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19 December 2025
Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Nefilim Ransomware to Attack Companies in the United States and Other CountriesRead the Press Release
A Ukrainian national pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud for his role in a series of international ransomware attacks.
According to court documents, Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, of Barcelona, Spain, conspired with others to deploy the Nefilim ransomware against victim computer networks in the United States and other countries, causing significant damage to victim computer systems. As part of the scheme, the conspirators generated a unique ransomware executable file for each victim, along with a corresponding decryption key and customized ransom note. If a victim paid the ransom demand, the perpetrators provided the decryption key, enabling the victim to decrypt files locked by the ransomware.
In June 2021, Nefilim administrators gave Stryzhak access to the Nefilim ransomware code in exchange for 20 percent of his ransom proceeds. Stryzhak operated the ransomware through his account on the online Nefilim platform, known as the “panel.” Shortly after gaining access, Stryzhak asked a co‑conspirator whether he should choose a different username than one he used in other criminal activity, in case the panel “gets hacked into by the feds.”
Nefilim administrators preferred to target companies located in the United States, Canada, or Australia with annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Stryzhak and others researched potential victims after gaining unauthorized access to their networks, including by using online databases to obtain information about the companies’ net worth, size, and contact information. In or about July 2021, a Nefilim administrator encouraged Stryzhak to target companies in those countries with more than $200 million dollars in annual revenue.
As part of the extortion scheme, the conspirators threatened that unless victims agreed to pay the ransom, the stolen data would be published on publicly accessible “Corporate Leaks” websites maintained by Nefilim administrators.
Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States on April 30.
Stryzhak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud related to computers in connection with his Nefilim ransomware activities. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2026. The defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program has offered a reward of up to $11 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction or location of Stryzhak’s charged co-conspirator, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk. Anyone with information about Tymoshchuk should contact the FBI via phone at +1-917-242-1407, by email at TymoTips@fbi.gov, by contacting your local field office, if in the United States, or by contacting the nearest U.S. Embassy, if located overseas. More information about the TOC reward offer is located on the State Department website.
The FBI Springfield Field Office in Illinois is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Brian Z. Mund of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander F. Mindlin and Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth of the Eastern District of New York. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s New York Field Office, and Spanish law enforcement authorities provided substantial assistance in this case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
U.S. Senate confirms Kriegshauser as U.S. Attorney for the District of KansasRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The U.S. Senate confirmed Ryan A. Kriegshauser as the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas following his nomination by President Donald J. Trump. As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Kriegshauser is the chief federal law enforcement officer in Kansas.
Mr. Kriegshauser had been serving as Interim U.S. Attorney since July 28, 2025, and was re-appointed by the District Court of Kansas, effective November 25, 2025, while awaiting confirmation.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Kansas employs Assistant U.S. Attorneys and support staff who work in Kansas City, Kan., Topeka, and Wichita. The office is organized into Civil, Criminal, and Administrative divisions. The jurisdiction covers all 105 counties in Kansas, with a population of approximately 2.8 million.
“I am deeply honored with the special trust and confidence placed in me by the President of the United States, the United States Attorney General, and the judges in the District of Kansas,” Ryan A. Kriegshauser said. “Additionally, the support of Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall was pivotal in my selection and confirmation. I look forward to continuing my efforts to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Office and the Kansas justice system by extending more resources and support to our federal, state, and local partners. We want our partners to see us as accessible and approachable so that in working together, we can most effectively protect and serve our Kansas community.”
Mr. Kriegshauser is from Johnson County, Kansas. Before serving as U.S. Attorney, he was a partner in private practice at the Kriegshauser Ney Law Group, focusing on constitutional claims, commercial litigation, and administrative law. Before re-entering private practice in 2018, Mr. Kriegshauser was deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S. Navy.
His previous public service roles include General Counsel at the Kansas Securities Commissioner's Office, overseeing financial prosecutions, and Deputy Assistant Kansas Secretary of State for the Office of Legal Counsel and Policy. He has prosecuted as Deputy County Attorney in Jefferson County, Kansas, as well as serving as a municipal prosecutor in Osawatomie and Edwardsville, Kansas.
Mr. Kriegshauser earned his B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Kriegshauser continues to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Commander.
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U.S. Postal Service Employee Indicted for Alleged Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A United States Postal Service employee has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly collecting augmented workers’ compensation benefits to which she was not entitled.
In 2012, GRACIELA VENEGAS began receiving workers’ compensation benefits for an injury she sustained in the performance of her Postal Service duties. Venegas claimed her spouse as a dependent, which entitled her to receive augmented benefits. The couple divorced in 2013, and the ex-spouse then passed away in 2014.
An indictment returned on Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that Venegas fraudulently continued to claim the spouse as a dependent after the divorce and death. From 2013 to 2024, while employed by the Postal Service, Venegas fraudulently received monthly augmented workers’ compensation payments amounting to an additional 8 and 1/3 percent of her pre-injury monthly pay, the indictment states. In total, Venegas fraudulently pocketed $51,776 in augmented benefits to which she knew she was not entitled, the indictment states.
Venegas, also known as “Graciela Salgado,” 66, of Chicago, is charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of knowingly making a false statement to the U.S. Department of Labor. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, while the false statement charge is punishable by up to five years. Arraignment is set for Jan. 6, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dennus Bishop, Special Agent in Charge of the Central Area Field Office of the U.S. Postal Service–Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diya Rattan.
“Workers’ compensation benefits provide a lifeline to workers who are injured on the job and unable to perform their duties,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Committing fraud upon this important program undermines the financial stability of the insurance system, increases costs for businesses and consumers, and harms truly injured workers. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who seek to collect workers’ compensation benefits to which they are not entitled.”
“The U.S. Postal Service paid $1.5 billion in workers’ compensation costs in fiscal year 2024, and the majority of postal employees who collect compensation benefits have legitimate claims due to on-the-job injuries,” said SAC Bishop. “However, a certain percentage abuse the system and cost the Postal Service millions of dollars in fraudulent claims and enforcement costs. Today’s charges send a clear message that the USPS OIG and the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, remain committed to safeguarding the integrity of this benefit program and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
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.
venegas_indictment.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office personnel recognized for outstanding performanceRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – U.S. Attorney Gerace announced today awards for outstanding performance for employees of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in four categories.
The awards include:
Outstanding Performance by an Assistant U.S. Attorney – Kyle J. Healey and Adam Tieger
Mr. Healey has spent most of his career in this district working difficult criminal cases involving sex trafficking of minors, coercion and enticement of minors, and child exploitation. Recent significant case examples include:
- U.S. v. Kelly Richards, in which the defendant gave cocaine to minors, kept them in his apartment, and sex trafficked them. Richards was convicted at trial and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
- U.S. v. William Scott Elam, who pretended to be a teenage boy online while coercing girls into creating nude images and videos that involved sexual conduct. Elam used self-harm as a means of coercion, even instructing one victim to engage in self-harm via cutting live on video. Elam was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
- U.S. v. Daveion Wright, a defendant who sexually exploited a toddler in SnapChat videos. Wright was sentenced in September to 29 years in prison.
Mr. Tieger, a civil AUSA, demonstrated outstanding commitment to the district by playing a key role in civil asset forfeiture matters, litigating civil immigration matters on behalf of the United States, and achieving favorable judgments in defensive litigation on behalf of government agencies.
Outstanding Performance by Staff – Brittany Ewing and Kristine Pfarrer
Ms. Ewing is a docketing technician in Cincinnati. This past year, she has taken on additional duties including coordinating the grand jury in Cincinnati and helping with civil state foreclosure filings. Ms. Ewing has willingly taken on extra work this past year to enable the district to accomplish its mission even with staffing shortages.
Ms. Pfarrer is a criminal paralegal in Dayton. She is a dedicated member of the Department of Justice who has demonstrated selflessness and initiative in the performance of her duties.. Her work is described as detailed, timely and efficient. As a professional, she is described as competent, pleasant and a team player. Ms. Pfarrer supports many attorneys across the district and coordinates the grand jury in Dayton.
Outstanding Performance by a Litigative Team – Timothy D. Prichard, Emily Czerniejewski, Elizabeth A. Geraghty, Heather A. Hill, Kevin W. Kelley, Kim Robinson, Kelly Terry, Carolyn Delery, Deena Antoon, Alexis Williams, Brandon Harmon
These individuals were recognized for their outstanding performance in 2025 due to their participation in one or more of the following three litigative teams.
U.S. v. Washington et al
This case charged 23 total defendants and involved narcotics and human trafficking conspiracies. A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. In October 2022, the government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges. Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit. The case also involved the overdose death of at least one individual and the violent death of a second victim.
U.S. v. Ricco Maye
Ricco Maye was sentenced in October 2025 to life in prison for leading narcotics, sex trafficking and financial fraud conspiracies. The defendant caused an overdose death, coerced addicts into prostitution, and used threats, violence, and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals carried out his criminal schemes. Maye was found guilty on all counts following a three-week jury trial in November 2024. Court documents and trial testimony detail that Maye used individuals to buy and sell drugs, sell women for sex, and fraudulently apply online for COVID-19 relief funds. Proceeds from all the crimes went to the defendant.
U.S. v. Larry Williams et al
In July 2025, Larry Williams received multiple life sentences in prison for murdering three victims and directing others to dismember and bury two of the bodies. A total of 13 defendants were convicted and sentenced in this case. Williams was found guilty on all charges following a three-week trial in December 2024. Williams was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus an additional 60 consecutive months in prison for murdering three victims as part of a narcotics conspiracy to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash. The defendant, who was also sentenced to five other life sentences to run concurrently to all other counts, had others dismember and bury two of the bodies to dispose of evidence of his crimes.
Extraordinary Individual Contribution to the Mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Kelly Norris
Ms. Norris served as Acting U.S. Attorney from February until August 2025 and as First Assistant U.S. Attorney from August 2025 to December 2025. In each role, she has served the Southern District of Ohio selflessly. Ms. Norris’s professional performance has been instrumental in the success that the district has experienced in carrying out the priorities of the Administration and Department of Justice.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 79 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 79 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On December 12, Sujey Velazquez and Sarah Joanne Cairo, U.S. citizens, were arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance as they tried to cross the border through the pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. According to a complaint, following an alert from a narcotics detection dog, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the women had hidden fentanyl in body cavities.
- On December 18, Jacob Romero Ocampo, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found 85 packages containing 38 pounds of methamphetamine and 22 pounds of fentanyl concealed in the firewall, doors, passenger floor, seats and rear bumper of Ocampo’s vehicle as he tried to cross into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On December 18, Guadalupe Maria Ceja, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Transportation of Illegal Aliens. According to a complaint, Ceja failed to yield when Border Patrol agents activated lights and siren. Her vehicle came to a stop near the Pine Valley Bridge on Interstate 8 after agents deployed a vehicle immobilization device. There were two undocumented immigrants in her vehicle.
- On December 18, Joel Bernardo Trejo-Cazares, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, Trejo-Cazares attempted to enter the U.S. illegally in the trunk of a car at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The defendant had been removed from the United States the day before.
Also recently, some defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here is one:
- On December 19, Ricardo Macario Vazquez, a Mexican national with six prior DUI convictions, two domestic violence convictions, and two prior convictions for illegal reentry, was sentenced in federal court to 21 months in custody for again entering the U.S. illegally.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the two-week period ending December 19, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 96 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 6 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 112 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 54 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for rape, abduction, drug trafficking, DUI, aggravated assault, and battery.
In one significant case, eleven alleged members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were indicted this week on RICO charges as part of a coordinated DOJ operation across five federal districts.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan Confirmed by the U.S. SenateRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan Confirmed by the U.S. Senate
CONCORD – Last night, the United States Senate voted to confirm President Donald J. Trump’s nominee of United States Attorney Erin Creegan for the District of New Hampshire.
U.S. Attorney Creegan was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi to serve as an Interim U.S. Attorney beginning on August 13 of this year. U.S. Attorney Creegan subsequently received an appointment from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire on December 11. She now begins her service as a Senate confirmed Presidential appointee.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to be the chief federal law enforcement officer for the best state in the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “I look forward to working closely with our state and federal partners to interdict drug trafficking, combat violent crime, and dismantle criminal networks. I also look forward to protecting the contributions of the American taxpayer through defensive and affirmative civil litigation. I thank the President, the Attorney General, the Senators, and leaders in state government and the New Hampshire bar, for their support.”
Two National MS-13 Gang Leaders and Two Other MS-13 Members Convicted of Racketeering Charges and Murders in Queens and on Long IslandRead the Press Release
Today a federal jury in Brooklyn returned guilty verdicts against national MS-13 leaders Edenilson Velasquez Larin, also known as “Agresor,” Saturno,” “Tiny,” and “Paco,”; Hugo Diaz Amaya, also known as “21”; Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (Fulton) clique leader Jose Espinoza Sanchez, also known as “Cable,” “Bleca,” and “Fantasma”; and Fulton member Jose Arevalao Iraheta, also known as “Splinter,” “Inesperado,” and “Daniel.” The four defendants were convicted on 24 counts of a third superseding indictment. The verdict followed a 10-week trial before United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall. When sentenced, each of the defendants face a mandatory term of life in prison.
Specifically, Velasquez Larin was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the fatal machete attack of 18-year-old Kenny Reyes, continuing criminal enterprise, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Victor Alvarenga, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the shooting at an individual referred to in the indictment as John Doe 1, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with fatal shooting of 25-year-old Eric Monge, money laundering conspiracy, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the shooting of an individual referred to in the indictment as John Doe 2, and murder in-aid-of racketeering related to the fatal machete attack of 20-year-old Oswaldo Gutierrez Medrano, as well as additional murder conspiracies and firearms offenses.
Diaz Amaya was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder in-aid-of racketeering related to the fatal machete attack of Gutierrez Medrano.
Espinoza Sanchez was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the fatal machete attack of Reyes, murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the fatal shooting of Alvarenga, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the shooting at John Doe 1, and murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with fatal shooting of Monge, money laundering conspiracy, as well as additional murder conspiracies and firearms offenses.
Arevalo Iraheta was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering in connection with the shooting at John Doe 1, causing the death of Monge through use of a firearm, and murder in-aid-of racketeering related to the fatal machete attack of Gutierrez Medrano, as well as additional murder conspiracies and firearms offenses.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“With today’s verdict, four extremely dangerous MS-13 members have been brought to justice for racketeering crimes including murder and now, deservedly, face mandatory life sentences,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Two of the defendants were national MS-13 leaders who were responsible for authorizing murders on behalf of the gang across the country and each of the defendants participated in heinous murders, including some in which victims were hacked to death and dismembered. The outstanding work of our prosecutors, along with members of the FBI, HSI and the NYPD, underscores this Office’s continuing efforts to make our communities safer by dismantling violent and bloodthirsty gangs, and we will not relent in our efforts until they are eradicated.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the Nassau County Police Department and the Suffolk County Police Department for their investigative work.
“Today, the bloody reign of four MS-13 members, including two national leaders, has come to an end. These defendants orchestrated and facilitated the cold-blooded murders of four perceived rivals to simply increase their own social standing,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Their propensity for extreme violence and their depravity of human life threatened the safety of anyone who crossed their path. Alongside our federal, state, and local partners, the FBI maintains its resolute determination to eradicate all violent gangs terrorizing our communities with their callous lawlessness.”
“Today’s convictions of Edenilson Velasquez Larin and Hugo Diaz Amaya—who directed MS-13’s brutal and ruthlessly savage violence —reflect the seriousness of their crimes and the terror they inflicted on our communities,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel. “By holding these individuals accountable, we have stripped them of the violent power and influence they once wielded. The eradication of gang violence on Long Island and throughout the state remains a top priority for HSI New York and our law enforcement partners, and these convictions mark significant progress toward dismantling these criminal organizations from the top down. No stone will be left unturned in our relentless pursuit of justice for the victims of MS-13.”
“These verdicts send a clear message: The NYPD will stop at nothing to identify, dismantle, and hold accountable any street gang that terrorizes our neighborhoods with violence,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “These leaders and members of the notorious MS-13 crew carried out acts of extreme brutality — murdering their victims in cold blood and dismembering their bodies — and they are now facing justice. I am grateful to the NYPD investigators, as well as our law enforcement partners at HSI, the FBI, and the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their meticulous work on this case.”
The U.S. Program
As proved at trial, MS-13 is a violent street gang operating through “cliques” or chapters in Queens, Long Island and communities across the United States, as well as El Salvador, Honduras, and other countries in the Americas and Europe. The gang primarily makes money through drug trafficking and extortion, and is known for its gruesome murders of perceived gang rivals and gang members and associates who have violated the gang’s rules. MS-13 has been responsible for dozens of murders in the Eastern District of New York alone.
Since approximately 2021, virtually all MS-13 cliques in the United States have been united under a single hierarchy known as the “U.S. Program.” The U.S. Program is led by a group of senior gang leaders, most of whom are incarcerated, known as “La Mesa” or “The Table.” La Mesa, among other roles, authorizes and directs murders throughout the country, including in New York. Prior to, and at the time of, their arrests, Velasquez Larin and Diaz Amaya were two of the few members of La Mesa outside of prison — Velasquez Larin was living in Colorado and Diaz Amaya was living in Kansas — and were among the top leaders responsible for the gang’s operations on the East Coast.
Murder of Kenny Reyes in Uniondale, Long Island
In 2016, a member of the Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas (“Hempstead”) clique of MS-13 met and befriended Reyes, who had recently come to the United States from Honduras. This Hempstead member came to believe that Reyes was associated with the 18th Street gang, which is MS-13’s primary rival, and reported this to Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez. The three men then plotted to murder Reyes to increase their positions in the gang.
On May 23, 2016, Velasquez Larin, Espinoza Sanchez and two Hempstead members lured Reyes to a wooded area behind Uniondale High School to smoke marijuana. Instead, once in the woods, Espinoza Sanchez struck Reyes with a machete. Velasquez Larin and the Hempstead members also struck Reyes repeatedly with a machete before the men buried Reyes’ body. For years after the murder, Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez bragged about their roles in the killing to other MS-13 members. Reyes’s body has never been recovered.
Murder of Victor Alvarenga in Flushing, Queens
In 2018, Alvarenga met multiple Fulton members and claimed to be a high-ranking member of the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas (Hollywood) clique of MS-13. Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez investigated Alvarenga’s claims and determined that he was not who he claimed to be. Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez then ordered their underlings, Douglas Melgar-Suriano and Jairo Martinez-Garcia, to kill Alvarenga. Espinoza Sanchez provided Melgar-Suriano and Martinez-Garcia with guns for this purpose and waited in the getaway car to oversee the murder.
In the early morning of November 4, 2018, Melgar-Suriano, Martinez-Garcia and Tito Martinez Alvarenga, a member of the Indios Locos Salvatruchas (Indios) MS-13 clique, laid in wait for Alvarenga. As Alvarenga was walking to his home, he was intercepted by Melgar-Suriano. After walking with him briefly, Melgar-Suriano shot Alvarenga multiple times in the head and body. As Alvarenga writhed on the pavement, Martinez-Garcia also shot him. Martinez Alvarenga stole Alvarenga’s cellphone to prevent law enforcement from recovering any evidence on the phone. Velasquez Larin promoted Melgar-Suriano and Martinez-Garcia within the gang for their participation in this murder.
Melgar Suriano and Martinez Garcia pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Murder of Eric Monge in College Point, Queens
In early 2020, Fulton member Oscar Hernandez Baires stole a shotgun from Monge, his former roommate. In response, Monge confronted Hernandez Baires and assaulted him. This assault was reported to Fulton leadership, including Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez, who then ordered that Monge be killed for attacking Hernandez Baires. Multiple Fulton members, including Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez conducted surveillance to locate Monge so that he could be killed.
In the early morning hours of September 6, 2020, Fulton members Jose Guevara Aguilar and Hernandez Baires shot at and killed Monge while he was seated in his parked car near his home in Queens. Monge’s wife had just returned to the car after bringing their young children inside their residence when Hernandez Baires and Guevara Aguilar began shooting. After the murder, Guevara Aguilar and Hernandez Baires ran back to a car where another Fulton member was waiting to help them escape. As they fled to the car, Guevara Aguilar dropped his hat, which was later found to have his DNA on it.
Guevara Aguilar and Hernandez Baires pleaded guilty to the murder and are awaiting sentencing.
Murder of Oswaldo Gutierrez Medrano in Jericho, Long Island
On January 31, 2022, a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas (“Sailors”) MS-13 clique known as “Stocky” murdered two members of the Sureños gang in FCI Beaumont, a federal prison located in Texas. Because this murder was unauthorized, La Mesa sought to punish the Sailors clique.
Gutierrez Medrano was a member of the Sailors clique in New York. The Sailors wanted to promote him to homeboy after he received a beating. Because there were no other Sailors present in New York, MS-13 members from other cliques would have to give Gutierez Medrano his beating. La Mesa, including Velasquez Larin and Diaz Amaya, used this as an opportunity to exact its revenge and ordered the murder of Gutierrez Medrano. Diaz Amaya also coordinated luring Gutierrez Medrano to meet other MS-13 members under the false pretense that he would be receiving his beating.
On February 13, 2022 in Nassau County, Gutierrez Medrano met with those other MS-13 members, including Arevalo Iraheta, who hacked him to death with machetes, slit his throat with a knife, dismembered his body and buried the parts in a wooded area.
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This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Today’s convictions are the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of MS-13. MS-13’s leadership was based in El Salvador and Honduras, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the district and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by our law enforcement partners including HSI and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI and NYPD.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Siegel, Nadie E. Moore, Anna L. Karamigios and Kam Ammari are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Timothy Migliaro and Danielle Barber.
The Defendants:
EDENILSON VELASQUEZ LARIN (also known as “Agresor,” “Saturno,” “Tiny,” and “Paco”)
Age: 36
Thornton, ColoradoJOSE AREVALO IRAHETA (also known as “Splinter,” “Inesperado,” and “Daniel”)
Age: 28
Queens, New YorkHUGO DIAZ AMAYA (also known as “21”)
Age: 37
Kansas City, KansasJOSE ESPINOZA SANCHEZ (also known as “Cable,” “Bleca,” and “Fantasma”)
Age: 27
Carrboro, North CarolinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-228 (LDH)
Two East Bay Men Plead Guilty for Their Roles in Multiple Armed Robberies over A Three-Week Span in 2024Read the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jaray Washington, 44, of Oakland, pleaded guilty in federal court today to committing eight armed robberies throughout the East Bay over a three-week span in 2024, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm. Deante Hunt, 27, of San Lorenzo, pleaded guilty on November 14, 2025, to one count of robbery affecting interstate commerce for his participation in two of the armed robberies.
In pleading guilty, Washington admitted to robbing multiple gas stations and convenience of gas stations, convenience stores, and a fast-food restaurant between January 14, 2024, and February 2, 2024, including:
- On January 14, 2024, Washington, with a pistol in hand, robbed a gas station snack shop on Hesperian Boulevard in Hayward, during which he racked the pistol’s slide when he demanded money from the store clerk and demanded that the clerk provide money from the store’s safe.
- On January 22, 2024, Washington, carrying a pistol, robbed a gas station snack shop on Winston Avenue in Hayward and took by force money and cigarettes from the store clerk and jewelry, a wallet, and an iPhone from a store customer.
- On January 31, 2024, during a robbery of a gas station store on Castro Valley Boulevard in Castro Valley, Washington grabbed a store clerk from behind and held a pistol against the clerk’s body, while Hunt demanded money from the cash register and took money from the clerk’s pockets. The two men took approximately $1,500 in U.S. currency from the store’s two cash registers and approximately 10 cartons of cigarettes.
- On February 2, 2024, Washington and Hunt robbed a fast-food restaurant on Foothill Boulevard in Hayward, during which Washington used a pistol to force both female employees into a back office at gunpoint. Hunt took over $1,000 in cash.
In addition, during a search of Washington’s residence on February 13, 2024, law enforcement found a loaded semiautomatic Glock model 19 pistol, which Washington admitted was the same firearm he used in the eight robberies. Washington possessed the firearm despite having previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.
Washington is currently in federal custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2026. Hunt is currently released on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 20, 2026.
Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of robbery affecting interstate commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a). Washington also faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonah Ross and Kelly Volkar are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Alycee Lane, Mark DiCenzo, and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, Hayward Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Livermore Police Department, San Leandro Police Department, and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Two Defendants Plead Guilty in Shooting that Injured Dunbar High School StudentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saki Frost, 19, and Azhari Graves, 19, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to multiple counts in relation to a shooting that occurred on May 3, 2024, near Dunbar High School that injured one student. The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Frost and Graves each pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license. Frost, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, was prosecuted as an adult under Title 16. As part of their sentences, both defendants will be required to register as gun offenders. Both defendants are set to be sentenced on March 20, 2026, before the Honorable J. Michael Ryan.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 3, 2024, at approximately 9:53 a.m., Graves and Frost opened fire on a sedan that was driving down Kirby Street NW, near Dunbar High School. A witness to the shooting reported hearing machine gun fire. Surveillance video captures Frost and Graves running down an alleyway holding firearms prior to the shooting. Surveillance video also captures the shooting, in which an individual appearing to be Frost, fires a gun toward the sedan. Surveillance footage also captures Graves after the shooting holding a firearm with the slide locked to the rear of the weapon, indicating that the weapon had been fired. Graves and Frost then fled the area in a vehicle. Later that day, MPD officers located the vehicle used by the defendants and arrested Graves and Frost. Investigators recovered a total of 29 shell casings from the scene of the shooting and numerous fragments from the exterior of Dunbar High School, as well as from classrooms inside the school. Investigators also observed at least six bullet strikes to the N Street side of Dunbar. During the shooting, one Dunbar student suffered a graze wound to the head from the gunfire.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kraig Ahalt and Courtney Scholz.
Twice-Removed Illegal Alien Sentenced to over 24 Years for Role in Drug Conspiracy and Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE Tenn. – On December 17, 2025, Courtney Sterling, 45, of Jamaica, was sentenced to 292 months by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Following his imprisonment, Sterling will be on supervised release for 10 years.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Sterling agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(A), Possession of a Firearm as an Illegal Alien, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(5), and Aggravated Re-entry, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), (b)(2).
According to filed court documents, in November of 2022, the Johnson City, Tennessee Police Department (JCPD) was notified about a shipment of marijuana that was scheduled to be delivered to an address in Johnson City. This led to a search warrant and investigation at Sterling’s residence and the discovery of 11 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.5 pounds of cocaine, and firearms. Sterling was arrested after this offense. Upon further investigation, officers later discovered additional firearms, cocaine, and large amounts of U.S. currency. Sterling, a Jamaican citizen, had previously been removed from the United States on two prior occasions. After making bond in Washington County, Tennessee, he failed to appear in court and became a fugitive.
In October of 2024, Homeland Security Investigators (HSI), along with the JCPD, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted the shipment of 20 pounds of methamphetamine and 2.6 pounds of cocaine to another address in Johnson City. Sterling had coordinated the delivery with co-defendants MJ Adams and Heather Ward to their residence for distribution within the Eastern District of Tennessee. After the execution of a search warrant, agents also located an additional pound of methamphetamine in the residence and large amounts of U.S. currency.
Judge Corker also sentenced another member of the conspiracy on Wednesday, December 17th; Heather Ward, 37, of Johnson City, received a sentence of 120 months with a period of supervised release of five years following her imprisonment.
The third member of the conspiracy, MJ Adams, 41, of Johnson City, is set to be sentenced before Judge Corker on February 4, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by JCPD, HSI, TBI, and DEA. This investigation was led by JCPD Sergeant William Saulsbury, HSI Special Agent John Bulla, and TBI Special Agent Jason Roark.
Special Assistant United States Attorney AnCharlene Davis and Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Gomez represented the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Two Lafayette Men Plead Guilty in Federal Court in a Multi-State Vehicle Theft, Firearm Trafficking, and Identity Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that Dennis Loyd Sizemore, age 54, and Gregory Brazell, age 41, both of Lafayette, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle; altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number; possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices; and conspiracy to sell or dispose of a firearm and the transfer of a firearm to a prior convicted felon.
According to admissions made as part of their guilty pleas, between October 2021 and March 2022, Sizemore, Brazell, and their co-conspirators, Chrisopher Don Byerley and Adrienne Marie King, carried out a coordinated and complex operation extending across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in which the group stole, then used or sold the stolen and altered vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value of over $250,000.
The conspiracy involved tampering with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) to disguise the identity of stolen property. Use of a chop shop, fraudulent documentation, and false business fronts such as “Hevyquip L.L.C.” to sell stolen equipment and unauthorized possession of over 400 identities and access devices to further conceal their criminal activities
During the investigation, it was determined that Brazell and Sizemore used a third party to illegally purchase a firearm, which was later sold to Byerley, a prior convicted felon, who then installed on the pistol an unregistered silencer.
In February 2022, an investigation of a shoplifting incident in the Juban Crossing Shopping Center led Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives to uncover from a stolen pickup truck being operated by Byerley, the unregistered firearm silencer, an FN Model 509 9mm pistol and ammunition; documentation detailing parts orders for silencers all in Byerley’s handwriting; multiple text messages and photographs pointing to intent to traffic firearms and circumvent federal regulations; and numerous documents, records, emails, text messages and photos that led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise.
Byerley was recently sentenced to 115 months in federal prison following his convictions in this conspiracy.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Saint Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Sheriff’s Department, and Lafayette Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and M. Patricia Jones. To address the firearm trafficking charges, AUSA Thornton was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Louisiana, where he worked in conjunction with Assistant United States Attorney John Nickel.
Six Individuals Charged in $41 Million Insider Trading and Market Manipulation Scheme Involving Cancer Drug and Opioid Treatment CompaniesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Six individuals were charged for their participation in a years-long scheme to trade securities based on material non-public information (“MNPI”), Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
“As alleged, the defendants engaged in insider trading and market manipulation on a massive scale—using stolen information, falsified data, and fake press releases to mislead investors and enrich themselves. This Office will continue to pursue complex financial fraud schemes that threaten the fairness and transparency of our markets and harm individual investors.”
- Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello
“The FBI takes allegations of insider trading with the utmost seriousness,” said FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge, Stefanie Roddy. “Shoukat and his co-conspirators benefitted greatly from their years-long scheme, and cheated the system to reap their rewards. As complex as a financial fraud scheme is, the FBI will endeavor to stay one step ahead of these alleged criminals.”
Muhammad Saad Shoukat (“Saad Shoukat”), 33, his brothers Muhammad Arham Shoukat (“Arham Shoukat”), 35, and Muhammad Shahwaiz Shoukat (“Shahwaiz Shoukat”), 36—all dual-U.S. and Pakistani citizens—and his friends Daniyal Khan (“Khan”), 33, a dual-U.K and Pakistani citizen, and Izunna Okonkwo (“Okonkwo”), 33, a dual-U.S. and Nigerian citizen, were charged in a complaint that was unsealed today.
Gyunho Justin Kim (“Kim”), 32, of San Francisco, California, was charged in a separate complaint and made an initial appearance before the Honorable Michael A. Hammer, United States Magistrate Judge, on December 12, 2025.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The charges in this case arise from three overlapping securities fraud schemes that occurred at various points from June 2020 through February 2024: (i) a multi-million-dollar insider trading scheme (the “Insider Trading Scheme”); (ii) a scheme to manipulate the stock price of a biopharmaceutical company developing a treatment for breast cancer (“Olema Manipulation Scheme”); and (iii) a scheme to manipulate the stock price of a different biopharmaceutical company seeking to prevent opioid overdoses (“Opiant Manipulation Scheme,” together with the Olema Manipulation Scheme, the “Market Manipulation Schemes”).
The Insider Trading Scheme
Kim worked at an investment bank that was actively involved in multiple mergers and acquisitions of publicly traded healthcare and biopharmaceutical companies. Kim obtained MNPI about many of these pending deals, either by working on deals directly or from others who did. Kim illegally shared MNPI about at least nine of these deals with Saad Shoukat, who traded on that information by himself and through others. Saad Shoukat also tipped off others—including Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, and Okonkwo—who similarly traded and profited from the MNPI. Overall, Saad Shoukat and his co-conspirators received illicit profits from the Insider Trading Scheme totaling at least $41 million.
Olema Manipulation Scheme
Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and others actively manipulated the stock price of Olema, a publicly traded company. Olema focused on developing breast cancer treatment through a drug called OP-1250. From the spring of 2021, Saad Shoukat and Arham Shoukat began investing in Olema stock and encouraged others to invest in it. After buying substantial stock in Olema, Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and others accessed confidential information showing that OP-1250 was less effective than Saad Shoukat and Arham Shoukat had hoped. Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and others then falsified the OP-1250 data the co-conspirators had illegally accessed, and publicly disseminated it in a manner that made it look like the data was real and came from Olema. The release of the false data—which inflated the drug’s efficacy—temporarily caused Olema’s stock price to increase, during which Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and others profited and avoided losses by selling large numbers of shares in Olema stock.
Opiant Manipulation Scheme
Saad Shoukat, his brothers, and others also manipulated the stock price of Opiant, another publicly traded company. Opiant was developing an opioid overdose treatment. Kim provided MNPI to Saad Shoukat about a company seeking to acquire Opiant. Based on that MNPI, Saad Shoukat and others bought Opiant stock. But that potential acquisition stalled, and Saad Shoukat and others were stuck with their stock purchases. In response, in or around April 2022, Saad Shoukat, his brothers, and others—using a fake Opiant website and fake Opiant email addresses that appeared legitimate—caused the publication of a fake press release announcing a purported merger and acquisition involving Opiant and another company. The fake press release drove up Opiant’s stock approximately 29%. Saad Shoukat, his brothers, and others profited by selling off shares during that spike, causing substantial losses to victim investors.
If convicted, the defendants face the following maximum sentences:
CountOffenseDefendantsMaximum Penalties1Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim25 years’ imprisonment2Conspiracy to Commit Insider Trading, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim5 years’ imprisonment3Securities Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1348Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim25 years’ imprisonment4Insider Trading, in violation of 15 U.S.C., §§ 78j(b) and 78ff; 17 C.F.R., § 240.10b-5Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim20 years’ imprisonment5Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim20 years’ imprisonment6Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, Shahwaiz Shoukat, Khan, Okonkwo, and Kim20 years’ imprisonment7Conspiracy to Commit Market Manipulation Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat and Arham Shoukat25 years’ imprisonment8Conspiracy to Commit Market Manipulation Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and Shahwaiz Shoukat25 years’ imprisonment9Conspiracy to Commit Market Manipulation Fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C., §§ 78j(b) and 78ff; 17 C.F.R., § 240.10b-5Saad Shoukat and Arham Shoukat20 years’ imprisonment10Conspiracy to Commit Market Manipulation Fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C., §§ 78j(b) and 78ff; 17 C.F.R., § 240.10b-5Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and Shahwaiz Shoukat20 years’ imprisonment11Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat and Arham Shoukat20 years’ imprisonment12Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349Saad Shoukat, Arham Shoukat, and Shahwaiz Shoukat20 years’ imprisonmentSenior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Barchini of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit and Aaron Webman, Deputy Chief of the Economic 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.
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Defense counsel:
Muhammad Saad Shoukat: Chris Christie, Morristown, NJ
Muhammad Arham Shoukat: Chris Christie, Morristown, NJ
Muhammad Shahwaiz Shoukat: Chris Christie, Morristown, NJ
Daniyal “Dan” Khan: Unknown
Izunna “Zunnie” Okonkwo: Scott McBride, Roseland, NJ and Alexey Tarasov, Rosenberg, Texas.
Gyunho Justin Kim: Timothy Crudo, San Francisco, CA
shoukat_et_al.complaint.pdfShooter Pleads Guilty to Killing 17-Year-Old in MayRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Carlton Simon, 20, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the shooting death of 17-year-old Angel Dominguez in Northwest D.C. this Spring, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Simon entered a guilty plea to second degree murder while armed before Superior Court Associate Judge Todd Edelman on December 17, 2025. Simon confirmed that, in shooting the decedent, he was acting voluntarily, and that he was not acting in self-defense. Judge Edelman ordered that Simon continue to be held without bond pending sentencing.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled to occur before Judge Edelman on February 20, 2026.
According to court documents, Simon, a classmate of the victim Angel Dominguez, approached Dominguez on Florida Avenue with a loaded firearm in tow. As the victim walked away from him, Simon pointed a gun at Dominguez’s back, before restraining him and ultimately shooting him in the chest. Dominguez died as a result of his injuries shortly thereafter.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rashmika Nedungadi.
Second of pair of men operating massive stolen goods trafficking scheme pleads guiltyRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 58-year-old Bellevue, Washington and Las Vegas, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for his role in a scheme to sell stolen goods on Amazon and eBay, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Andrey A. Balun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce. Balun and his co-defendant, Vitaliy F. Bobak, 53, of Federal Way, Washington, jointly owned MBA Trading LLC which did business at a Burien, Washington storefront operating as “We Buy Gold, Silver, and Electronics.” An extensive law enforcement investigation revealed that the storefront knowingly purchased goods that had been stolen from area retailers. The pair then sold the goods on Amazon or eBay for millions of dollars in profit.
According to the plea agreement and other records filed in the case, Balun co-owned the business since 2018. In 2019 Bobak bought a 50 percent share of the business that once belonged to Balun’s original business partner. Balun trained Bobak on how to operate the business. Balun admits that the business purchased stolen goods from individual sellers knowing that the goods were stolen. The business bought primarily over the counter medications and health/beauty products. In many instances the goods still had anti-theft devices attached, and/or stickers saying for sale only at a particular retailer. The men bought the goods far below the retail price and then posted them for sale on two websites they operated on Amazon and eBay. The Amazon store was called “Medikus” and the eBay store was called “abcstore555.” Money from the online stores was traced to the men’s bank accounts. The funds were then used by the men to operate the scheme by paying cash to the “boosters” (people who stole the goods) and payroll to employees who were involved in posting and shipping the goods for sale. The remainder of the proceeds were funneled to the men who then withdrew money to pay themselves and for various personal expenses. Between 2021 and June of 2023, the operation brought in more than $4.5 million. Balun obtained proceeds of at least $1 million. Investigators traced some of that money to his purchase of a home in Las Vegas.
The plea agreement details three items brought to the We Buy store as stolen goods that were then sold on Amazon and eBay: a Braun electric shaver, sold and shipped to Rhode Island, a Keurig coffee maker sold and shipped to Oregon and Sonicare and Rogaine products purchased from a “booster.” Bobak used a torch lighter and drill to remove the security devices on the products.
The scale of the sales was huge and both national and international. An analysis of the sales of the two online stores reveals that between January 1, 2022, and November 28, 2023, there were over 150,000 sale transactions through the abcstore555 eBay and Medikus Amazon stores. When search warrants were served and merchandise seized on December 19, 2023, the conspirators possessed more than 74,000 items of stolen merchandise valued at approximately $2.4 million. After the seizure, the business shut down.
In his plea agreement Balun agrees to forfeit $1,000,000 to the government as part of the resolution of his case.
Conspiracy to transport stolen property is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bobak is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Tana Lin on January 14, 2026. Balun is scheduled for sentencing on March 11, 2026. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend that Balun serve no more than 57 months in prison. Judge Lin is not limited by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with significant assistance from the Renton Police Department, Seattle Police Department, and the IRS, and aided by investigators from numerous retailers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean H. Waite and Asset Forfeiture Assistant United States Attorney Krista Bush.
Roslindale Man Arrested for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Roslindale man has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged fentanyl distribution conspiracy, following a series of controlled purchases in Brookline and Boston.
Shaquylle Burden, 31, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Burden was arrested on Dec. 11, 2025 and remains in federal custody. A co-defendant, Kerry Charlotin, a/k/a “KG,” 36, of Rockland, was also arrested in South Carolina and remains in federal custody. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Charlotin is currently on federal supervised release for a 2020 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to the charging documents, the defendants trafficked fentanyl in and around the greater Boston area since at least June 2025. It is alleged that, on separate dates in October and December of 2025, Burden and Charlotin sold or arranged the sale of fentanyl during repeated controlled purchases. One firearm was also allegedly located at Burden’s residence at the time of his arrest.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Columbia Field Office in South Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Romanian National Sentenced to Nine Months in Federal Prison for Installing Skimmers throughout Southern District of MississippiRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – Antonio Rafaila, 19, was sentenced today to nine months in federal prison for illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment, also known as skimmers. His codefendant, Giovanni Iortoman, 19, was sentenced last week to serve one year in prison for the same crime. Both defendants entered the United States illegally.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of March 31, 2025, employees of a grocery store in Laurel, Mississippi discovered a skimmer attached to a point-of-sale terminal in one of the store’s check-out lanes. A skimmer is capable of reading and recording account information including customer names, account numbers, and personal identification numbers from credit and debit cards. Store employees checked CCTV footage from the store and reported the matter to law enforcement immediately. CCTV footage revealed that two men, later identified as Antonio Rafaila and Giovanni Iortoman, had placed a skimmer device on the point-of-sale machine.
Rafaila and Iortoman used the same tactics at multiple grocery stores in Jones, Rankin, and Madison counties with the intent to steal the personal information of customers for profit. One of the men would purchase items at the grocery store and distract the checkout clerk while the other surreptitiously installed the skimmer. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Fraud Task Force alerted local stores about the two men and their descriptions. The sedan the subjects were seen driving in Laurel was later stopped by Madison County law enforcement almost immediately after the subjects emplaced another skimmer in Madison.
Iortoman presented a Romanian identification card to officers and Rafaila falsely identified himself as Aaron Lipani with a fraudulent Italian passport when questioned. A check of government databases determined that Iortoman and Rafaila were foreign nationals in the country without legal authority. As the defendants entered the United States illegally, they may be subject to deportation upon their release from prison.
A criminal complaint was filed against Rafaila and Iortoman on April 2, 2025. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against them on April 8, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly T. Purdie and C. Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.
The Cyber Fraud Task Force offered the following tips to keep your bank card data safe:
- Use terminals that offer tap to pay or chip read capabilities. Avoid swiping cards, if possible.
- Look at the terminal prior to inserting or using your card in relation to other terminals in the store. Do they look the same? Overlay skimmers will add to the overall dimensions of a terminal.
Romanian Admits $211,000 Nationwide Sleight-of-Hand FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An illegal immigrant from Romania on Friday admitted targeting stores across the country with a sleight-of-hand fraud that netted about $211,000.
Ica Munteanu, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry and one count of wire fraud.
Munteanu admitted unlawfully entering the U.S. around September of 2016. She was deported back to Romania on Sept. 11, 2017, and re-entered unlawfully around March of 2019. Munteanu was found in Florida on June 24, 2025, and originally charged in the Middle District of Florida with that crime.
Munteanu also admitted stealing a total of $211,000 from two national retailers in at least 20 states during at least 70 different transactions. Munteanu would bring merchandise or gift cards to cashiers and then count money into piles that added up to at least the full amount of the transaction. She would then take the cash back, gather it into a pile and slip some bills from the bottom of the stack into her pocket before handing the cash back to the cashier. Munteanu would then go to a different store and return the merchandise. In one example described in her plea agreement, Munteanu shortchanged a store in Rolla out of $2,800, and then returned the merchandise at three different stores in Illinois for a refund.
Munteanu is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2026. The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine. The illegal reentry charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced David Allen Vickers, age 53, of Yakima, Washington, to 150 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Vickers will also be on federal supervised release for three years after serving his custodial sentence.
The following information was made public during the legal proceedings. Between 1991 and 2020, Vickers was convicted of multiple criminal offenses, including Driving under the Influence, Residential Burglary, Third Degree Assault, Fourth Degree Assault, Conspiracy to Deliver Marijuana, Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Obstruction, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Forgery.
In 2020, Vickers was charged in State court with Residential Burglary, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle, and Third Degree Assault. On May 17, 2023, he was permitted to resolve the charges by entering into a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (SOSA) program.
On June 21, 2023, while serving a term of State community custody supervision for the above, Vickers was found sleeping behind the wheel of a vehicle on the roadway. Officers with the Yakima Police Department approached the vehicle and woke him. One of the officers believed he was intoxicated. An officer asked Vickers to step out of the vehicle for a field sobriety test. As he exited the vehicle, an officer saw what he believed to be Vickers tossing a gun into the backseat. Officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and found a loaded firearm in the rear of the vehicle. Officers also found several pills in Vickers’ pocket. Officers ran a check and learned that he had a lengthy criminal history and was the subject of an arrest warrant for violating conditions of his SOSA program.
On September 12, 2023, a federal Grand Jury returned an indictment that charged Vickers with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On July 29, 2025, he pled guilty to the Indictment. On the same day, he was released over the government’s objection. Within three weeks, he cut off his GPS monitoring device and fled. In early August 2025, the United States Marshals Service arrested him in the Western District of Washington.
First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano drew a stark difference between the rights of law-abiding citizens and convicted felons to possess firearms: “It is well established that law-abiding American citizens have a Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Law-abiding citizens who own firearms are often fierce advocates for gun safety and routinely support restricting dangerous felons from possessing firearms. Mr. Vickers is not such a person. He possessed illegal drugs and has more than 30 prior misdemeanor and/or felony convictions. His conduct makes him a danger to the community and has justifiably resulted in him being prohibited from lawfully possessing firearms. The United States Attorney’s Office is dedicated to defending all citizens’ rights under our Constitution, and to seeking appropriate accountability for individuals who pose a danger to the community.”
“Mr. Vickers’ criminal history is staggering, and his habitual disregard for the law shows he has not learned from his prior sentences. By holding offenders like Mr. Vickers accountable, ATF, our law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are helping protect our communities and reinforcing that those who illegally possess firearms and endanger public safety will be held accountable.”
This case is being investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), the Yakima Police Department (“YPD”), the Washington State Department of Corrections (“DOC”), and the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tom Hanlon.
Registered Sex Offender from Honduras Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Kevin Noel Ochoa Venegas (a/k/a Kevin Noel Ochoa-Venegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banega), 32, of Honduras, was sentenced to federal prison after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This criminal illegal alien thought he could continue to violate our nation’s immigration laws with impunity, but Operation Take Back America was launched upon the promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi that we would devote our legal resources to fully enforcing federal law against such criminals. This successful prosecution delivers on that promise, and we will ensure this criminal illegal alien is deported yet again, and with our border secure he will not be able to return.”
According to court documents, on April 11, 2025, the defendant was arrested in Bay County, Florida, for driving without a valid license. Law enforcement determined that the defendant was a citizen of Honduras who was illegally present in the United States. An investigation revealed that the defendant was previously removed from the United States in 2016, and again in 2021 after he was convicted in Bay County, Florida, for a sex crime that resulted in him being designated a sex offender. The defendant did not apply for or receive permission to reenter the United States since his last removal from the United States in 2021.
An ICE detainer has been lodged against the defendant, and he will begin deportation proceedings.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
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.
Puerto Rico Department of Labor Employee and Seven Others Indicted in Public Corruption Unemployment Insurance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – On December 17, 2025, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging eight women with engaging in fraud scheme to obtain unemployment compensation from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PRDOL) totaling $619,923 and to make kickback payments to a public official, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are in charge of the investigation with the assistance of the Puerto Rico Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG), and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda). The Puerto Rico Department of Labor initiated the referral to federal authorities.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to submit false information in order to fraudulently obtain unemployment compensation from the PRDOL. This was done by using false personal identifying information, using identifying information of other individuals, and providing false information related to past employment history. Defendant Luz Garay-Osorio, using her position as an employee of PRDOL, made changes in the PRDOL system to make family members eligible to receive unemployment benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Garay-Osorio also used her position as a PRDOL interviewer to file fraudulent claims, create false work history, change historical changes, and make monetary and non-monetary determinations. In addition, Garay-Osorio submitted fraudulent claims using other individuals’ identities and caused benefits to be paid to co-conspirators, including family members.
The defendants fraudulently obtained approximately $619,923 in benefits and Garay-Osorio received approximately $142,507 in kickback payments as follows.
[1] Luz Garay-Osorio directly received approximately $13,308 in fraudulent benefits.
[2] Glenda Garay-Osorio received approximately $107,291 in fraudulent benefits and transferred approximately $17,857.00 to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[3] Tatiana Skerrett-Garay received approximately $46,834 in fraudulent benefits and transferred approximately $20,597.98 to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[4] Ariana Skerrett-Garay received approximately $45,946 in fraudulent benefits and transferred the entire amount to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[5] Dayanara Aquino-Garay received approximately $73,950 in fraudulent benefits and transferred approximately $10,575.00 to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[6] Nashaly Vega-Garay received approximately $102,670 in fraudulent benefits and transferred approximately $21,423.00 to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[7] Almarys De Jesús-Garay received approximately $13,803 in fraudulent benefits and transferred approximately $1,000.00 to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
[8] Mariela Cabrera-Vistel received approximately $58,015 in fraudulent benefits and caused the purchase of 18 money orders totaling $17,500 that were deposited in the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio and an additional approximately $7,609 was transferred to the bank account of Luz Garay-Osorio.
In addition to being charged with conspiracy to steal federal funds and honest services mail fraud, Garay-Osorio is also charged with money laundering and aggravated identity theft. Garay-Osorio was subsequently terminated by the Puerto Rico Department of Labor.
“These defendants engaged in a scheme to defraud the Puerto Rico Department of Labor by using an employee’s position of trust to file numerous fraudulent unemployment insurance claims when they were not entitled to such benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The United States Department of Justice, along with our state and federal counterparts will continue to hold accountable those who seek to exploit federal benefits for personal gain, to protect vulnerable populations, and to safeguard the integrity of taxpayer-funded programs. We commend the outstanding work and collaboration of our law enforcement partners in the investigation of this case.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving the U.S. Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance program. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“This investigation underscores our commitment to protecting public funds and holding accountable those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain,” said Joe Rodríguez, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraudulent schemes that undermine critical assistance programs and hurt our communities.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigative and bring to justice those who defraud the American taxpayer and fraudulently use the nation’s mail system,” said Bladismir Rojo, Postal Inspector in Charge, Miami Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Anderson is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants are facing up to 5 years of imprisonment for theft of government money and conspiracy. Luz Garay-Osorio is also facing up to 20 years of imprisonment for honest services mail fraud and a mandatory two-year sentence in prison for aggravated identity theft. In addition, Luz Garay Osorio and Mariela Cabrera Vistel are facing up to 20 years in prison for money laundering conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Luz Garay-Osorio is the ninth Commonwealth of Puerto Rico employee to be charged or plead guilty to a federal corruption offense since 2024. See United States v. Antonio Silva-Rodriguez (Hacienda employee – CR 23-452(CVR)); United States v. Hector Vazquez-Barroso (Hacienda employee – CR 23-452(CVR)); United States v. Doris Bonilla-Valle (Hacienda employee – CR 23-452(CVR)); United States v. Nancy Baez-Flores (CESCO employee – CR 24-238(PAD)); United States v. Joselyn Figueroa-Rosario (CESCO employee – CR 24-238(PAD)); United States v. Javier Relta-Lebron (Hacienda employee – CR 25-434(PAD)); United States v. Harry Muriel-Falero (Hacienda employee – CR 25-434(PAD)); United States v. Elsa Santiago-Colon (Hacienda employee – CR 25-492(SCC)).
To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
To report a bribery/kickback scheme or suspicious public corruption activity, contact the FBI by calling the San Juan Field Office at (787)987-6500 or online via www.tips.fbi.gov
Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Previously Deported Jamaican Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty in D.C. to Firearms Counts, Illegal Re-entryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damion Alexander Peddie, a Jamaican citizen who previously was convicted of multiple drug trafficking offenses and has been removed from the United States on at least four prior occasions, pleaded guilty this morning in U.S. District Court in connection with possessing a cache of weapons and narcotics and for illegally re-entering the country, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Peddie, 54, pleaded guilty before Judge Timothy J. Kelly to a three-count information charging him with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, to alien in possession of a firearm, and to unlawful re-entry of a previously removed alien. Judge Kelly scheduled sentencing for March 20, 2026.
Peddie faces a statutory maximum of 15 years imprisonment for each of his firearms offenses, and a statutory maximum of 20 years imprisonment for his unlawful re-entry offense.
“This guy is the worst of the worst,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “He’s a repeat offender, a convicted cocaine trafficker, an illegal alien after being deported four times, who had an arsenal of firearms and possessed fentanyl and crack cocaine in distribution quantities at his house in Northwest Washington. I’m going to make certain that this time he’s going to be sent away for a long, long time.”
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division.
According to court documents, in the Summer of 2024, FBI agents initiated a long-term investigation of a drug trafficking conspiracy centered around the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE. Law enforcement had identified an alleged fentanyl and PCP trafficker with a stash house in the 2900 block of Knox Place. Over the course of their investigation into the trafficker’s narcotics suppliers, investigating agents determined that Peddie was conspiring with members of the drug trafficking operation (DTO) in the redistribution of fentanyl, amongst other narcotics.
On August 26, 2025, FBI agents executed a search warrant at a home on the 400 block of Taylor Street NW as part of a coordinated arrest and search warrant operation in connection with the Knox Place DTO investigation. After entering the building, the agents encountered Peddie walking down the stairs from the second floor.
In Peddie’s bedroom, agents found a “ghost gun,” that is, a privately manufactured black 9mm Polymer 80 pistol (PMF) with no serial number, and a .22 caliber handgun. Agents also recovered approximately seven pounds of marijuana, along with distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, all of which Peddie possessed with the intent to distribute.
In the first floor of the home, agents found an H&R 32 S&W revolver, an AR-style ghost-gun, six ammunition magazines, various rounds of ammunition, and a High Point 9mm carbine rifle.
This criminal case is Peddie’s fifth conviction in United States District Court for unlawful re-entry of a previously removed alien. Peddie has been convicted of the same offense on four prior occasions: in the District of Maryland in January 1996, as well as the District of Columbia in May 2004, October 2010, and October 2013.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the DEA Washington and Greenbelt Divisions and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, John Parron, and John Crabb of the Violence Reduction and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Pelican man indicted for advertising, distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
JUNEAU, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment this week charging a Pelican man with advertising and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This case is one of three cases charged in Alaska through Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.
According to court documents, between July 5 and 20, 2024, Adam Pool, 39, knowingly made a notice and advertisement seeking and offering to exchange CSAM and knowingly distributed CSAM via the internet.
Pool is charged with one count of advertising child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted of both counts, he faces between 15 and 50 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement as part of Operation Relentless Justice. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Juneau Resident Agency is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Reed and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Pensacola Man Indicted on Charges of Drug Adulteration, Mail Fraud and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA FLORIDA – Scott Robinson, 51, of Pensacola, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with two counts of drug adulteration, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Robinson appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon for his arraignment in federal court in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is set for January 20, 2026, before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Robinson faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment on each count.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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 available 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.
Oshkosh Sex Offender Indicted on Federal Child Sex OffensesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 16, 2025, a federal grand jury issued a four-count indictment alleging that on two different dates in September of 2025, Dustin K. Gildemeister (Age: 39) of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, distributed obscene visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1466A. The indictment also alleges that he did so as an individual required to register as a sexual offender in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A.
If convicted of one of the distribution of obscene depictions charges, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum 15-year and a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment. Should the jury find he committed one of those charges while required to register as a sexual offender, the defendant faces an additional mandatory 10 year-sentence that must be imposed consecutive to any other sentence. The defendant may also be required to pay a fine of up to $250,000 and faces a mandatory term of 5 years on supervised release and a maximum term of life on supervised release.
The defendant is alleged to be on the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry based upon his convictions in 2015 in the Winnebago County Circuit Court for child exploitation and possession of child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Division of Community Corrections. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Orleans Parish Man Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JASON PICK (“PICK), age 44, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on December 17, 2025 by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to 37 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay $64,137 to his victim.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through October 25, 2021, PICK worked as an accounting clerk for a company that manages residential and commercial real estate in the New Orleans area. During his employment, PICK stole approximately $64,137 from the company by altering the face of money orders intended to be rent payments from tenants and deposited the altered money orders into his own bank account. While awaiting sentencing for a scheme to defraud his previous employer, PICK submitted a fraudulent letter from the company to a federal judge, requesting that his prison report date be delayed because it was a busy period for the company. In truth and in fact, the letter was forged by PICK, and the owner of the company was unaware of the letter, or PICK’s crimes. The Court granted the defendant’s request, and PICK used this delay to further conceal his crimes. Before reporting to serve his prison sentence, PICK lied to the company about his upcoming absence by stating that he needed to undergo immediate emergency kidney surgery. He advised the company he would be able to complete his duties on a remote basis during this time. On his way to prison, PICK remotely accessed the company’s computer system and fraudulently edited the accounting books to conceal the money he had stolen.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Secret Service in investigating the matter. Assistant United States Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.
Ohio Resident Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Unlawfully Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court to 180 months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Kareem Middlebrook, 43, on December 18, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around December 2021 to in and around March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Middlebrook conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, a quantity of a mixture of fentanyl, and a quantity of a mixture of crack. Additionally, in and around May 2022, Middlebrook possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl. Middlebrook was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Further, in and around May 2022, Middlebrook—who had been previously convicted of a felony—unlawfully possessed a firearm. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Middlebrook. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Indiana Borough Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The HSTF for the Western District of Pennsylvania comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Ocala Man Indicted for Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Justin Charles Brown (45, Ocala) with producing child sex abuse material (CSAM) and possessing CSAM. If convicted on all counts, Brown faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 60 years, in federal prison. In addition, he would be required to serve a minimum term of 5 years’ supervised release and register as a sex offender. The indictment also notifies Brown that the United States intends to forfeit a cellular phone, which was used in the offense.
According to a previously issued criminal complaint, Brown came into contact with a child in California on social media around February 2024. Brown sent files of CSAM to the child and asked the child to produce child sex material for Brown. The child disclosed to the FBI that on one occasion she had broadcast herself being sexually abused by a friend of the family to Brown, at his request, via Facetime.
On October 2025, the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Brown’s residence and seized his cellular phone. A review of the phone revealed that it contained CSAM, including a video of the child in California being sexually abused by the family friend in February 2024.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joseph Ashley Dickenson, age 47, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced on December 18, 2025, to 240 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, between January 2023 and May 5, 2023, Dickenson conspired with multiple individuals to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl. On May 4, 2023, law enforcement seized one kilogram of cocaine sent by Dickenson to a coconspirator in Dickson City, Lackawanna County using a parcel service. On May 5, 2023, investigators seized 4.4 kilograms of methamphetamine sent by Dickenson to the same coconspirator. A search of Dickenson’s business and home, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, resulted in the seizure of 542 grams of fentanyl, and amounts of marijuana and MDMA. Dickenson also illegally possessed seven firearms, two of which were stolen. A review of banking records showed that Dickenson had received at least $49,909 in proceeds from drug distribution.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
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Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Firearms DealerRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Nigerian national unlawfully present in the United States pleaded guilty on Monday, December 15th in federal court to making false statements while attempting to purchase a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Laurel Echezonam, 25, entered the country unlawfully via the United States Southern Border in 2022. Immigration officials determined that Echezonam was a Nigerian national in the country without approval.
On June 7, 2024, and June 8, 2024, Echezonam traveled from his residence in Vicksburg, Mississippi to purchase a firearm at different firearms dealers. When Echezonam completed the required firearms purchase form, he made false statements regarding his immigration status to deceive the firearms dealer into selling him the firearms. Echezonam was denied the firearms based on his immigration status and was subsequently apprehended by immigration officials.
Laurel Echezonam is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of up to ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson if the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn Murray and C. Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.
This case is 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).
Nicaraguan National Sentenced for Misuse of Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, LEONARDO PARAMO-BARBAS (“PARAMO-BARBAS”), age 29, was sentenced on December 4, 2025, by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance, after previously pleading guilty to misuse of a social security number in order to obtain employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
PARAMO-BARBAS was sentenced to time served and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to the indictment, PARAMO-BARBAS falsely represented that a Social Security Number was assigned to him for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining employment, knowingly, willfully, and with intent to deceive, on July 20, 2022.
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.
Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the ICE Enforcement Removal Office, Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.
New Jersey Business Owner Sentenced to 87 Months for $172 Million Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, NJ. – A New Jersey business owner was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to defraud Medicare of $172 million, commit money laundering, and pay kickbacks and bribes in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz imposed the sentence on Aaron Neil Williamsky, 65, of Marlboro, New Jersey, in Newark federal court on November 17, 2025. Williamsky was also ordered to pay more than $172 million in restitution.
Williamsky previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
“As the Defendant admitted in open court, he conspired to steal more than $172 million from the American public by submitting fraudulent doctors’ orders for reimbursement through a web of more than twenty durable medical equipment companies located in New Jersey. The sentence Williamsky received reflects the seriousness of his crimes. Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will continue to investigate and prosecute people who engage in fraud at the expense of American taxpayers.”
- Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello
“Williamsky’s sentence of more than 7 years reflects the severity of his crime and reemphasizes the FBI’s commitment to holding fraudsters accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge of FBI Newark, Stefanie Roddy.
“This defendant committed an egregious amount of durable medical equipment fraud. Rampant schemes like his jeopardize the availability of federal health care program funds intended to support millions of beneficiaries,” said Special Agent in Charge Naomi D. Gruchacz of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring those to justice that prioritize greed over patient care.”
“This sentencing demonstrates that fraudsters who target VA programs and services will be found and held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to halt schemes that divert funds from our nation’s deserving veterans.”
According to documents in this case and statements made in court:
From 2015 to 2019, Williamsky led and organized a fraud scheme in which he opened or purchased durable medical equipment (“DME”) supply companies, submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare on behalf of those companies, closed the companies one-by-one to avoid Medicare audits and recoupment, and then opened or purchased new DME companies. He concealed his ownership interest in this web of more than twenty DME companies by employing others to serve as “nominee,” or straw owners.
To generate fraudulent orders, Williamsky and his co-conspirators hired marketing companies to make unsolicited calls offering elderly patients free orthotic braces. In exchange for each patient who agreed to accept DME, Williamsky paid a kickback to the marketing companies in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. To conduct the scheme, Williamsky used sham contracts and invoices that falsely characterized kickbacks he paid as “business process outsourcing” and “marketing expenses.” To evade detection and avoid taxes, Williamsky transferred a portion of the fraud proceeds to overseas bank accounts, where the funds were laundered through shell corporations and foreign real estate holdings.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents and specialists of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; and the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Christopher Silvestro; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the investigation leading to the charge.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett J. Schuman of the Health Care Fraud and Opioid Enforcement Unit.
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Defense Counsel for Aaron Williamsky: Jeffrey M. Kolansky, Philadelphia, PA
New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Delivery of a FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully purchasing a semi-automatic pistol for an unlicensed individual. The unlicensed individual was later seen in online videos firing the pistol near a public school and was arrested in connection with a large-scale car theft enterprise.
Isaiah Johnson, 24, of Merrimack, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of firearm trafficking by unlawful delivery. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2026. Johnson was arrested and charged in June 2025.
In February 2024, Johnson purchased a tan-colored 9-millimeter Glock 19X semi-automatic pistol from a gun store in New Hampshire, for a co-conspirator who was ineligible for a gun license. Johnson ultimately delivered the firearm to the co-conspirator approximately one week later.
In December 2024, the co-conspirator was arrested at his Brockton residence on state charges in connection with an investigation into a high-end car theft enterprise responsible for approximately 63 stolen vehicles worth more than $2.6 million. The firearm Johnson had purchased, as well as two large-capacity magazines, were located during a search of the Brockton residence. Videos posted online show the co-conspirator firing the same firearm while it was equipped with a “selector switch,” rendering it a fully automatic weapon. The video was filmed nearby a public school in Brockton where approximately 43 9-millimeter shell casings and 10 .40 caliber shell casings were later located.
The co-conspirator was later charged in Brockton Superior Court with firearm and other charges in connection with the car theft investigation.
The charge of firearm trafficking by unlawful delivery provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Brockton (Mass.), Merrimack (N.H.) and Manchester (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Trafficking Drugs in OshkoshRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 15, 2025, United States District Judge Byron B. Conway sentenced Aquanis M. Williams (a/k/a “Pirate”) to 156 months’ imprisonment for distributing controlled substances in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
According to court records, from January through May of 2025, Williams distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. On May 29, 2025, agents searched Williams’ residence and seized three firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, approximately $4,500 cash, over 700 grams of methamphetamine, over 100 grams of cocaine, and 27 grams of fentanyl. Williams admitted to possessing the firearms and controlled substances and stated that he planned to purchase one kilogram of fentanyl later that day.
Williams has a significant prior criminal record, including three prior convictions for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and a prior conviction for pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officer.
This case was investigated by the Oshkosh Police Department – Vice and Narcotics Unit, with assistance from the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group – Drug Unit (LWAM), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Milwaukee Police Department, and North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros.
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Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
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Middleton Police Officer Indicted on Federal Child Sex OffenseRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 16, 2025, a federal grand jury issued an indictment alleging that between approximately November 5, 2025, and November 9, 2025, Myles S. Schumaker (Age: 26) of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, coerced or enticed a minor for unlawful sexual activity in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b).
At the time of his arrest, the defendant was employed as a patrol officer with the Middleton Police Department. If convicted of the charge alleged, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence and up to a lifetime in federal prison. Additionally, he may be required to pay a fine of up to $250,000 and will face a mandatory 5-year term of supervised release and up to a lifetime term of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
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Mexican national extradited from Mexico to the United States sentenced for drug and money laundering conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Gilberto Alarcon-Holguin a/k/a Beto, 57, a Mexican national, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, was sentenced to serve 168 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
According to court documents, on October 14, 2017, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized 10 kilograms of cocaine from an identified co-conspirator. HSI obtained a phone number as a point of contact for the delivery of the cocaine, which was linked to co-conspirators of Alarcon-Holguin. On October 19, 2017, HSI conducted a controlled delivery of 10 bricks of “sham” cocaine, which had been wrapped in the same manner as the seized kilograms of cocaine, to a motel parking lot in Corfu, NY. The bag was given to co-conspirator Eduardo Valdez, who was on the phone with Alarcon-Holguin during the delivery. Following the controlled delivery, the New York State Police conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Valdez was riding in. HSI seized $259,960 in cash as a result of the controlled delivery.
Subsequent investigation determined that Alarcon-Holguin had multiple communications with another co-conspirator, Edgar Pavia. Alarcon-Holguin provided instructions to Pavia about shipments of cocaine, packaging of money, and more, all of which was passed along to drug distributors supplied by Alarcon-Holguin in cities including Buffalo, and Louisville, KY. Alarcon-Holguin also passed information to Pavia that was separately conveyed to other co-conspirators, including those involved in the transportation of drugs. For example, on June 21, 2018, co-conspirator Adrian Goudelock received 40 kilograms of cocaine in Buffalo. Over the course of the conspiracy, Goudelock received multiple shipments of 10 kilograms of cocaine or more brokered by Pavia and supplied by Alarcon-Holguin. Alarcon-Holguin also provided instructions to Pavia on how Goudelock should wrap and mark money being sent back to Mexico. Specifically, Alarcon-Holguin told Pavia that Goudelock should wrap the money into 52 packages of $10,000 each.
Other deliveries organized by Alarcon-Holguin during the investigation included: 17 kilograms of cocaine seized from a co-conspirator in West Seneca, NY, and shipments of 10, 15, 20, and 40 kilograms of cocaine to a co-conspirator in Kentucky. In addition, approximately $1,144,735 in cash was seized from a commercial truck driver in Chicago, Illinois. During the course of the investigation, investigators seized approximately $2,600,000.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, under the direction of Director Christopher Romosz. Additional assistance was provided by the New York National Guard and Homeland Security Investigations, El Paso, Texas. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Alarcon-Holguin.
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Mexican National from New Jersey Charged with Transporting Illegal Aliens from Canadian BorderRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on December 18, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Carlos Nonoal-Cano, 26, a Mexican national from Lakewood, New Jersey, with transportation of illegal aliens on December 16, 2025. In related cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged two of Nonoal-Cano’s passengers, Christopher Gonzales-Castillo (48, Mexico) and Aracely Ramos-Quina (27, Spain), with illegal entry into the United States.
On December 18, 2025, Nonoal-Cano pled not guilty to the charge during an arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle detained Nonoal-Cano in a hearing on December 19, 2025. Also on December 18, 2025, Gonzales-Castillo appeared before Judge Doyle and was detained. Ramos-Quina appeared in court on December 18, 2025, pled guilty and was detained as a material witness.
According to court records, on December 16, 2025, agents from U.S. Border Patrol received a notification of border crossing on the Vermont-Canada border and received an image of individuals crossing the snow-covered border on foot taken that evening. When Border Patrol agents conducted a search of the remote area near the Canadian border, they observed a black Honda Pilot with New Jersey license plates as it stopped in a wooded, unpopulated area and turned around. When they stopped the vehicle, Border Patrol agents found that Nonoal-Cano – the driver – was transporting two unrelated adults and two unaccompanied, and unrelated, juveniles with snow on their boots.
Border patrol agents determined that Nonoal-Cano’s passengers did not have lawful status in the United States and were likely being smuggled for profit. In an interview with U.S. Border Patrol, Ramos-Quina, a Spanish national with dual citizenship in Ecuador, admitted to being present in the United States without lawful status. Ramos-Quina admitted to having agreed to pay $3,500 to a smuggler she found through social media.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment and complaint contain allegations only and that Nonoal-Cano and Gonzales-Castillo are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Nonoal-Cano faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Gonzales-Castillo faces up to 6 months in prison if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of U.S. Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. Nonoal-Cano is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Gonzales-Castillo is represented by Michael J. Straub, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Convicted of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Lee’s Summit, Mo., was sentenced in federal court yesterday for Illegal Re-entry by an Alien Previously Convicted of an Aggravated Felony.
Severo De La Torre-Sanchez, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes to three years and six months in federal prison without parole followed by three years of supervised release.
On Aug. 7, 2024, De La Torre-Sanchez was found at a Lee’s Summit restaurant when officers were attempting to serve him with an ex-parte order of protection. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents identified De La Torre-Sanchez was illegally in the United States after having been removed on two prior occasions in 2020 and 2022. He was removed in 2020 after serving a 17 year federal sentence for drug trafficking in the Southern District of Georgia.
De La Torre-Sanchez was also previously convicted for Attempted Re-entry of a Removed Alien in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in 2022.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson. It was investigated by Department of Homeland Security Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Members of Dangerous Human Smuggling Organization Extradited from ColombiaRead the Press Release
Two Colombian nationals made their initial appearance in court in El Paso, Texas yesterday after being extradited from Colombia to face charges relating to their roles in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.
In October 2024, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment against Hernando Manuel De La Cruz Rivera Orjuela, also known as Hernan, also known as Manuel, also known as El Patron, 53, and Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, aka El Calvo, 41, of Colombia for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States placing lives in jeopardy and in violation of immigration laws of the United States.
“These defendants are alleged to have operated a sophisticated human smuggling operation that resulted in the disappearance of 42 people at sea,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human smuggling is a dangerous, predatory enterprise that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively dismantle these criminal networks that profit from human suffering and threaten the security of our border.”
“There is no limit as to the lengths we will go to bring to justice those who would smuggle humans into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Taking down human smuggling operations, like this one, deals a direct blow to the transnational criminal organizations that receive millions of dollars from these operations. Therefore, prosecuting these kinds of cases is key to accomplishing of our mission to eradicate Mexican drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations that use this country as a direct and indirect means to enrich themselves. Thank you to all of our law enforcement partners and members of Joint Task Force Alpha who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this worthwhile effort.”
Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto were arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the United States. Their extraditions followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities.
According to the indictment, the defendants participated in a conspiracy where they were directly and personally responsible for unlawfully smuggling aliens, transporting them from other locations to San Andres Island, Colombia, and from there to Nicaragua via boats, north through Central America and Mexico, before reaching their final destination in the United States. Allegedly, Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto advised the migrants how to get to San Andres Island, personally received them once they arrived on the island, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to the boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could enter the United States illegally. Linero Pinto is alleged to have bribed uniformed service members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats carrying migrants to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. The defendants were allegedly responsible for smuggling the aliens on that boat who were en route to the United States.
HSI led the investigation, with assistance from their McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena Field Offices. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT); Office of International Affairs; and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department thanks Colombian law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere.
Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. The extraditions of Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto are the first extraditions from Colombia resulting from JTFA’s work since the taskforce’s mission expanded to target human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Colombia.
Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs Acting Associate Director Jesse Ormsby and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Kristopher Jarvis, provided significant assistance with the extradition.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios has pleaded guilty to racketeering charges, including his participation in two murders and two other attempted murders.
Michael Miliano, a/k/a “Trucho,” 23, pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2025 to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2026. Miliano was arrested and charged in February 2025, and was alleged to have participated in the murder of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz in September 2023.
The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to or organize and execute violence, and undertaken extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.
In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Machetes, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to ten years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. Miliano is the seventh Defendant to plead guilty.
During court proceedings, Miliano admitted to his membership in the gang and participation in three shootings where the Trinitarios intended to kill rival gang members. The first incident took place in May 2023, where Miliano and other members of the Trinitarios proceeded to rival gang territory in Lynn and discharged numerous rounds at rival gang members. Miliano fired during this shooting.
The second incident took in August 2023, following the death of a Trinitario member, who was believed to have been killed by a rival gang member. For this incident, Miliano and five other Trinitarios set out to ambush and kill rival gang members who were at a music studio in Lynn. Miliano also fired during this incident.
Miliano also admitted to his participation in the Sept. 2, 2023 murder of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz. Miliano met with other Trinitario members prior to the shooting and learning about the plan to kill a rival gang member who the Trinitarios believed was present at a party in Lynn. The rival gang member was not, in fact, present at the party. Miliano admitted to driving by the party a number of times, and relaying information about what he observed as he drove by to the other Trinitarios knowing that it would be used by the other members to further their plan to murder rival gang members. Later that night, members of the Trinitarios drove by the party and discharged numerous rounds at the people gathered outside celebrating a recent graduation. Seven people were shot during this incident, and Abraham Diaz and Jandriel Heredia later died from the gunshot wounds they sustained. None of the victims at the party were members of a gang.
The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Member of Anti-Capitalist and Anti-Government Group Arrested and Charged with Threatening ICE OfficersRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE– On December 13, 2025, Micah James Legnon, 28, of New Iberia, Louisiana, was arrested on a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana charging him with threatening Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
According to court documents, Legnon also known as Dark Witch and Kateri the Witch, is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group. Legnon’s association with TILF included participating in a chat called “Order of the Black Lotus,” in which Legnon discussed teaching other TILF members urban warfare while writing threatening messages about ICE officers there and on social media.
“This arrest reflects the Justice Department’s priority of disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks across the Nation,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will continue to aggressively target violent extremist groups like the Turtle Island Liberation Front, hold their proxies accountable, and ensure the American people—and the officers who protect them—can live without fear. Thank you to the US Attorney, Zachary Keller, in the Western District of Louisiana for his incredible work.”
“The FBI will not tolerate anyone who threatens law enforcement officers and will work with our partners to bring them to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly threatened ICE officers and had an assault rifle, body armor, and other items in his vehicle when he was arrested by local law enforcement. He is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front which espouses anti-government views. The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect the American people and those who wear the badge to protect our communities.”
“Groups like TILF are a menace to society and a threat to the values that make America the greatest nation on Earth,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of the New Orleans New Year’s Day terror attack, the Louisiana U.S. Attorney’s Offices stand vigilant alongside the FBI and our other federal, state, and local partners to uncover and stop potential terrorist plots dead in their tracks. The swift and decisive action taken by the FBI’s California and Louisiana components and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office here exemplifies that commitment we all have to keeping Louisiana and our country safe.”
Legnon, who has a military background, was under surveillance by the FBI on December 12, 2025, due to his affiliation with TILF members plotting to bomb Los Angeles who were arrested that day. On December 12, FBI saw Legnon leaving his New Iberia residence with what appeared to be an assault rifle and body armor in his vehicle in an apparent effort to execute an attack. Legnon was stopped and arrested by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and one assault rifle, one pistol, one gas canister, and body armor were recovered from his vehicle. A federal search warrant executed on Legnon’s residence revealed sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles, and multiple rounds of ammunition. This investigation is ongoing.
The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel for the Western District of Louisiana is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 6:25-mj-00229.
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Member of Anti-Capitalist and Anti-Government Group Arrested and Charged with Threatening ICE OfficersRead the Press Release
On Dec. 13, Micah James Legnon, 28, of New Iberia, Louisiana, was arrested on a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana charging him with threatening Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
According to court documents, Legnon also known as Dark Witch and Kateri the Witch, is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group. Legnon’s association with TILF included participating in a chat called “Order of the Black Lotus,” in which Legnon discussed teaching other TILF members urban warfare while writing threatening messages about ICE officers there and on social media.
“This arrest reflects the Justice Department’s priority of disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks across the Nation,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will continue to aggressively target violent extremist groups like the Turtle Island Liberation Front, hold their proxies accountable, and ensure the American people—and the officers who protect them—can live without fear. Thank you to the US Attorney, Zachary Keller, in the Western District of Louisiana for his incredible work.”
“The FBI will not tolerate anyone who threatens law enforcement officers and will work with our partners to bring them to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly threatened ICE officers and had an assault rifle, body armor, and other items in his vehicle when he was arrested by local law enforcement. He is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front which espouses anti-government views. The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect the American people and those who wear the badge to protect our communities.”
“Groups like TILF are a menace to society and a threat to the values that make America the greatest nation on Earth,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of the New Orleans New Year’s Day terror attack, the Louisiana U.S. Attorney’s Offices stand vigilant alongside the FBI and our other federal, state, and local partners to uncover and stop potential terrorist plots dead in their tracks. The swift and decisive action taken by the FBI’s California and Louisiana components and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office here exemplifies that commitment we all have to keeping Louisiana and our country safe.”
Legnon, who has a military background, was under surveillance by the FBI on Dec. 12, due to his affiliation with TILF members plotting to bomb Los Angeles who were arrested that day. On Dec. 12, FBI saw Legnon leaving his New Iberia residence with what appeared to be an assault rifle and body armor in his vehicle in an apparent effort to execute an attack. Legnon was stopped and arrested by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and one assault rifle, one pistol, one gas canister, and body armor were recovered from his vehicle. A federal search warrant executed on Legnon’s residence revealed sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles, and multiple rounds of ammunition. This investigation is ongoing.
The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel for the Western District of Louisiana is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Indicted on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges in Connection with Justice Department’s Operation Relentless JusticeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced today, an indictment in connection with the Department of Justice’s Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. This nationwide crackdown resulted in law enforcement locating more than 205 child victims and arresting more than 293 child sexual abuse offenders. During a two-week span, all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney offices partnered to execute this coordinated effort around the country.
In Maryland, a federal grand jury indicted Christopher Alexander Watts, 27, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, charging him with four counts of producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Attorney General Pamela Bondi; FBI Director Kash Patel; and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” Bondi said. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes."
“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” Patel said. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”
“The results of this coordinated effort underscore the power of teamwork and collaboration. Through Operation Relentless Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office in Maryland helped advance the Department’s mandate to track down those who exploit or abuse our children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Hayes said. “We’re committed to continuing to work closely with our community and law-enforcement partners to ensure that predators are held accountable as we relentlessly pursue justice for every victim.”
“The investigative efforts and collaboration by FBI Baltimore’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force truly are relentless,” Paul said. “In addition to Watts’ indictment in Maryland, the task force secured another 14 federal, state, and local arrests of subjects tied to child exploitation during Operation Relentless Justice. This operation is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to hold those abusing children fully accountable by working with our law enforcement partners at all levels of government.”
Those arrested allegedly committed various crimes, including producing, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing CSAM, as well as police officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving the enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan National who was previously deported in 2011, and was previously arrested for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.
As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online to include the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM. The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.
This effort follows two other successful operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, including two from the District of Maryland, and Operation Enduring Justice in August which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders, including one from the District of Maryland.
The FBI's Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD's mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.
These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.
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Married Owners of Downtown L.A. Precious Metals Businesses Plead Guilty to Hiding from IRS Millions of Dollars in Cash TransactionsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The husband-and-wife owners of precious metals businesses in the downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District and one of their companies pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for concealing millions of dollars’ worth of cash transactions from the United States government, failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program, and using the unreported cash at other family businesses, at a casino, and for other personal expenses.
The following defendants pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy:
- Alex Nguyen, 50, of Irvine, who also pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return;
- Sam Nguyen, 52, also of Irvine, who is Alex Nguyen’s wife; and
- Newport Gold Post Inc., one of the companies they own.
According to their plea agreements, from May 2013 to March 2022, Alex and Sam Nguyen owned several family businesses that bought and sold precious metals, including Newport Gold Post, Goldtech Assay Laboratory LLC (which did business as Infinity), Sam Bullion and Coin, and AAPS Bullion.
These family businesses received millions of dollars in cash from their customers, requiring the Nguyens to file paperwork with the IRS. Alex and Sam Nguyen knowingly and repeatedly failed to file a Form 8300 with the IRS – as required by the Bank Secrecy Act – where they were supposed to report cash transactions over $10,000.
For example, during a February 2020 transaction, a buyer asked for a receipt after buying 643 ounces (40.2 pounds or 18.2 kilograms) of silver for approximately $11,766, Alex Nguyen replied, “Not for cash” and did not ask the buyer to show any identification.
As that year progressed, the buyer made multiple purchases of silver from Alex Nguyen, culminating in December 2020, when the buyer brought a suitcase containing $140,000 in cash – with half of the cash wrapped in heat-sealed packages. Alex Nguyen took the cash and provided 5,118 ounces (320 pounds or 145.1 kilograms) of silver. During all these transactions – four in total – Alex Nguyen knowingly and intentionally failed to file a Form 8300 with the IRS.
While operating the family businesses, Alex Nguyen received $200,000 to $1 million in cash daily from customers. He used this cash to purchase other precious metals from other Jewelry District businesses, agreeing with other business operators to not file completed Form 8300s.
In total, Alex Nguyen and his co-conspirators intentionally failed to file inaccurate or incomplete Form 8300s on more than 350 occasions for at least $127,446,066 in cash that was delivered to Nguyen family businesses.
In her plea agreement, Sam Nguyen admitted to intentionally failing to file a Form 8300 for multiple precious metals transactions, including in July 2021, when a buyer purchased 50 one-ounce gold bars at Newport Gold for $100,000. The cash for that transaction was wrapped in heat-sealed, shrink wrapping. Sam Nguyen told the buyer that she preferred shrink-wrapped cash because sometimes she received cash that had been buried underground.
Despite the suspicious packaging and her obligations to obtain customer information for the Form 8300, she did not ask for identification, did not inquire about the source of the cash, and intentionally did not file a Form 8300 for the transaction.
The defendants further admitted to failing to develop, implement, and maintain an anti-money laundering program as required by federal law. IRS auditors advised Alex and Sam Nguyen multiple times to set up such a program for their businesses, but the defendants failed to do so.
Further, Alex and Sam Nguyen admitted to lying to federal officials, including IRS auditors and the FBI. Alex Nguyen falsely said he did not accept cash payments and had not done so since the 1980s. Sam Nguyen lied to auditors and federal agents when she said she did not accept cash payments.
Finally, from 2016 through 2020, Alex Nguyen knowingly and willfully filed under penalty of perjury false joint tax returns where he failed to report income from the Nguyen family businesses, failing to report $1,535,330 in 2019 alone. The Nguyens also took cash from their businesses to a casino then received checks totaling $1,048,450 from the casino, which they deposited into their bank accounts for personal use.
The total tax due and owing for all five years in question is between $1,767,112 to $1,870,273, according to court documents.
United States District Judge Michelle Williams Court scheduled June 5, 2026, sentencing hearings for the defendants. At the time of sentencing, Alex Nguyen will face up to eight years in federal prison, Sam Nguyen will face up to five years in federal prison, and Newport Gold Post will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years of probation and a $500,000 fine.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea Norell of the Major Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Man and Woman Indicted for Child Abuse and Child Neglect on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 9, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against a man and woman allegedly involved in child abuse and child neglect on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The indictment named Louis A. Tucker (age: 23) and Nyomi L.M. Acosta (age: 21) of Neopit.
Count One of the indictment charges both defendants with Child Abuse in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1153(a) and 2(a), and Wis. Stat. § 948.03(3)(a). If convicted, the defendants face a maximum of 10 years in prison. Count Two charges the defendants with Child Neglect in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1153(a) and 2(a), and Wis. Stat. §§ 948.21(2) and 948.21(3)(b)(1). If convicted of this offense, the defendants face up to 7 ½ years in prison. The defendants would also face potential fines, a special assessment, and terms of supervised release at the end of any sentence imposed.
According to the indictment, between about September 29, 2025, and October 20, 2025, the defendants, who are Native American Indians, recklessly caused great bodily harm to a Native American Indian child by striking the child about the head and body. This caused bruising and other marks. The defendants are also charged with fracturing the child’s left radius and ulna and burning the child’s back and torso. Count Two alleges that during this time the defendants, for reasons other than poverty, negligently failed to provide necessary care and necessary medical care for the child, and seriously endangered the child’s physical, mental, and emotional health. The indictment further alleges that the child suffered great bodily harm as a result of this failure.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and FBI investigated the case with assistance from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case in United States District Court in Green Bay.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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MS-13 Members Sentenced to Mandatory Life for Racketeering, Two Murders, and Stabbing Five Victims, Including a 16-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Three men received life sentences, today, for federal conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murders, attempted murders, and drug trafficking, as well as murder in aid of racketeering charges. Wilson Arturo “Humilde” “Marco Saravia” Constanza-Galdomez, 26, of El Salvador; Edis Omar “Little Felon” Valenzuela-Rodriguez, 24, of Honduras; and Jonathan “Truney” Pesquera-Puerto, 24, all received the mandatory sentence.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentences with Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti, Justice Department, Criminal Division; Acting Assistant Director Rebecca Day, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office.
This case targeted the violent activities of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Central America, with members operating in Maryland and throughout the United States. MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region. The defendants, all MS-13 members and associates, were required to commit acts of violence to increase their status and rank within the gang. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, MS-13 maintained a rivalry with the 18th Street Gang, among others.
“These ruthless individuals displayed a total lack of humanity and regard for life, including murdering a 16-year-old girl, all to advance their standing within a transnational criminal organization. Now they’ll spend the rest of their lives behind bars where they belong,” Hayes said. “We, along with our law-enforcement partners, are committed to dismantling the MS-13 gang, and other lawless organizations, and holding criminals accountable who thrive on committing murders and terrorizing our communities.”
“These defendants committed brutal violence — including murdering and stabbing young women and girls — to fuel their respective climbs up the MS-13 organization,” Galeotti said. “These acts, often carried out with machetes, spread fear and terror throughout the community. As today’s life sentences reflect, the Criminal Division will be relentless in its pursuit of MS-13 leaders, members and associates, to restore a sense of safety and security to neighborhoods throughout the United States.”
"The horrific acts of violence carried out by these MS-13 members are indefensible and demonstrates a complete disregard for human life," Day said. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue members and associates of MS-13 and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes."
“No measure of justice will equal the weight of their crimes, but their life sentences mean these ruthless killers will never be free again,” Paul said. “I am thankful for the hard work and collaboration between the local police, federal investigators and prosecutors which ultimately brought about all three arrests and convictions for these brutal crimes.”
Constanza-Galdomez and Pesquera-Puerto were members or associates of the Carlington Locos Salvatrucha (CALS) clique, and Valenzuela-Rodriguez was a member of the Huntington Criminales Locos Salvatrucha (HCLS) clique. From June 2019 through at least October 2021, the defendants participated in the racketeering activities of MS-13, including two murders, four attempted murders, and witness tampering.
On April 25, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, and other members and associates of MS-13 conspired to assault a man whom they suspected was a rival gang member. That same day, they assaulted the victim in Baltimore by striking him with machetes multiple times, causing injuries to the victim’s face and arm. Afterward, those involved reported the incident to MS-13 leadership in El Salvador to gain credit and increase their status.
Then on May 29, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other members and associates of MS-13 lured a 16-year-old girl whom they suspected of associating with rival gang members, to an area near Loch Raven Reservoir in Cockeysville, Maryland. There they struck her with a machete and stabbed her multiple times, murdering her. After the murder, members and associates of MS-13 reported the murder to MS-13 leadership to get credit for participating in the murder and to increase their status within MS-13.
On June 5, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, and other MS-13 members and associates lured another female, whom they suspected was a rival gang member that cooperated with law enforcement, to an area near the CSX Bayview Train Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. There, the gang stabbed her 143 times, killing her and leaving her body near the train tracks. They again reported the murder to MS-13 leadership.
Then on June 6, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other MS-13 members and associates confronted a man, who had prior confrontations with the gang, and his girlfriend, the sister of one of the prior murder victims. Constanza-Galdomez and other members and associates ordered younger members to bring the female victim to the same train tracks where her sister was murdered. The younger members stabbed her over 70 times. All three defendants stabbed the male victim multiple times. Both victims survived the attacks.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore County Police Department, Baltimore City Police Department, and United States Marshal’s Service for their work in the investigation, along with the offices of Ivan J. Bates, Baltimore City State’s Attorney, and Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County State’s Attorney, for their valuable assistance with this case. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney James Wallner, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and Trial Attorneys Grace Bowen and Chrisopher Taylor, Justice Department – Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, who are 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
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 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, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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MS-13 Members Sentenced for Racketeering and Murder for Killing and Stabbing Five Victims, Including a 16-Year Old GirlRead the Press Release
Wilson Arturo Constanza-Galdomez, also known as Humilde, also known as Marco Saravia, 26, of El Salvador, Edis Omar Valenzuela-Rodriguez, also known as Little Felon, 24, of Honduras, and Jonathan Pesquera-Puerto, also known as Truney, 24, of Honduras were each sentenced today to life in prison for their convictions at trial of Racketeering (RICO) Conspiracy involving murder and Racketeering Murder, all related to their association with La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“These defendants committed brutal violence — including murdering and stabbing young women and girls — to fuel their respective climbs up the MS-13 organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These acts, often carried out with machetes, spread fear and terror throughout the community. As today’s life sentences reflect, the Criminal Division will be relentless in its pursuit of MS-13 leaders, members and associates, to restore a sense of safety and security to neighborhoods throughout the United States.”
“These ruthless individuals displayed a total lack of humanity and regard for life, including murdering a 16-year-old girl, all to advance their standing within a transnational criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Now they’ll spend the rest of their lives behind bars where they belong. We, along with our law-enforcement partners, are committed to dismantling the MS-13 gang, and other lawless organizations, and holding criminals accountable who thrive on committing murders and terrorizing our communities.”
"The horrific acts of violence carried out by these MS-13 members are indefensible and demonstrates a complete disregard for human life," said Acting Assistant Director Rebecca Day of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue members and associates of MS-13 and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes."
This case targeted the violent activities of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization that operates throughout Central America and the United States. MS-13 members are organized into “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region, including Maryland. The defendants, all MS-13 members and associates, were required to commit acts of violence to increase their status and rank within the gang. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, MS-13 maintained a rivalry with the 18th Street Gang, among others.
The investigation led to the conviction of six MS-13 members, including the three trial defendants. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 25, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, and other members and associates of MS-13 assaulted a man whom they suspected of being a rival gang member by repeatedly striking him with machetes, resulting in significant injuries to the victim’s face and arm. Afterward, those involved reported the incident to MS-13 leadership in El Salvador to gain credit and increase their status.
On May 29, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other members and associates of MS-13 lured a 16-year-old girl, whom they suspected of associating with rival gang members, to an area near Loch Raven Reservoir in Cockeysville, Maryland. There, they struck her with a machete and stabbed her multiple times, murdering her. They then reported it to MS-13 leadership.
On June 5, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez and other MS-13 members and associates lured another female, whom they suspected was a rival gang member that cooperated with law enforcement, to an area near the CSX Bayview Train Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. There, the gang stabbed her 143 times, killing her and leaving her body near the train tracks. They again reported the murder to MS-13 leadership.
On June 6, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other MS-13 members and associates confronted a man, who had had prior disputes with the gang, and his girlfriend, who was the sister of one of the prior murder victims. Constanza-Galdomez and other members and associates ordered younger MS-13 members to bring the female victim to the same train tracks where her sister had been murdered. There, the younger members stabbed her over 70 times. All three defendants stabbed the male victim multiple times. Both victims survived the attacks.
The FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Baltimore County Police Department, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Grace Bowen and Christopher Taylor of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Wallner for the District of Maryland are 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
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 call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
Lexington Business Owner and Business Agree to Pay $860,000 to Resolve Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON Ky. – A Lexington-based shared workspace management and consulting firm, Workspace Strategies, and one of its owners, Karen Condi, agreed to pay the United States $860,779.50 to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained, and received forgiveness for, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to small American businesses struggling to pay employees and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible small businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the SBA through two rounds of funding, referred to as First Draw and Second Draw PPP loans. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the requested loans and that the information they provided was true and accurate. Regulations provided various requirements for use of PPP funds, including limitations on the manner in which the loans could be utilized. Borrowers who applied for Second Draw loans also were required to certify that they experienced at least a 25% reduction in quarterly gross receipts as a result of the pandemic.
Workspace Strategies applied for, received, and obtained forgiveness for First and Second Draw PPP loans collectively valued at nearly $600,000. The settlement resolves allegations that Workspace Strategies and Condi falsely certified that loan proceeds would be and were utilized for payroll expenses and other permissible purposes. In fact, Workspace Strategies and Condi allegedly used a portion of the proceeds for impermissible purposes, including for Condi’s personal benefit. Further, the settlement resolves allegations that Workspace Strategies and Condi falsely certified that Workspace Strategies’ gross receipts fell at least 25% as a result of the pandemic in its Second Draw PPP loan application. Based on these false certifications, Workspace Strategies received loans for which it was ineligible and received forgiveness of loan funds to which it was not entitled.
“Our office is committed to holding accountable businesses and individuals who improperly obtained or used COVID-19 relief funds,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “The loans were intended to help eligible small businesses survive the pandemic. When business owners misspend those funds, or businesses falsely certify their eligibility for pandemic relief, it is critically important that we recover taxpayer dollars.”
“This settlement demonstrates the excellent results achieved through the combined efforts of SBA and the Department of Justice to forcefully respond to PPP misconduct,” said SBA's General Counsel Wendell Davis. "Misallocation and misuse of federal funds undermines SBA and the entire federal government's pandemic relief efforts, and SBA continues to devote a major effort alongside our partners at DOJ to investigate abuse and recover funds on behalf of the American people.”
The Government’s work in this investigation illustrates its commitment to combatting COVID-19 fraud. The United States encourages anyone with information about potential fraud involving COVID-19 to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. PPP recipients also may voluntarily disclose self-discovered evidence of fraud involving the PPP to U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by a private citizen under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file a civil action on behalf of the United States, thereby bringing allegations of fraud to the Government’s attention, and share in any financial recovery. As part of this resolution, the individual who filed the qui tam complaint will receive a portion of the settlement proceeds. This case is captioned United States ex rel. Emily Parker v. Condi Management Group, LLC, d/b/a Workspace Strategies and Karen Condi, Case No. 5:23-CV-00030-KKC.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Long, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
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Leader of Area Drug Trafficking Operation Sentenced to 19½ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alberto Cintron, aka “Bert” and “Nephew,” 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 234 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release by United States District Judge John M. Younge for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
The defendant was charged by indictment in May of 2024 and pleaded guilty this July to more than a dozen charges, including conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl; distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a school; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon.
As detailed in court filings and statements, in July 2023, law enforcement learned that Cintron was the leader of a drug trafficking group (“DTG”) distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Montgomery County, Chester County, and Philadelphia areas. The investigation revealed a common pattern or method of conducting business, namely, the defendant would either direct his associate to deliver drugs to customers, or Cintron would deliver the controlled substances himself.
From approximately July 2023 through October 2023, the Cintron DTG distributed, or possessed with the intent to distribute, more than five kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 1,000 grams of fentanyl, and other controlled substances. Recovered during search warrants at both his residence in Philadelphia and drug stash houses that he maintained were over 5,500 individually packaged bags of fentanyl, several pounds of methamphetamine and multiple firearms that the defendant was legally prohibited from having.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Upper Merion Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Mills and Special Assistant United States Attorney and Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin.
Lawrence Man Indicted for Distributing Counterfeit Pills Containing Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man has been charged in a seven-count indictment for allegedly distributing thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Randy Recinos, 31, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, including three counts alleging 50 grams or more; two counts of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Recinos was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in August 2025.
According to charging documents, between July 2024 and August 2025, Recinos repeatedly sold thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl to a cooperating source working with law enforcement. On Aug. 27, 2025, Recinos allegedly delivered 5,000 fentanyl pills to the cooperating source in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in Lawrence and was arrested.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of distribution of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jared A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.