arrived, Karnani would initiate a dispute with American Express in an attempt to have the charges for the watches removed from his statement and balances due. Karnani would then sell or attempt to sell the watches to watch dealers in Michigan and New York.
“Jaivan Karnani’s fraudulent conduct resulted in a federal prison sentence,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case demonstrates how the abuse of consumer-protection systems inflicts widespread financial harm – driving up costs, eroding trust, and burdening honest businesses. The Eastern District of Virginia will hold accountable anyone who exploits these safeguards to enrich themselves at others’ expense.”
Altogether, Karnani falsely discharged $1,280,647.99 worth of luxury watches he ordered from Harrods, causing actual losses of $851,328.75 to American Express and $426,794.24 to Harrods. Karnani also abused the American Express charge-back process to reverse legal fees several of his own lawyers had already earned, resulting later in civil judgments against Karnani.
In addition to his prison sentence, Karnani must forfeit a total of $1,280,647.99 and 23 luxury watches seized from his residence in McLean, including watches by Rolex, Moser, Oris, Chanel, Tissot, Tudor, Omega, Porsche, Gucci, and Chopard.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-274.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Create and Distribute Animal Torture VideosRead the Press Release
A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against animals.
Garrett Fitzgerald, of Scituate, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.”
According to court documents, Fitzgerald conspired with Ronald Bedra, Robert Berndt, and others to direct and send money to individuals in Indonesia, via encrypted chat, to create videos depicting violent torture of baby and adult monkeys. The conspirators then distributed the sadistic videos to each other and online. Berndt was sentenced last month to 38 months in prison. Bedra was previously sentenced to 54 months in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, and Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Knowingly Concealing the Source of Material Support or Resources to ISISRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wakefield, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources intended for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Mateo Ventura, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper to 50 months in prison, to be followed by seven years of supervised release. In October 2025, Ventura pleaded guilty to one count of concealment of financing of terrorism. Ventura was charged by complaint in June 2023 and was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023.
Ventura provided multiple gift cards to an individual he believed was an ISIS supporter, with the intention that they be sold on the dark web for a little less than face value, and with the profits being used to support ISIS. Ventura stated that he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war on kuffar,” (disbelievers), and believed the money was being used to purchase ammunition and explosives. Ventura also expressed his desire to fight alongside ISIS overseas and purchased plane tickets in order to travel to the Middle East and join ISIS. In total between January and May 2023, Ventura made donations totaling $705.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney John A. Eisenberg for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case. Valuable assistance was provided by Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
MS-13 Clique Leader Indicted in Connection with Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Four Murders and Two Attempted Murders in BaltimoreRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed a superseding indictment today, charging two additional members of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) clique of MS-13 in Baltimore, in connection with a Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act Conspiracy. In July 2025, four other members were indicted as part of the RICO conspiracy, bringing the total to six. This superseding indictment also adds a fourth murder and an attempted murder to the list of charges.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Ivan J. Bates, Baltimore City State’s Attorney; Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).
According to the indictment, beginning in at least 2023, the defendants engaged in a racketeering conspiracy as members of the MS-13 CLS clique. They committed multiple murders, engaged in drug distribution, and extorted victims.
The new superseding indictment details how Manuel Alexander “Snappy” “23” Lara Morales, 25, of El Salvador, acted as the leader of MS-13’s CLS clique in Baltimore since approximately 2023. As alleged in the superseding indictment, Lara Morales and Eliseo Alexander “10” “Zorro” “Terrible” Lopez Alvarez, 23, of El Salvador, who was second in command of CLS, authorized the September 4, 2023, murder of another CLS member or associate in connection with a dispute over drug sales with the gang. On that date, Lopez Alvarez; Kevin “Mickey” “Gemelo” Cuestas, 21, of Honduras; Olvin Josue “Elevado” Posas Alvarenga, 23, of Honduras, and other CLS members found the victim in front of a library, brought him to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore, and took turns shooting him until he died. His body was found five days later. After this murder, Lara Morales “activated” Cuestas and Posas Alvarenga into CLS.
Then on October 13, Miguel “Canabe” Riva Salvador, 24, of El Salvador; Josue Anibal “Flaco” Guerra Ramos, 20, of Honduras; Posas Alvarenga; and other CLS members allegedly searched for an individual who was preparing to testify against Riva Salvador in a pending Baltimore City Circuit Court criminal case. The CLS members located the individual sitting behind his house and then took turns shooting at him, striking him in the groin, but he survived the attack.
Additionally, the initial indictment detailed three other murders CLS perpetrated. In November 2023, Lopez Alvarez, Posas Alvarenga, and other CLS members, murdered a victim after using a fake Instagram account, purporting to be a female, to lure the victim to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore where they shot and killed him. Lara Morales authorized the murder ahead of time. Then in March 2024, Cuestas and Riva Salvador shot a victim multiple times, killing the target on a southeast Baltimore street before both fled in a getaway car. In April 2024, Guerra Ramos and another CLS member were involved in a double shooting of two victims, one fatal and the other non-fatal, on a southeast Baltimore street.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, and DPSCS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. O’Donohue III and Kenneth S. Clark, who are prosecuting the case, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for its assistance throughout the investigation.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from various federal, state, and local agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Additionally, 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.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and HSI both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Immigration-Related FraudRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Eduardo Saavedra Melayes, 45, a Mexican national, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for aggravated identify theft, falsely representing U.S. citizenship, and false statement in application for passport. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This illegal alien chose to try to lie, cheat, and steal his way into this country, but thanks to the vigilance and excellent investigation of our federal partners he will now find himself in federal prison before being swiftly deported thereafter. My office has zero-tolerance for violations of our nation’s laws, and we will aggressively prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent.”
Court documents reflect that in December of 2023, the defendant submitted a passport application in-person at a Panama City post office. Upon processing, the application was denied due to indicators of fraud. An investigation uncovered that the defendant submitted the passport application using someone else’s identity. The documents submitted during the application process were possessed unlawfully. Additionally, a previous false passport was used in 2008, 2009, 2024, and 2025 to travel between the United States and Mexico. The defendant was at all times unlawfully present in the United States.
“We are a key partner in the United States’ work to reduce illegal immigration and root out those who endeavor to exploit the U.S. travel system,” said Ryan McSeveney, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office. “DSS proudly coordinates with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our U.S. and international law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of crime related to passport and visa fraud — and to bring those who commit these crimes to justice.”
The sentence was the result of an investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Key member of Chinese money laundering network charged with laundering tens of millions of dollars in drug proceedsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Yan Lin, 41, of California, appeared in federal court in Cincinnati today on charges of conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars derived from drug trafficking proceeds.
According to the indictment unsealed today, between March 2022 and October 2024, Mexico-based drug traffickers hired Lin to return tens of millions of dollars in profits from the sale of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in cities throughout the United States to Mexico.
Lin allegedly arranged for his co-conspirators to deliver bulk cash to others who bought electronics that were shipped to co-conspirators in Hong Kong, China and elsewhere. After confirmation of receipt of the bulk cash, Mexico-based drug traffickers would receive their payment in Mexico, minus a commission, via a “mirror transaction.” One ledger, which recorded just a portion of Lin’s money contracts in 2024, totaled approximately $27.4 million in bulk cash delivered across the United States.
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China, enabling a continuous flow of dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Dismantling Chinese money laundering networks that support drug trafficking organizations is critical to achieve the mission of total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations. Working with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate and prosecute the financial networks that fuel and profit from the illegal drug trade.”
“Without money launderers, drug cartels are stuck with dirty money they can’t use,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “These profiteers help facilitate the distribution of deadly drugs into our communities and will be held accountable as if they trafficked the drugs themselves.”
“By targeting those who facilitate the movement of illicit proceeds, we are attacking the lifeblood of drug trafficking operations and protecting Americans,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “Homeland Security Investigations remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks who illegally use our nation’s financial infrastructure to funnel drugs into our communities.”
“Laundering drug trafficking money helps the cartels reap enormous profits while Americans are harmed by their dangerous drugs,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie. “Money laundering is a serious crime that the FBI and our partners will continue to investigate as we work to disrupt the flow of drugs and dismantle the dangerous cartels.”
Yan Lin is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering, which is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations Cincinnati Office, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, Tulsa and Atlanta offices, FBI Cincinnati, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit. DEA’s Special Operations Division also aided the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Dornette for the Southern District of Ohio, Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Mingda Hang and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
# # #
Key Member of Chinese Money Laundering Network Charged with Laundering Tens of Millions of Dollars in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
Yan Lin, 41, of California, made an initial appearance today in Cincinnati on charges of conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars derived from drug trafficking proceeds.
According to the indictment unsealed today, between March 2022 and October 2024, Mexico-based drug traffickers hired Lin to return tens of millions of dollars in profits from the sale of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in cities throughout the United States to Mexico. Lin arranged for his co-conspirators to deliver bulk cash to others who bought electronics that were shipped to co-conspirators in Hong Kong, China, and elsewhere. After confirmation of receipt of the bulk cash, Mexico-based drug traffickers would receive their payment in Mexico, minus a commission, via a “mirror transaction.” One ledger, which recorded just a portion of Lin’s money contracts in 2024, totaled approximately $27.4 million in bulk cash delivered across the United States.
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China, enabling a continuous flow of dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Dismantling Chinese money laundering networks that support drug trafficking organizations is critical to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The Criminal Division will relentlessly pursue the illicit financial networks that fuel and profit from these dangerous organizations.”
“Without money launderers, drug cartels are stuck with dirty money they can’t use,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio. “These profiteers help facilitate the distribution of deadly drugs into our communities and will be held accountable as if they trafficked the drugs themselves.”
“By targeting those who facilitate the movement of illicit proceeds, we are attacking the lifeblood of drug trafficking operations and protecting Americans,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office. “HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks who illegally use our nation’s financial infrastructure to funnel drugs into our communities.”
“The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug cartels as the very distribution of their illegal drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Detroit Field Office. “This indictment shows that if we cut off the flow of money, the traffickers cannot finance their organizations. As the nation’s foremost financial investigators, we are proud to provide our expertise as we work alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle transnational drug organizations."
“Laundering drug trafficking money helps the cartels reap enormous profits while Americans are harmed by their dangerous drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office. “Money laundering is a serious crime that the FBI and our partners will continue to investigate as we work to disrupt the flow of drugs and dismantle the dangerous cartels.
Yan Lin is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering. If convicted, Lin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the HSI Cincinnati Office, IRS-CI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, Tulsa and Atlanta offices, FBI Cincinnati, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit. DEA’s Special Operations Division also aided the investigation.
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Mingda Hang, and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Dornette for the Southern District of Ohio, are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jury Finds Jenks Man Guilty of Assault After Breaking Girlfriend's Leg in Three PlacesRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, a federal jury convicted a Jenks man of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country after breaking his girlfriend's shin and ankle during an argument.
In May 2025, Jamon Charles Phetsacksith, 27, was indicted for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in November 2024, Phetsacksith was drinking and hanging out with his girlfriend. Phetsacksith had a key to his work and drove his girlfriend to pick up his paycheck after hours. After arriving at Phetsacksith’s work, the two began arguing.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, the victim testified that she exited the vehicle and began walking away. Video surveillance shows Phetsacksith chasing after the victim and keeping her from leaving. He is then seen pushing the victim.
The jury heard the defendant's 911 call, where he claimed that she had fallen down a flight of stairs and was in need of medical attention. When the victim was separated from Phetsacksith, she told EMSA personnel that he assaulted her. Tulsa Police officers responded to the scene and spoke with EMSA, the victim, and Phetsacksith. Body camera played for the jury showed Phetsacksith explaining that they were drunk, had a fight, and “it got out of hand.” He later told officers that he threw her around.
A trauma surgeon testified that the victim broke her leg in three places. Her left ankle was fractured, and her tibia and fibula bones were broken in half, requiring surgical rods and screws to be implanted.
Phetsacksith is a member of the Osage Nation, and he will continue to remain in custody until sentencing is scheduled at a later date.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Stacey Todd prosecuted the case.
Indictment Charges Naugatuck Man with Multiple Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a 15-count indictment charging SEAN SAYER, 22, of Naugatuck, with child exploitation offenses.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 20, 2025, an eight-year-old boy (“minor victim”) in Oregon contacted Sayer by text message and asked Sayer if he was @fornight_legends on TikTok. Sayer responded affirmatively and, over the next three days, exchanged with the minor victim more than 1,300 messages in which Sayer repeatedly and aggressively demanded sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim in exchange for playing Fortnite with him online. The minor victim sent Sayer at least 15 videos constituting child sexual abuse material or child pornography.
Sayer was arrested on June 18, 2025. It is alleged that a forensic review of Sayer’s cellphone has screenshots of Snapchat conversations Sayer had with numerous additional minor victims who Sayer coerced or enticed to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves. To date, investigators have identified approximately 89 separate minor victims.
It is further alleged electronic devices seized from Sayer revealed more than 5,000 videos and 1,000 images containing child sexual abuse material, including images and videos depicting sexual violence against prepubescent minors.
The indictment, which was returned on January 7, 2026, charges Sayer with 12 counts of production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years of imprisonment on each count; one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Sayer is currently released on a $150,000 bond. He is under location monitoring by the U.S. Probation Office and is prohibited from accessing the internet and communicating with, and having contact with, minors.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of the Eugene (Ore.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary G. Vitale.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Indiana Woman Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – On January 8, 2026, Christine Reese, age 62, of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Reese was sentenced to 84 months in prison and ordered to pay $268,746.37 in restitution.
According to documents in the case, Reese falsely claimed that she was licensed as a clinical psychologist and falsely represented that she held the degree of Doctor of Psychology. In reality, Reese did not have these qualifications but did have over ten previous felony convictions. Using forged and fraudulent documents, Reese convinced Company A, a mental health services provider in Munster, Indiana, to hire her to work as a clinical therapist. Reese also obtained employment at another mental health services provider using false qualifications. Reese conducted appointments with patients at Company A, including Indiana Medicaid recipients and children. Later, Reese continued to claim she was a psychologist and conducted appointments with patients out of her home, using the business name of Sanctuary Counseling. Reese continued to fraudulently bill for the services she claimed to provide. As a result of her scheme Reese defrauded Indiana Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Plans out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In the course of her scheme, Reese stole the identities of three different legitimate medical professionals. Reese used the names and license numbers of these practitioners to enroll herself in Indiana Medicaid and submit bills.
“This extensive fraud not only contributed to the strain on healthcare programs designed to help the most vulnerable among Indiana’s citizens, but callously preyed upon patients deceived into thinking the therapy they were receiving was from a qualified professional, said United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred, “My thanks to the state and federal investigators whose work led to the significant and necessary sentence that was handed down today.”
“The public relies on the integrity of the health care system, and fraud undermines that trust,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that health care fraud will not be tolerated. The FBI remains committed to working alongside our state and federal partners to protect patients and safeguard the health care system.”
“This case underscores the serious risks posed by individuals who exploit vulnerable patients and taxpayer-funded programs through fraud,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General – Chicago Region. “Providing therapy services without proper credentials endangers beneficiaries—especially children—and erodes trust in our health care system. Yesterday’s sentence reflects our commitment to protecting patients and holding those who engage in health care fraud accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Indiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin F. Wolff.
Illegal aliens indicted for federal firearms violations in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – Two illegal aliens have been indicted for federal firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Manuel Gomez Ayala, 39, a citizen and national of Mexico, was indicted for possession of a firearm. This case is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Alberto Saenz-De la Cruz, 33, a citizen and national of Mexico, was indicted for possession of a firearm. This case is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Gaston and part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Voting in the 2020 Election and Lying to Obtain a U.S. PassportRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Jose Gargenis Vasquez-Rosa, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who was illegally residing in the United States pleaded guilty today to illegally voting in the 2020 election, and to lying in an application for a United States passport, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Matthew Kupac, Resident Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service Detroit Resident Office.
Vasquez-Rosa pleaded guilty to three counts: (1) False statement in a United States passport application, (2) false statement of United States citizenship with the intent to obtain a federal benefit and (3) illegal voting by aliens.
In 2002, Vasquez-Rosa applied for a visa to come to the United States as the spouse of a United States citizen, but his application was denied because the relationship was found to be fraudulent. Then, in 2016, Vasquez-Rosa, who was illegally living in Michigan, assumed the identity of a Puerto Rican man. Using this fraudulent identity, Vasquez-Rosa applied for a Michigan driver’s license and at the same time was registered to vote. Utilizing this fraudulent identity, Vasquez-Rosa then voted in-person in the 2018 election, and voted again by absentee ballot in the 2020 election. Also in 2020, Vasquez-Rosa attempted to illegally obtain a United States passport by submitting a passport application using the same fraudulent identity. However, the fraudulent application was detected by the Department of State and no passport was issued.
United States Attorney Gorgon stated, “American citizens paid for the right to vote with their blood. This illegal alien lied to get into our country and stole that right. And we won’t let criminals undermine our elections.”
"The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure that those who commit identity theft face consequences for their criminal actions,” said DSS Resident Agent in Charge Matthew Kupec. "DSS works closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to investigate passport, visa fraud, and other transnational crimes. Deterring, detecting, and investigating U.S. passport and visa fraud is essential to protecting the integrity of U.S. borders and preventing illegal immigration.
Vasquez-Rosa faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Susan Fairchild and Timothy P. McDonald. The investigation is being conducted by the Diplomatic Security Service Detroit Resident Office.
Huntington Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Tina Marie Dixon, 52, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 25, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a garage structure behind Dixon’s residence in Huntington. As part of her guilty plea, Dixon admitted that she consented to a search of her bedroom in her residence during the execution of the search warrant and that officers found 37.1 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and 2.7 grams of crack in her bedroom. Officers also found $18,984 in her bedroom during the search. Dixon further admitted that officers saw her distribute a quantity of crack to an individual standing outside her residence when they arrived to execute the search warrant for the garage structure.
Dixon is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chamber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-172.
###
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dyson Lamont Woody Jr., also known as “DC Sosa,” 33, of Huntington, was sentenced on Monday, January 5, 2026, to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 17, 2021, Woody sold approximately 27.28 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $430. As part of his guilty plea, Woody admitted that he conducted that transaction, that he arranged it beforehand, and that it occurred in a Huntington motel room.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-81.
###
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Lovus Austin Brewer, 28, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on Monday, January 5, 2026, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 4, 2025, law enforcement officers responding to reports of shots fired at a Huntington residence encountered Brewer and ordered him to raise his hands in the air. When Brewer complied, officers saw a black pistol with an extended magazine on his right rear hip. Officers recovered a 9mm pistol from Brewer.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Brewer knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine in Wayne County Circuit Court on August 21, 2017, and fleeing with reckless indifference to the safety of others in Cabell County Circuit Court on September 22, 2022.
Brewer is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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. 3:25-cr-149.
Houston man sentenced for role in immigration schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 58-year-old local resident has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud and stealing nearly $1.5 million, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jesus Carlos Silva pleaded guilty July 9, 2025, to defrauding individuals with false promises of legal status.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered Silva to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Silva made false promises that he could help people obtain U.S. citizenship and/or other legal immigration status in under a year. The court also heard how Silva recruited individuals at churches and obtained payments between $10,000-15,000 yet offered nothing in return.
From March 2022 through December 2024, Silva pretended to be an immigration attorney affiliated with a Houston-based law firm. He charged thousands of dollars per person for his “assistance,” collecting payments through checks and money orders. He never provided legitimate immigration help and made excuses for delays before ultimately cutting off communication.
As part of the scheme, Silva also instructed several individuals to travel to Houston for what they thought were appointments with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, once they arrived, there were no such appointments.
He admitted to stealing more than $1,450,555 from over 100 people living in Texas, Illinois, Louisiana and Florida.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Rodolfo Ramirez are prosecuting the case.
Harlan County Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Harlan, Ky., man, Brandon Farley, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier to 60 years in prison, following his previous conviction of two counts of production of child pornography.
According to testimony at trial, Farley sexually abused a minor that was in his care and took photos of that abuse.
Under federal law, Farley must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case 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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
– END –
Honduran National Sentenced to 180 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza, age 23, of Honduras, to 180 months in federal prison following his conviction for distribution of child pornography. He must serve five years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment. In addition to the term of imprisonment, the Court ordered Rodriguez-Inestroza to pay $57,000 in restitution to the victims and ordered him to register as a sex offender upon his release. Rodriguez-Inestroza, a Honduran citizen who is present in the United States without authorization, may also be deported from the United States upon completing his sentence.
Rodriguez-Inestroza used internet-based accounts and a social media mobile application to distribute, trade, and receive child pornography. In addition to distributing files, he also possessed hundreds of videos and thousands of images of child pornography on his smartphone. Some of the videos included child pornography involving toddlers and two of the videos involved sexual activity with animals.
This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Baton Rouge Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
H Block Gang Associate Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An associate of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug conspiracy charges.
Mark Linnehan, 26, of West Roxbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for April 7, 2026.
Linnehan was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H-Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.
The investigation of H Block began in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. Since the start of the investigation in 2021, law enforcement attributed 12 incidents of gunfire to growing tensions involving H Block gang associates. Six H Block members and associates were arrested and charged with drug dealing in Boston and the surrounding communities. Four additional H Block members and associates were already in state custody at the time of the arrests. Additional drugs and four firearms were seized during the subsequent arrests.
From 2022 through 2023, Linnehan, a long-time H Block gang associate, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, in particular, fentanyl and cocaine. According to court filings, Linnehan was a supplier of fentanyl to his co-conspirators and also engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer.
According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Linnehan is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Ted E., Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Grand jury indicts Jamestown man for threatening to kill a Homeland Security agent and familyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Matthew White, 43, of Jamestown, NY, with threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer and interstate communication with threat to injure a person. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, on April 30, 2025, White threatened to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer employed by the Department of Homeland Security, with the intent of interfering in the officer’s performance of his duties. In addition, White posted threats on “X,” stating, “I can’t wait to put a bullet into this guy’s brain, but first his children.”
White was arraigned before this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and released on conditions.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # # #
Grand jury indicts Arkansas man for production of child pornography and enticing a minorRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Brayden Storey, 22, of West Fork, Arkansas, with two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years, and one count of enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in June 2024, the West Seneca Police Department received a report from a minor victim of an incident involving an individual that she met online in September 2022, when she was 13 years-old and he was 19 years-old. They communicated on social media and text message. At times, Storey made sexual comments, with the sexual communications significantly increasing over time. Between October 2023 and April 2024, Storey coerced the minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct and created visual depictions of the conduct.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Cosgrove, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera. Additional assistance was provided by the Little Rock Office of the FBI, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas State Police, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # # #
Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments this week. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and a person named as defendant in an indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Madison Man Charged With Illegally Possessing Firearm and Ammunition
Johnell L. Britt, 27, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing a firearm as a felon. The indictment alleges that on December 11, 2025, Britt possessed a Glock 19 Gen5 9mm caliber pistol and 9mm ammunition.
If convicted, Britt faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison .
The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lennon is handling the case.
Illinois Man Charged With Drug Distribution
Kendrick Payton, 30, Rockford, Illinois, is charged with distributing controlled substances. The indictment alleges that Payton distributed heroin on December 18, 2024, and cocaine on February 18, 2025. The indictment further alleges that Payton distributed 40 grams or more of fentanyl on January 6, 2025, January 10, 2025, and February 18, 2025.
If convicted, Payton faces a minimum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison for each of the charges involving fentanyl. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the charges involving cocaine and heroin.
The charges against Payton are the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak is handling the case.
The cases in the press release are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. 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).
Getaway Driver Charged in Jewelry Store RobberyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Ivel Sanchez Rivera (52, Hialeah) with conspiracy and interference with commerce by robbery and use and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted, Sanchez Rivera faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy offense and a consecutive 7 years in federal prison for the firearm offense.
According to the criminal complaint, on January 6, 2026, two armed assailants entered the Tio Jewelers in Cape Coral from an adjacent vacant business space while the jewelry store was closed. Upon the arrival of the manager that morning to the store, the robbers restrained the manager and forced a safe to be opened. The robbers then took a large amount of jewelry and two firearms from the store. The robbers left in a getaway vehicle driven by a third individual who was later identified as Sanchez Rivera.
The Cape Coral Police Department identified Sanchez Rivera’s vehicle as being involved in the robbery. Sanchez Rivera had driven the car to the area of the jewelry store the night before and then immediately returned to Miami following the robbery. A search warrant was executed at Sanchez Rivera’s residence and two firearms were recovered, including a firearm that was taken from the jewelry store manager during the robbery.
A criminal complaint is an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Cape Coral Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesus M. Casas.
Criminal ComplaintFormer St. Augustine Eighth Grade Teacher Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Use A 14-Year-Old Child to Produce A Sexual Abuse VideoRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Matthew Christopher Yates (31, Hastings) to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to entice and use a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a video of her own sexual abuse. Yates was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Yates pleaded guilty on August 27, 2025. At the time of his arrest on March 11, 2022, Yates was employed as an eighth-grade teacher at a school in St. Augustine.
According to court documents, on February 11, 2022, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville, who was posing online as a 14-year-old child, responded to an online notice on a social media application posted by the user “English teacher,” who was subsequently identified as Yates. The notice read, “Any women want to be rated by a teacher?” During this online text conversation, the “child” advised that “she” was 14 years old and in eighth grade, and Yates stated that he was a teacher, asking the “child,” “[e]ver fantasize about a teacher?” Yates and the “child” exchanged photos, and Yates stated, “I bet you look hot in a bikini.”
Between February 22 and March 11, 2022, Yates and the “child” exchanged more text messages, and Yates sent the “child” several photos, including some that were sexually explicit. On March 8, 2022, Yates asked the “child” to meet in person, and he detailed the specific sexual acts that he intended to perform on the “child” when they met.
Two days later, Yates and the “child” confirmed plans to meet, and Yates asked the “child” if “she” wanted to video-record their planned sexual activity so that the “child” “could remember it even better.” Yates told the “child” that he could use his cellphone to record their sexual activity and that he would later delete the video so that no one would see it.
On March 11, 2022, Yates drove to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the “child” for sex and was arrested by FBI agents. A search revealed that Yates had brought several condoms and a cellphone with him. During an interview, Yates admitted that he was going to meet a 14-year-old girl that he had met online and that he intended to have sex with “her.” When asked if he going to have sex with the 14-year-old girl and record it on video, Yates stated, “I said if that’s what she wanted, that we could,” and “I did just want to leave it up to her.” He admitted that it was his idea to make a video of his sexual encounter with the “child.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched 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.
Former National Park Service employee pleads guilty to overtime wage theftRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - Donny Campbell, a former maintenance department employee at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds for submitting false overtime entries on his timesheets.
“Federal employees are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “When they abuse that trust, it diminishes public confidence that those dollars are spent appropriately. Federal employees and anyone else who chooses to steal from the public fisc will be held accountable.”
“We are happy to see the results of this case come to fruition,” Katie Balestra, Special Agent in Charge at the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General, stated. “Our office will continue to investigate these types of cases to ensure government resources are expended appropriately.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Campbell, while working as maintenance staff for the National Park Service, submitted timesheets claiming overtime pay for hundreds of hours that he did not work. The false timesheets spanned a period of January 2017 through June 2019 and caused nearly $40,000 of wrongful payments. As part of his plea agreement, Campbell agreed to resign, never seek any future federal employment, and pay full restitution to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Campbell, 48, of Ringgold, Georgia, pleaded guilty on October 2, 2025, to theft of government funds. Sentencing is scheduled for January 23, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge John H. Rains IV. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
This case is being investigated by the Department of the Interior - Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former IRS Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A former IRS employee was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 24 months in prison and a $150,000 fine for preparing false tax returns.
According to court documents, Hector Cavazos, 63, of San Antonio, owned and operated a tax return preparation business, where he aided and assisted in the preparation of 61 false tax returns on behalf of 13 taxpayer-clients and one undercover agent for tax years 2016 through 2021. Defying IRS regulations, Cavazos did not sign any of the returns as a paid preparer. Additionally, the 61 tax returns prepared by Cavazos contained false Schedule C losses, unbeknownst to the 13 taxpayer-clients. The 61 violations amounted to a tax loss of $579,682.
Cavazos had been employed by the IRS until 1996, when he was arrested and charged with fraud in the Eastern District of California. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and collusion with another person to defraud the United States and was sentenced on Nov. 6, 2000, to two months in prison.
On Sept. 4, 2024, Cavazos was indicted on 27 counts of preparing false tax returns. He pleaded guilty to one count on July 1, 2025. In addition to ordering the prison sentence and fine, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery barred Cavazos from preparing, aiding and assisting in the preparation of tax returns.
“Unscrupulous tax return preparers such as Hector Cavazos cause incalculable harm not only to the U.S. Treasury and all U.S. taxpayers, but also their own clients who face the possibility of additional taxes plus interest and penalties,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “The multi-year prison sentence and fine imposed in this case reflects the seriousness of this offense, and my office will continue to prosecute individuals who violate federal tax laws.”
“Cavazos never signed his name or provided an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number. He was a ghost preparer. He made his fraud look like his clients prepared the returns,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Troy Caldron of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office, which includes San Antonio. “Not only did he betray his clients, Cavazos also betrayed the trust that tax payers have in the profession of tax preparers. Tax season is approaching, and everyone needs to be diligent in selecting who prepares their taxes.”
IRS-CI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Harris prosecuted the case.
###
Former Crenshaw County Jail Administrator Sentenced for Civil Rights Violations for Assaulting Handcuffed ManRead the Press Release
Christian Alexander Porter, 33, a former Crenshaw County, Alabama, jail administrator, was sentenced today for using unlawful force on a handcuffed and compliant detainee on Oct. 12, 2021. Porter was sentenced to 30 months in prison with two years of supervised release.
Porter pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for an assault on S.W., a 35-year-old man. On Oct. 12, 2021, Porter removed S.W. from his cell, threw him on the ground, rear-handcuffed him, and brought him to a changing room that did not have surveillance cameras. Once there, Porter hit and punched S.W. multiple times in the head and shoulders.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin P. Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama made the announcement.
The FBI’s Montgomery Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Lia Wright Tesconi of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
Five Defendants Sentenced in Wide-Reaching Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced sentences as the final defendant in a multi-count, multiple-defendant fentanyl trafficking conspiracy was sentenced on January 7, 2025.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, defendants Kyon Watson, age 39, of Kearney, New Jersey, Tony K. Oliver, age 33, of Paterson, New Jersey, Rosa E. Duran, age 41, of Davenport, Florida, Dewayne A. Hutton, age 25, of East Orange, New Jersey, and Janny Calderon-Rodriguez, age 40, of Paterson, New Jersey, all pled guilty in a multi-defendant conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin and/or distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, and were sentenced by United States District Judge Julia K. Munley to the following:
- Kyon Watson: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin; sentenced on January 7, 2026, to 66 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release.
- Tony K. Oliver a/k/a “LZ”: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and heroin, sentenced on April 1, 2025, to 151 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release;
- Rosa E. Duran: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, sentenced on September 9, 2025, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release;
- Dewayne A. Hutton: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, sentenced on May 13, 2025, to 51 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release; and
- Janny Calderon-Rodriguez: distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, sentenced on February 4, 2025, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
This case was the result of a joint investigation between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) into a darknet vendor who was engaged in the sale of opioids over the internet. The opioids were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and then distributed via the United States Mail. The various parcels were sent from locations in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Beginning in October of 2022, undercover agents conducted various purchases from the darknet vendor which were seized and later searched and found to contain fentanyl. In February of 2023, undercover agents executed a search warrant at the residence of the darknet vendor and recovered United States currency, various electronic devices, drug ledgers consistent with narcotics distribution, cryptocurrency cold storage wallets, and controlled substances themselves. Law enforcement identified almost 1,000 entries in the drug ledgers, dating back to the summer of 2021, mailed to 49 states and places overseas. Through their investigation, law enforcement was able to identify a source of supply for these narcotics as Tony K. Oliver.
Agents learned that although Tony K. Oliver was arrested on January 16, 2023, in Paterson, New Jersey, on an unrelated state case, he engaged in communications with Duran, Rodriguez, Hutton, and Watson, over recorded prison communications, to continue to operate his drug trafficking organization from behind bars. From prison, Oliver, Duran, Hutton, Watson, and Rodriguez, conspired to continue drug sales and drug deliveries, more specifically on February 24, 2023 (sale of 52 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,500 dollars), March 28, 2023 (sale of 50 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,200 dollars), May 16, 2023 (sale of 53 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,000 dollars), July 12, 2023 (sale of 50 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,000 dollars), ultimately culminating in the arrest of Oliver, who had just recently been released from his January 16, 2023, New Jersey case, and who traveled on September 26, 2023, to the Middle District of Pennsylvania where he was stopped in a vehicle with 101 grams of fentanyl.
The case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.
# # #
Felon Who Illegally Possessed Firearm Sent to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced on January 8, 2026, to 30 months’ imprisonment.
Taxavier Ford, 29, from Alta, Iowa, pled guilty on August 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ford was previously convicted of possession of a narcotic drug, in the State of Indiana in 2017, and possession of marijuana, with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm by a felon, in the Iowa District Court for Buena Vista County in 2021. Both of these convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on March 14, 2025, in Storm Lake, Iowa, law enforcement observed a vehicle, driven by Ford, with illegal window tint and initiated a traffic stop. Officers measured the window tint which revealed it was in excess of Iowa state law. When measuring the window tint, officers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle and Ford, officers found a metal object in Ford’s waistline. Ford admitted he had a loaded firearm in his waistline.
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.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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).
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Ford was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Ford remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Storm Lake Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4028. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Federal Jury finds Memphis Physician Guilty of Adulterated and Misbranded Medical Devices and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – After a three-and-a-half-week trial and five days of deliberations, a federal jury found Memphis physician Sanjeev Kumar guilty of eighteen counts of adulteration of medical devices, sixteen counts of misbranding medical devices, and six counts of health care fraud. From 2019 to 2024, Kumar submitted and caused his employees to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures that were not medically necessary and conducted with adulterated devices. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the verdict today.
“This doctor put profit ahead of patients, targeting a vulnerable population of women, telling them he needed to conduct invasive gynecological procedures to diagnose them with cancer and risking infection to those patients by reusing the same insanitary medical devices on them again and again,” stated D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney. “If we allow doctors to bilk Medicare and Medicaid to pad their profits by performing unsupported medical procedures with filthy devices — each and every American taxpayer eats the cost. But the harm is most felt by the victim-patients who deserved better, and the American women on Medicare and Medicaid are entitled to quality care. Kumar’s blatant disregard for his patients’ health has led to his conviction on multiple federal charges. My office is proud to work with the investigative agencies that helped bring this man to justice.”
Kumar was a gynecologic oncologist who operated Poplar Avenue Clinic, a women’s health clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. Between September of 2019 and April of 2024, Kumar and the advanced practitioners he supervised performed over 15,000 hysteroscopies with biopsy on 5,559 Medicare and Medicaid patients. The hysteroscopy with biopsy is an in-office procedure where a hysteroscope is inserted into the vagina, pushed through the cervix, and into the uterus. A grasper or pipelle is then inserted through the hysteroscope to take a sample of the endometrial lining of the uterus. The procedure is used to diagnose endometrial cancer. The FDA cleared several single-use hysteroscopes and graspers, as well as reusable hysteroscopes to complete these procedures.
The single-use devices were to be used once and then discarded. To correctly disinfect the devices cleared for reprocessing, Kumar had to strictly follow manufacturer instructions. Kumar routinely failed to subject the reusable devices to vital reprocessing steps between patient use, thereby, endangering patient safety. The single-use devices, even if they had been correctly reprocessed, had to be labeled as such, and Kumar did not label them. Kumar purchased less than 200 new single-use hysteroscopes, and 3 of the 6 single-use graspers of a certain type he purchased in 2019 were still in use in the office in April 2024.
“FDA’s requirements for safe use of medical devices are in place to protect the health of the public. When healthcare providers disregard safety information, including single-use and single-user designations, resulting in the adulteration and misbranding of medical devices, they put patients’ health at risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Juan Berrios, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office. “We will continue our vigilance in protecting the U.S. consumers’ and patients’ right to safe medical products.”
Kumar billed more than $41 million for the hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures between September 2019 and April 2024. He netted more than $4.8 million for this procedure from Medicare and Medicaid alone. That amount does not include any hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures performed on patients with private health care insurance.
“Profits should never come before patient safety,” said TBI Director David Rausch. “When healthcare providers sidestep best safety practices for the sake of their bottom line, patients pay the price. I’m proud of the work of our team at TBI and all stakeholders to hold this provider accountable and hope it sends a message: We won’t stop rooting out bad actors trying to take advantage of the system meant to support the elderly and our most vulnerable.”
“Health care providers have a solemn duty to prioritize their patients’ well-being and uphold the principle of ‘do no harm.’ When they violate this trust and endanger those in their care, they will be held accountable,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Ensuring the safety of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries is our top priority, and we will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to safeguard these vital programs.”
“This guilty verdict underscores our commitment to pursuing those who abuse the health care system for personal profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to root out health care fraud schemes and hold those accountable who not only waste valuable resources but also jeopardize patient safety and trust.”
Sentencing is set on April 9, 2026 before Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman.
Kumar faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years for each Health Care Fraud count and three years for each Adulteration and Misbranding of Medical Devices count.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led the investigation, which was initiated by the Tennessee Attorney General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn Crum, Scott Smith, and Sarah Pazar Williams prosecuted the case.
###
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Federal Indictment Charges Foreign National with Illegally Possessing Firearm in Chicago; Gun Used to Fire Shots Near Border Patrol Agents During Operation Midway BlitzRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A foreign national has been indicted on federal firearm charges for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded handgun in Chicago last year.
HECTOR GOMEZ is charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a foreign national who has no claim to United States citizenship or lawful permanent residence.
The indictment accuses Gomez of brandishing a firearm at a victim on the afternoon of Nov. 8, 2025. Shortly thereafter, Chicago Police Officers found a handgun in Gomez’s lap as he sat in the driver’s seat of a black Jeep Wrangler in a parking lot in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, the indictment states.
Five hours earlier, at least two rounds were discharged from the same gun about two blocks from the parking lot, the indictment states. The rounds were fired in proximity of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents who were engaged in the performance of their official duties, the indictment states.
Gomez, 45, is a citizen of Mexico who had been residing in Chicago. He had previously been convicted of a felony and was removed from the United States on at least four separate occasions from 2008 to 2015.
The indictment was returned on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026, at 1:15 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly. Gomez is currently detained in federal custody without bond.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Chicago Police Department provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill J. Bhalakia.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the District, particularly firearm offenses.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count in the indictment is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
gomez_indictment.pdf