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19 December 2025
Chester Woman Sentenced for Filing Fraudulent Claims in Pandemic Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Muneerah Abdullah, age 46, of Chester, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 17, 2025, by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary to nine months of house arrest as part of a two-year probationary sentence. Judge Neary also ordered Abdullah to pay $59,823 in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, from in or about April 2020 to in or about October 2020, Abdullah filed fraudulent claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims for herself and other ineligible recipients, to include inmates. The PUA claims contained fraudulent answers to questions concerning the claimant’s eligibility to receive the assistance. Abdullah herself was not eligible to receive the assistance as she had no legitimate employment prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The incarcerated individuals were not eligible due to their inmate status. Over the course of the scheme, Abdullah profited approximately $59,823 as a result of her fraudulent acts. The total loss to the Department of Labor was $117,585.
“Muneerah Abudallah defrauded the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry by submitting fraudulent pandemic unemployment assistance claims for herself and others, including inmates, who were not entitled to such benefits. Today’s sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who attempt to exploit vital U.S. Department of Labor programs,” said Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits, including individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility to receive weekly PUA benefits was predicated on the applicant’s unemployment for reasons related to the pandemic; however, the applicant must also have been able to work each day and, if offered a job, the applicant must have been able to accept it. Once the applicant was approved to receive benefits, the applicant was required to submit weekly certifications that indicated that he or she: was ready, willing and able to work each day; was seeking full time employment; did not refuse any job offers or referrals; and, had reported any employment during the week and the gross pay or other payments received.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Cheektowaga man arrested on drug and gun chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Carl R. Goodwin, 29, of Cheektowaga, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt I. Kass, who is handling the case, stated that in October 2025, law enforcement began investigating Goodwin’s drug trafficking activities. On December 18, 2025, Cheektowaga Police officers and the DEA executed a search warrant at his Union Road residence, seizing approximately 576 grams of suspected fentanyl, approximately 1324 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine, 30 grams of suspected crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, two rifles, and cash.
Goodwin made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Charlton Woman Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Charlton woman was arrested today for scheming to fraudulently obtain Social Security benefits and pension payments.
Gina M. Cummings, 60, was charged with one count of bank fraud. Cummings was released on conditions following an initial appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal.
According to the charging documents, from January 2020 through July 2025, Cummings fraudulently obtained approximately $111,853 in Social Security benefits, private pension payments and COVID Economic Impact Payments. Cummings is alleged to have had access to the checkbook of a Social Security beneficiary and pensioner who died in August 2019. She allegedly failed to report the beneficiary’s death to the Social Security Administration, the pension plan, or the bank where the funds were deposited. Instead, Cummings allegedly accessed the improperly paid funds by forging the deceased beneficiary’s name on 84 checks and regularly depleted the account funds through recurring bill payments.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Byfield Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Byfield man pleaded guilty today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine.
James Adams, a/k/a “Jimmy,” 43, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV scheduled sentencing for March 20, 2026.
Adams was one of four individuals charged in connection with a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Eastern Massachusetts by members and associates of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club.
In approximately October 2023, law enforcement received information about drug trafficking activities of a large-scale methamphetamine supplier in the Eastern Massachusetts area. Over the next several months, investigators identified Adams as a drug trafficker who distributed methamphetamine to customers throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Investigators also conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Adams, as well as from his co-conspirators James Snow of Tewksbury, Danielle Steenbruggen of Peabody and Daniel Loughman of Wakefield. Approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms were seized throughout the investigation from controlled purchases, motor vehicle stops and search warrants.
Adams is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Steenbruggen pleaded guilty in August 2025 and, in November 2025, was sentenced to 93 months in prison. Snow pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2026. Loughman pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2026.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 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; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Steven A. Skory of the Wakefield Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Newbury, Newburyport, Haverhill and Peabody Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Butte County Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Javier Robert Barraza, 44, of Oroville, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to 21 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Barraza paid multiple women to sexually abuse young boys during video calls with him for his own sexual gratification. Barraza recorded these video calls, adding them to his collection of more than 1,000 videos and images of child sexual abuse material that he maintained on his phones and tablet. Barraza also shared his child sexual abuse material on internet sharing platforms and in text messages to individuals. Barraza made multiple attempts to pay for the services of “a girl around age 10” to perform oral sex on him.
This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Redding Police Department, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Bigelow Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison After Being Found Guilty on Multiple Counts of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Bigelow man convicted by a jury of producing child pornography on four different occasions was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison on December 18, 2025. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.
Blair Michael Williams, 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a Superseding Indictment on May 6, 2025. The Superseding Indictment charged Williams with four counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
During the trial, it was revealed that in October 2022 the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office asked for assistance with a child exploitation case involving Williams, who was employed as a technology coordinator at a high school in Mt. Vernon, Arkansas. On May 4, 2022, Williams resigned because of an investigation regarding the sale of vape pens to students and inappropriate interactions with students on social media.
Following Williams’ resignation, school officials searched Williams’ work computer and located approximately 500 images of child sexual abuse material on Williams’ Google drive. The child pornography was saved on the Google drive in a location only accessible by Williams and was the domain used for school district employees to access work-related email and documents. Through a review of the child sexual abuse material, investigators determined the identity of nine minor victims. The material contained multiple images of Williams performing sex acts with minor victims.
Investigators also located multiple videos of Williams performing sex acts on a minor victim in the back of Williams’ vehicle. A search warrant was obtained for Williams’ residence on December 2, 2022, and investigators located the vehicle depicted in the videos. Investigators then searched Williams’ phone and server that revealed between July 2018 and March 2019, there were several text messages between Williams and minor victims. Located on the server and in texts, investigators found an exchange of sexually explicit photographs and communication between Williams and the minor victims arranging to meet at various locations to engage in sex acts. At trial it was also revealed that during the search, investigators located hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material.
After a three-day trial that concluded on May 29, 2025, a federal jury found Williams, guilty on four counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Judge Marshall also sentenced Williams to 20 years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was 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. Attorney’s 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 investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Jordan Crews.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Bi-Coastal Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 135 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Albert Anthony Rios, 32, of the District of Columbia and California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 135 months in federal prison for trafficking large amounts of fentanyl that he had shipped to him from California, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Rios, who was responsible for 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl and more than a kilogram of cocaine, pleaded guilty on September 3 before Judge Dabney L. Friedrich to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and cocaine. In addition to the 135-month prison term, Judge Friedrich ordered Rios to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
According to court documents, on Dec. 13, 2022, two packages were shipped from a FedEx facility located in Monterrey Park, California and addressed to “Martes Benito,” on Congress Street, SE. FedEx deemed the packages as suspicious. The DEA recovered about 700 grams of fentanyl pills and 200 grams of cocaine from one of the packages. On Dec. 17, 2022, the second package was intercepted. Law enforcement obtained a state court warrant for the package, which was found to contain a kilogram of fentanyl pills.
Through subpoenas to airlines, recovery of surveillance footage, and other evidence, agents identified two persons who regularly flew to Los Angeles and then returned within a few days to the Washington D.C. area. The same individuals routinely shipped packages from FedEx and UPS facilities in Monterrey Park, California to the Washington, D.C. area. Agents recovered several of these packages and all were found to contain fentanyl pills. Agents recovered additional narcotics, firearms, and large amounts cash in search warrants conducted at the residences of these individuals.
FBI agents continued to investigate to determine the identity of the California supplier. They learned that, in July of 2023, in a separate and independent investigation, DEA agents arranged to purchase a large amount of fentanyl and cocaine from Albert Rios.
In a search of Rios’ residence, those agents recovered a kilo of cocaine, a kilo of fentanyl, 15,000 fentanyl pills, and about $23,000 in cash.
FBI agents linked Rios’ phone number to the individuals who had repeatedly mailed narcotics to the D.C. area. On Feb. 7, 2024, agents executed another search warrant at Rios’ California residence. They recovered additional narcotics, including approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills and an ounce of cocaine. Further, in a search of his cell phones, FBI agents found photos of large quantities of fentanyl pills and determined that Rios’ relevant conduct in this case included, at a minimum, 8.425 kilograms of fentanyl and 1.028 kilograms of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the FBI Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Virginia State Police, Montgomery County Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty.
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Badger, Iowa, Volunteer Firefighter to Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Kenneth Brown, 60, from Badger, Iowa, was sentenced on December 19, 2025, to 4 years’ imprisonment. Brown pled guilty on July 22, 2025, to one count of possession of child pornography in a Sioux City federal court.
Evidence in the case showed that from early May 2023, through April 3, 2024, Brown received and possessed child pornography. A CyberTip to law enforcement revealed 32 files of child pornography had been uploaded to the internet from Brown’s cell phone. Brown was a volunteer firefighter with Badger Fire and Rescue. During a forensic examination of Brown’s phone, 27 videos and 28 images of child pornography were found, some containing materials depicting sadistic and masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Brown was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Brown remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. Brown was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution to the victims in this case, as well as $1,100 in fines and assessments.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-3013. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to 153 Months in Federal Prison for Gun ConvictionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Alkeyvin Ennis, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 153 months in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Court further sentenced Ennis to serve 13 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered the firearm involved be forfeited.
According to admissions made during his plea, on or about June 24, 2022, a 2020 Kia Soul was reported stolen to the Baton Rouge City Police Department. On July 8, 2022, officers spotted the stolen Kia Soul traveling westbound on Greenwell Springs Road and began following the vehicle when it then accelerated and ran a red light trying to flee from the officers, ultimately crashing into a residence on North 49th Street and causing significant damage to the residence.
Following the crash, Ennis leapt out of the Kia, and ran to the back of the residence, while being pursued by officers. Officers detained him in the backyard of a house next door. When officers apprehended Ennis, they observed a pair of black gloves he had removed from his hands as he fled. As officers walked Ennis back to their patrol car, they observed that he was wearing a leg holster, black T-shirt, black pants, and boots.
The stolen Kia Soul had red and blue emergency lights attached to the front driver and passenger visors. A tactical vest labeled “Police,” walkie-talkie radio, and black flashlight was located on the passenger floorboard. Very shortly following his arrest, law-enforcement officers learned that Ennis used the firearm, while impersonating a police officer, when he and at least one or two accomplices made a traffic stop of a driver operating a Honda Accord and led the driver to believe they were police officers, pistol whipped the driver on the head, and zip-tied his hands behind his back. During this encounter, the victim/driver broke free and fled at which time Ennis stepped back into the stolen Kia Soul and his accomplice into the victim’s car, and drove off.
After placing Ennis into one of the patrol units, officers searched the area he ran through as he fled looking for the pistol he was carrying in his leg holster but were not able to locate it due to poor lighting conditions.
After his arrest, Ennis made a phone call from prison directing a friend to the location of his arrest and asked the friend to retrieve the pistol he dropped during the flee. The call was monitored and recorded by jail authorities. Officers learned of that recorded phone call and proceeded to spot of the defendant’s arrest, located a Glock 26, 9 mm caliber pistol with an extended magazine just a few feet from where Ennis had been arrested. The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber.
Ennis was previously convicted of simple burglary on April 2, 2012, in the 15th Judicial District Court and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labor; possession of ecstasy on July 22, 2015, in the 19th Judicial District Court, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labor; and attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on December 15, 2021, in the 18h Judicial District Court, and was sentenced to a suspended jail term of seven and a half years while under supervised probation for three years.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Baton Rouge Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Piedrahita.
Australian National Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for $2.7 million Fraudulent Check SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Friday sentenced a woman to 66 months in prison for using the stolen identities of others to attempt to deposit $2.7 million in fraudulent and stolen checks.
Gabrielle Borthwick, 23, opened, or tried to open, accounts at a series of banks and credit unions in Missouri and elsewhere by depositing bogus cashier’s checks ranging in value from $121,260 to $1.4 million. Borthwick admitted fraudulently using the names, birthdates and Social Security numbers of multiple people, as well as counterfeit out-of-state driver’s licenses, to open the accounts.
To dispel concerns about the out-of-state licenses, Borthwick falsely claimed to have recently moved to Missouri. She supplied fake utility and phone bills to support her claims. She sometimes claimed to run a wedding planning business to allay bank officials’ suspicions about the size of the checks. She also tried to cover up tattoos and distinguishing characteristics by wearing clothing and bandages, Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf wrote in a sentencing memo. Borthwick then tried to withdraw cash or electronically transfer funds before the financial institutions realized that the checks were fraudulent.
In total, Borthwick admitted depositing checks at multiple Missouri banks and credit unions and at one bank in Illinois totaling $2.7 million. Bank officials thwarted her attempts to open some accounts or deposit some of the bogus checks. She fraudulently obtained $271,667. One of those checks, in the amount of $30,000, had been stolen from the mail. Judge Schelp ordered her to repay the money.
Borthwick, who is a native of Australia, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in September to 12 felonies: six counts of financial institution fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and police departments in Eureka, O’Fallon and Union in Missouri and Edwardsville in Illinois investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Armed Bank Robber Arrested in ClearwaterRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Shannon Luster (49, Largo) with bank robbery. If convicted, Luster faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Luster robbed two banks in Clearwater at gunpoint. He robbed the first bank on November 5, 2025, and the second on December 9, 2025. Each time, Luster was disguised with a hat, sunglasses, and carried a laptop bag that concealed his firearm. During each robbery, Luster used an e-bike as his getaway mode of transportation. Luster entered the banks, pointed his guns at the bankers, and demanded he be taken to the tills where he stole thousands of dollars before fleeing. An investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clearwater Police Department determined that Luster was the perpetrator. Law enforcement located the firearm and laptop bag in a dumpster near Luster’s house. They also recovered the e-bike, clothing that appeared to be worn during the robberies, and some of the cash stolen during the robberies from Luster’s house.
A complaint 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 and the Clearwater Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yara Dodin.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Angelina County felon sentenced to federal prison for firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Lufkin convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Angel Capetillo, 23, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on December 19, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on March 8, 2024, Capetillo was stopped for a traffic violation in Lufkin. A search of the vehicle revealed three firearms and suspected controlled substances. On April 12, 2024, Capetillo was stopped for a traffic violation in Hudson and admitted to having illegal drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax, as well as two firearms. One of the firearms was a short-barreled shotgun. Further investigation revealed Capetillo had previously been convicted of a felony and as a convicted felon, prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms.
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Hudson Police Department; and Lufkin Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
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Amherst man pleads guilty to receipt of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Marcus Elliott, 40, of Amherst, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that in September 2020, Elliott began to communicate with a 12-year-old female on Snapchat, during which the minor victim took a sexually explicit photograph and sent it to Elliott. In June 2025, following a disclosure by the minor victim, Elliott’s Silver cellular telephone was searched, and the sexually explicit image of the minor victim was recovered. IN addition, Elliott admits that he engaged in sexual activity with the minor victim on one occasion and requested that she produce child pornography on other occasions.
The plea is the result of of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera and the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Cosgrove.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 28, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Vilardo.
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Alpharetta Man Charged for $940,000 Investment and Ticket Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Matthew Neet has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud after allegedly scamming real estate investors and college football fans seeking tickets for University of Georgia (“UGA”) games.
“Neet allegedly defrauded at least two dozen football fans and investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As we enter the college football playoff, fans should exercise caution when purchasing tickets for games. Unfortunately, scammers may seek to exploit the rich history and tradition of college football for quick cash. And, as always, investors should be wary of too-good-to-be-true wealth building opportunities.”
“Neet allegedly exploited college football fans and investors for personal gain, and the FBI is committed to holding those who engage in fraud accountable,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “As the popularity of college football continues to grow, we urge fans and investors alike to be vigilant and verify the legitimacy of any offers they receive, particularly when large sums of money are at stake.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Matthew Neet allegedly defrauded investors and college football fans by offering fraudulent property investment opportunities when he had no intention of actually investing the funds he received. He also fraudulently offered to sell tickets for UGA football games when he had no intention of providing tickets. Two dozen individuals paid Neet approximately $943,000 for the investment opportunities or college football tickets. Neet allegedly used the money for his own purposes.
Neet waived indictment and agreed to proceed by criminal information on December 19, 2025. According to the information, Neet duped investors by offering purported investments in teak/timberland property in Costa Rica. He also claimed to have for sale UGA football tickets for games against the Universities of Alabama, Texas, and Mississippi. These claims were allegedly false, and Neet never provided the tickets.
Matthew Neet, 43, of Alpharetta, Ga., was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III. Members of the public are reminded that the information only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Sex Offenses
Grant Allen Fletcher, 47 of Arapahoe, Wyoming, was sentenced to three years’ probation for failing to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, Fletcher was previously sentenced to four years’ probation in November 2002 for aggravated sexual abuse. He is therefore a Tier III sex offender who must register for life under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Additionally, he must update his registration every 90 days, in-person. Fletcher last appeared and updated his registration with Wind River SORNA on September 3, 2024. He was required to update his registration, in-person, by Dec. 2 to remain compliant with his registration requirements. He failed to do so. Fletcher was indicted on March 20 and pleaded guilty on Oct. 2. The U.S. Marshal Service investigated this crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Dec. 19 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00051
Firearm Offenses
Michael Brockmeier, 41, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on May 3, the Casper Police Department (CPD) responded to a house for a report of a man firing several shots into the air during a family fight. Witnesses indicated the defendant had fired multiple rounds, including several that he shot into the air while his significant other attempted to leave the house with two children. The defendant is a convicted felon, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and CPD investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer prosecuted the case. Brockmeier was indicted on July 16 and pleaded guilty on Sept. 9. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Dec. 16 in Casper. Case No. 25-CR-00114
Drug Trafficking
Gerald Edward White, 60, of Medicine Bow, Wyoming, was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, on Feb. 3, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the defendant and seized approximately 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine from his vehicle. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Vierbuchen and Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case. White was indicted on March 20 and pleaded guilty on July 18. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Dec. 19 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00057
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Rigoberto Martinez-Ramos, 30, of Chihuahua, Mexico, was sentenced to time served—plus up to ten (10) days to allow for deportation proceedings—for illegal reentry into the U.S. after previously being deported. According to court documents, on Sept. 28, the defendant was encountered by the Casper Police Department (CPD) for a disturbance call. Due to a language barrier, CPD called the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office for assistance. Officials obtained the defendant’s fingerprints and determined that he had not applied for permission to reenter the U.S. after being formally removed in February 2015. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Dec. 17 in Casper. Case No. 25-CR-00152
Juan Chilel-Lopez, 34, of San Marcos, Guatemala, was sentenced to time served—plus up to ten (10) days to allow for deportation proceedings—for illegal reentry into the U.S. after previously being deported. According to court documents, on Oct. 5, the defendant was stopped by the Cheyenne Police Department (CPD) for a traffic stop. The defendant admitted to being a citizen of Guatemala who had previously been deported. ICE officials obtained the defendant’s fingerprints and determined that he had not applied for permission to reenter the U.S. after being formally removed in 2012. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Dec. 19 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00155
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include: Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is 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. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
A Safer Christmas Season: Southern District of Texas charges 278 individuals in border enforcement efforts ahead of ChristmasRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 275 cases have been filed related to immigration and border security from Dec. 12-18, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
In total, 79 people face charges of illegal entry and another 171 face felony reentry charges after removal. Many of those charged have prior felony convictions involving narcotics, violent crime and immigration offenses. The charges also include 23 individuals accused of engaging in human smuggling, while the remaining five face charges related to other immigration crimes.
Among those charged this week are Diego Alan Martnez-Barajas, Pedro Gregorio-Alonzo and Nelson Antonio Segovia-Segovia. According to court documents, authorities discovered all three men in the McAllen area following prior removals from the United States within the last four months. Each allegedly has prior convictions, including abandonment/endangerment of a child, forgery, domestic abuse and illegal reentry.
Two Mexican national discovered near Rio Grande City also face new criminal charges. The complaints allege Jose Alvarez-Ontiveros and Simon Brambila-Galvan entered the United States unlawfully. According to court documents, the men were part of a group of illegal aliens and human traffickers. During the encounter, one member from the group assaulted a Border Patrol agent, prompting a shooting that resulted in that person’s death.
If convicted, all five men face up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to these new cases, a father and son in Laredo pleaded guilty to trafficking at least 534 firearms, along with magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Authorities stopped Emilio Ramirez Cortes and his son, Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz, at the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry Oct. 23. Following a K-9 alert, law enforcement discovered false walls within their trailers. A search uncovered approximately 534 firearms and more than 31,000 rounds of ammunition.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
$8.39 Million Settlement with College Relating to Improper Receipt of Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the Eastern Regional Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, announced today that MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE (“MMC”) has agreed to pay $8,392,758.43 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely certifying that it was eligible for a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan. Under the settlement approved by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, MMC has admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Government’s Complaint, including that it was ineligible to receive the PPP loan due to the total number of individuals it employed.
The PPP, administered by the SBA, was created to assist small businesses nationwide adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations such as MMC were deemed eligible for PPP loans if they met certain requirements. For example, when MMC applied in May 2020, 501(c)(3) organizations (like for-profit businesses) were generally required to have 500 or fewer employees. MMC exceeded this size eligibility requirement. The American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March 2021, modified the size eligibility standard for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to require that they have no more than 500 employees per physical location.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was established to ease financial and economic strain caused by the pandemic by providing businesses with forgivable loans,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “But too many applicants applied for and received taxpayer money that they had no right to receive. Our Office remains dedicated to holding those who improperly claim public funds accountable.”
“Entities that misrepresented their eligibility to obtain funds from SBA programs intended to support small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic undermined the integrity of these critical relief efforts,” said SBA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “The SBA Office of Inspector General remains committed to identifying and addressing fraud within SBA programs and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who exploit these programs.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:
On or about May 7, 2020, MMC submitted, through its authorized representative, an application for a PPP loan to a financial institution. MMC was approved for and received a PPP loan in the amount of $6,555,592.00. In June 2021, MMC, through its authorized representative, applied for forgiveness of most of the PPP loan, and $6,197,696.64 of the PPP loan amount was ultimately forgiven.
MMC indicated on its PPP loan application that it had an average of 482 full-time equivalent employees each month. MMC also certified, among other things, that it was eligible to receive the loan.
MMC submitted an appendix with its loan application that included audited financial statements (balance sheets, statements of activities, statements of cash flows, and notes to financial statements), tax returns and related schedules, and payroll records. Within this lengthy appendix, there was a table reflecting that MMC’s full-time and part-time employees exceeded 500 for each month during 2019. The appendix did not list the location at which the employees worked.
MMC actually employed well over 500 full-time and part-time employees at the time it submitted its loan application. Further, it had more than 800 full-time and part-time employees for each month in 2019, including those months within the period relevant for determining PPP eligibility.
Under applicable law and regulations, full-time and part-time employees were counted equally for purposes of determining PPP loan eligibility. The 482-employee total listed on the PPP loan application improperly counted MMC’s part-time employees as one-third of an employee.
When it applied for PPP loan forgiveness in June 2021, MMC misrepresented in its application that it had only 447 employees at the time of its PPP loan application.
MMC violated the False Claims Act by knowingly presenting and making, or causing to be presented and made, false claims and statements in connection with its submission of its PPP loan application and forgiveness application. Specifically, MMC falsely certified its eligibility for the PPP loan because MMC employed more than 500 employees (in total and at a single location) and was thus ineligible for the loan it received.
In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
Mr. Clayton praised the SBA’s Office of General Counsel for its assistance with this case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Osmond is in charge of the case.
18 December 2025
West Des Moines Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Minors on Snapchat and Instagram and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A West Des Moines man was sentenced on December 16, 2025, to 35 years in federal prison for exploiting numerous minors on social media and possessing child pornography.
According to public court records, Nicklas Ray Stanley, 28, exploited multiple minors on Snapchat and Instagram over several years. Stanley falsely told the minors that he was a similar age to them. Stanley later requested and received sexually explicit images or videos from many minor victims. Stanley’s conduct included threatening to disseminate the minors’ imagery if they did not continue to send images to him. Stanley also encouraged some minor victims to sexually exploit their younger siblings and to engage in bestiality with their dogs and send him videos of the abuse. Stanley’s minor victims were located across the United States and in several foreign countries.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Stanley will be required to serve a 10‑year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Stanley was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution, $35,300 in special assessments, and a fine of $12,000.
In response to the conviction and sentence, United States Attorney David C. Waterman said, “Real and serious dangers exist online. Predators—like Stanley—intentionally manipulate and exploit young people while attempting to hide behind screens and false identities. While the Internet may create the illusion of anonymity, it does not provide immunity. Those who target children online will be identified, thoroughly investigated, and held fully accountable through the coordinated efforts of our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office.”
This case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Urbandale Police Department and Michigan State Police.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.
Watertown Man Sentenced for Possessing 10 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Seth Demiceli, age 25, of Watertown, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 132 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Demiceli admitted that on January 16, 2025, he drove from the Rochester, New York area to Watertown with approximately 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine that he intended to sell.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “This drug dealer was apprehended by law enforcement with a terrifying amount of methamphetamine in his car. I commend the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, who caught the defendant, seized his deadly drugs, and ensured he will not endanger our community for a long time to come.”
Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo stated: “This case underscores the importance of strong partnerships and proactive enforcement in stopping drug traffickers who fuel addiction and violence. Thanks to the efforts of ATF NY Syracuse Field Office, the New York State Police Community Stabilization Unit, the Metro Jefferson Drug Task Force and U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of NY. We will continue working side by side with our law enforcement partners to hold traffickers accountable and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
United States District Judge Elizabeth C. Coombe also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release to begin after Demiceli is released from prison.
ATF investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Police Community Stabilization Unit and the Metro Jefferson Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case.
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Veterans Affairs Nursing Assistant Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining PPP LoanRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Veterans Affairs Nursing Assistant has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to frequently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
Wigenie Francois, 44, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2026. Francois was charged in October 2025.
In April 2021, Francois submitted an application seeking a PPP loan. In the application, Francois made false claims regarding gross income purportedly earned from a sole proprietorship. To support these false claims, Francois attached fraudulent tax documents as part of the application. The PPP loan application was approved and Francois received $20,833. Francois used that money on personal expenses. However, in March 2024, Francois submitted a loan forgiveness application that falsely claimed the entire $20,833 was spent on payroll. Based on the misrepresentation, the entire loan was forgiven.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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 Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
VA Hospital Nurse Sentenced to 10 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 10 years’ imprisonment and 15 years of supervised release.
Paul Robert Wyatt, 57, pleaded guilty to a three-count indictment, charging him with distribution of child pornography over the internet, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography (which involved a victim under the age of 12). At the time of these offenses, Wyatt was employed as a nurse at the Kansas City Veteran Affairs Medical Center on Linwood Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.
Wyatt will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Utah Man Indicted after Fraudulently Obtaining over $1M in Social Security Benefits and Private Insurance Policy BenefitsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –A Salt Lake County man was indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud and mail fraud, among other federal crimes, after he allegedly assumed a different person’s identity to fraudulently obtain the person’s Social Security benefits and private insurance policy benefits for approximately 20 years.
Terry Lynn Reynolds, 69, of West Jordan, Utah, allegedly obtained of over $1 million in Social Security and private insurance benefits.
According to court documents, beginning on or about November 8, 2004, and continuing to about June 13, 2025, Reynolds allegedly executed a scheme to assume the identity of Person 1, who received disability income from a private insurance policy (Company 1) and Social Security benefits from the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) to obtain that money for himself. Reynolds had access to Person 1’s name, Social Security Number, and alleged signature. Under Person 1’s stolen identity, Reynolds obtained over $1 million from the SSA and Company 1.
Court documents allege that as part of the scheme, Reynolds corresponded on multiple occasions with the SSA and Company 1. Until about March 2025, Reynolds continued to operate under Person 1’s identity to fraudulently obtain Person 1’s benefits.
Reynolds is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft. His initial appearance on the indictment is January 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the West Jordan Police Department.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachiko J. Jepson of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Settles Suit for Misclassification of Chinese Automotive ComponentsRead the Press Release
The United States collected over $53 million in settlement of a civil penalty lawsuit against Wanxiang America Corporation, a domestic importer for Wanxiang Group Corporation, a multinational conglomerate in the People’s Republic of China that manufactures and sells automotive components. The settlement marks the conclusion of nearly 10 years of contentious litigation, with the United States collecting all the lost revenue it sought and over $30 million in civil penalties.
“The Department of Justice is committed to pursuing those individuals and companies who evade customs and antidumping duties or otherwise engage in unfair trade practices that harm U.S. manufacturers,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to employ all of our tools to ensure that U.S. manufacturers are competing on a level playing field.”
“Misclassification and other illicit methods used to evade the payment of lawfully-owed duties undermine the American economy by harming legitimate U.S. businesses,” said Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Susan S. Thomas for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Trade. “Various CBP employees from Trade Regulatory Audit, and staff at the Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise, worked closely with the Department of Justice on this matter to ensure the U.S. Government collected the revenue owed. I am proud that our CBP trade personnel worked alongside our Department of Justice colleagues to achieve this result.”
The lawsuit brought by the United States against Wanxiang alleged that, for a period of five years, Wanxiang committed multiple violations of 19 U.S.C. § 1592 by making false statements to customs officials when importing automotive components, including tapered roller bearings and wheel hub assemblies incorporating tapered roller bearings. During that time, wheel hub assemblies were covered by a Department of Commerce antidumping duty order for tapered roller bearings from China, and except for specifically identified Chinese exporters, the China country-wide liquidation rate for goods covered by the antidumping duty order was 92.84%. Although it was aware of the antidumping duty order, Wanxiang falsely classified its imported wheel hub assemblies and failed to disclose that those importations were covered by the antidumping duty order. Wanxiang also misclassified multiple categories of automotive components, parts, and accessories under incorrect tariff provisions. These misrepresentations resulted in Wanxiang vastly underpaying the amount of customs and antidumping duties owed on its merchandise.
CBP’s Trade, Regulatory Audit (Ken Bingham and Amy Johnson) conducted the investigation with assistance from CBP’s National Threat Analysis Center and CBP’s Automotive and Aerospace Center for Excellence and Expertise (Detroit), the CBP’s Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Office (Chicago), and CBP’s Office of Regulations and Rulings. CBP is the agency responsible for enforcing U.S. laws related to the importation of merchandise into the United States, including the collection of duties and assessment of penalties.
This case was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Mikki Cottet of the Commercial Litigation Branch (National Courts Section) of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, with investigative support from CBP’s Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Great Lakes Region) and CBP’s Trade, Regulatory Audit.
The case, which was filed in the Court of International Trade, is captioned United States v. Wanxiang America Corporation, No. 22-00205. Following the settlement, the parties stipulated the dismissal of the civil action.
To combat trade fraud, including avoidance of import duties, the Justice Department created a Trade Fraud Task Force. The Task Force partners with CBP and other law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with United States trade laws.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Ukrainian-Israeli Man Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Fake Brokerage SchemeRead the Press Release
A Ukrainian-Israeli national pleaded guilty today to wire fraud in connection with his participation in a large-scale, fake stock-brokerage organization. Yaroslav Shilkloper, 49, a dual citizen of Ukraine and Israel, was a member of a criminal organization that used a sophisticated phony brokerage business to scam U.S. citizens out of millions of dollars.
“The defendant helped operate a sham brokerage organization in order to steal millions from American investors,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Using lies and fake trading platforms, he exploited public trust in U.S. financial institutions and drained millions of dollars from hard-working citizens. The plea today underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to holding accountable foreign actors who exploit and defraud American citizens.”
“This case demonstrates Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) commitment to protecting Americans from complex financial fraud schemes that cross international borders,” said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of HSI. “Through close collaboration with our law enforcement partners here and abroad, we were able to disrupt a sophisticated criminal enterprise and ensure that stolen funds were returned to victims. HSI will continue to pursue those who seek to exploit our financial systems and bring them to justice.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, Shilkloper and his co-conspirators defrauded victims in the United States of at least $2.8 million dollars by promising high rates of return on investments made through their “K6 Investing,” “Neotron Holding, LTD,” and “Goldex Technology” companies. As part of the scheme, the defendant provided access to a digital platform that allowed victims to see what they believed were real-time investment performance data. However, the victims’ money was instead laundered through a series of bank accounts in Ukraine, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic, and elsewhere, all controlled by Shilkloper and his co-conspirators. When victims attempted to withdraw their money, they were prevented from doing so, threatened with legal action, or manipulated into sending more money to the fraud ring.
Shilkloper is the first of three defendants charged in the case to be arrested and plead guilty. He was extradited from Poland after being arrested there in 2023. If the judge accepts his plea, Shilkloper will pay a fine of $250,000, pay at least $800,000 in additional restitution, and face up to four years in prison. As part of this case, Shilkloper and co-conspirators, with assistance from the Republic of Georgia, have already forfeited nearly $2.8 million dollars that was returned to the defrauded victims.
HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Ben Tonkin and Justin G. Bish of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter McCreight for the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Polish law enforcement partners to secure the arrest and Sept. 30, 2024 extradition of Shilkloper.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI, and ATF Announce Death of the Brown University and MIT Professor ShooterRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI, and ATF Announce Death of the Brown University and MIT Professor Shooter
SALEM, NH – The shooter is deceased and there is no longer a threat to the public. The United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley, the FBI and ATF are holding a press conference tonight at 10:30 p.m. at the U.S. Moakley Courthouse, One Courthouse Way, 9th floor Boston.
Two Pharmacists Sentenced to Years in Prison for Illegal Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, pharmacist Mohamed Hassan was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Ann M. Donnelly to 18 years’ imprisonment. Also today, co-defendant Anthony Mathis, a street narcotics dealer involved in the scheme, was sentenced by Judge Donnelly to 36 months’ imprisonment. On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Judge Donnelly sentenced pharmacist co-defendant Yousef Ennab to 30 months’ imprisonment. As part of their sentences, Mathis and Ennab were ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $535,989.12 and $13,472.76, respectively, and Hassan was ordered to pay forfeiture in an amount to be determined at a future date. Ennab and Hassan were convicted after trial in February 2025 on all counts of a superseding indictment charging them with conspiracies to dispense and distribute oxycodone, as well as distribution and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone. Mathis previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA); Naomi Gruchacz, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI New York); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI); and Dr. James V. McDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, announced the sentences.
“The opioid epidemic has caused incalculable harm in our communities, and this criminal ring fueled the proliferation of pills on the street,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The corrupt pharmacists who filled illegitimate oxycodone prescriptions to supply drug dealers, acted out of pure greed and complete disregard for the harm they were causing. The prison sentences meted out, and my Office’s prosecution of the scheme, demonstrates the Office’s and law enforcement’s commitment to hold accountable all the actors for their roles in this scourge.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his thanks to the additional law enforcement partners that assisted with the case, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the New York State Comptroller, the New York Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the New York National Guard.
“Pharmacists swear an oath to protect lives, not endanger them,” stated DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Tarentino. “By illegally distributing oxycodone, these individuals betrayed their profession, their communities, and the public’s trust. The DEA will not distinguish between those who wear a white coat and those who traffic drugs. Anyone who fuels addiction for profit will be held accountable.”
“Today’s sentences send a clear message that those who exploit their positions of trust to fuel the opioid crisis will be held accountable,” stated HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Gruchacz. “HHS-OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard federal health care programs and protect the beneficiaries who depend on them.”
“Using their positions as pharmacists to scheme and cheat the system, Ennab and Hassan dispensed oxycodone to their vulnerable clientele with full knowledge of its addictive qualities. The pair cared more about lining their pockets with dirty money than the safety and well-being of their customers. Today’s sentencing was made possible with the collaborative efforts of our federal and local partners, and now each will finally see the full consequences of their criminal behavior,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber stated, “The prison sentences imposed this week hold the defendants, including two pharmacists, accountable for a criminal scheme that sent more than 1.6 million pills of highly addictive oxycodone into our City’s streets. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and all of our law enforcement partners involved in this investigation for their unwavering commitment to bring to justice those who distribute dangerous drugs in our communities.”
“The illegal distribution of opioids carries the devastating cost of broken families, lives lost and communities left shattered,” stated New York State Health Commissioner McDonald. “When a pharmacist entrusted to care for patients betrays that trust, the damage can be irreparable. The New York State Department of Health ‘s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement will continue to remain vigilant and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to safeguard the public health of New Yorkers by combating illegitimate use of controlled substances in health care. We remain committed to supporting prevention, harm reduction and recovery efforts and ensuring people struggling with substance use have access to quality treatment and a path toward healing.”
As proven at trial and set forth in court filings, Hassan and Ennab were licensed pharmacists who participated in a scheme to use illegal medical prescriptions to obtain oxycodone for sale on the streets of New York City. Hassan held ownership stakes in approximately 20 pharmacies, which were located in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, and some of which did business under the names Nile RX, Nile Ridge, Nile City, Sunset Corner, Prospect Care, Downtown RX and Forest Care, among others. Ennab was the supervising pharmacist at Forest Care, one of Hassan’s pharmacies in Staten Island.
The scheme relied on filling illegally issued prescriptions for 30-day supplies of oxycodone 30 mg that were written out of a Brooklyn medical practice operating as a pill mill, often for patients that the resident doctor at the practice had never examined. Oxycodone 30 mg pills are high in strength and are usually prescribed to patients facing serious diagnoses, like cancer patients. In some cases, the prescriptions were for individuals whose identities had been stolen and were not patients of the practice.
The prescriptions were then filled at pharmacies controlled by Hassan, including the pharmacy where Ennab worked. Hassan and Ennab conspired with other drug dealers to distribute the illegally obtained oxycodone. One of the drug dealers picked up the oxycodone from the pharmacies in exchange for cash payments to Hassan and Ennab. Hassan and other pharmacist co-conspirators also billed insurance companies for the pills, even though they had no legitimate medical purpose. Mathis was a drug dealer who picked up oxycodone from pharmacies in exchange for payment. Mathis recruited dozens of individuals to serve as nominal patients, in whose name oxycodone prescriptions were issued. Mathis also stole the identities of some individuals, and those identities were used—without their knowledge or approval—on oxycodone prescriptions that co-defendant Michael Kent picked up. In total, the scheme resulted in the illegal distribution of more than 1.6 million pills of oxycodone, worth more than $48 million in retail street value.
Seven co-defendants, including Kent, Dr. Somsri Ratanaprasatporn, her receptionist Leticia Smith, and pharmacists Bassam Amin and Omar Elsayed, previously pleaded guilty based on their involvement in the scheme. Three of these co-defendants are awaiting sentencing. Kent was previously sentenced to 108 months’ incarceration, and Raymond Walker, another street dealer, was previously sentenced to 84 months’ incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Zuckerwise, Victor Zapana and Gilbert M. Rein are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from former Paralegal Specialists Rachel Friedman and Nadya Osman. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handing forfeiture matters.
The Defendants:
YOUSEF ENNAB
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New York
MOHAMED HASSAN
Age: 35
Brooklyn, New YorkANTHONY MATHIS
Age: 58
New Windsor, New YorkCo-Defendants Who Pleaded Guilty and Are Awaiting Sentencing:
LETICIA SMITH
Age: 57
Brooklyn, New YorkBASSAM AMIN
Age: 62
Brooklyn, New YorkOMAR ELSAYED
Age: 31
Hackensack, New JerseyCo-Defendants Who Were Previously Sentenced:
MICHAEL KENT
Age: 52
Brooklyn, New YorkDR. SOMSRI RATANAPRASATPORN
Age: 78
Staten Island, New YorkRAYMOND WALKER
Age: 73
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-464 (S-1) (AMD)
Two Lake City Men Plead Guilty to Possessing Pure Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Terry Alonza Brown (54) and Doug Bradley (46), both of Lake City, have pleaded guilty to possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. They each face a mandatory minimum term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to their plea agreements, on June 23, 2025, law enforcement officers conducting surveillance at Brown’s residence in Lake City observed Bradley enter the residence, exit a short time later with a bag, place the bag in a vehicle, and then drive away. After Bradley was stopped for a traffic infraction, his vehicle was searched and officers found a vacuum-sealed plastic bag that contained a large amount of a white crystalline substance. The substance was later determined to be 100% pure methamphetamine weighing 1,340.2 grams.
Later that same day, officers observed Brown leave the residence with a multi-colored bag, place the bag in a vehicle, and then drive away. After Brown was stopped for a traffic infraction, his vehicle was searched and officers found the multi-colored bag in the backseat area. The bag contained two separate vacuum-sealed plastic bags, inside of which were additional bags containing a white crystalline substance. The substance was later determined to be 99% pure methamphetamine weighing 2,694 grams.
Subsequently, officers obtained a search warrant for Brown’s residence. During the search, they found two black bags containing packages of a white crystalline substance, $12,000 in a safe, and $1,000 in one of the bedrooms. The substance was later determined to be 99% pure methamphetamine weighing 1,786.8 grams.
Before committing these offenses, Brown and Bradley had previously been convicted of federal drug trafficking charges. In April 2013, Brown was convicted of five counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine). In November 2008, Bradley was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine).
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Two Lacey, Washington, men now indicted for two-year scheme to steal and sell military gear from JBLMRead the Press Release
Tacoma – Two Lacey, Washington, men – both former members of the military – were indicted by the grand jury this week for conspiracy, four counts of theft of government property, assault, robbery, and attempted theft of government property, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Charles Ethan Fields, 27, and Levi Austin Frakes, 27, have been in custody since their arrest on June 2, 2025. The men will be arraigned on the charges on December 22, 2025.
According to the indictment, by at least early 2023, the men conspired to steal military equipment from Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). The men took the equipment from JBLM – including helmets, clothing, communications equipment, and ballistic vests –to the home they shared in Lacey. They photographed the items and offered them for sale on online marketplaces in accounts under false names.
The indictment alleges seven different time periods when Fields and Frakes entered JBLM and stole items from the Ranger compound. In January 2023 they stole from lockers in the Alpha Company Operations Facility. In February 2023, they stole from lockers of the Charlie Company Operations Facility. In May 2023, they stole from the Delta Company Operations Facility. In January 2024, they again stole from the Charlie Company Operation Facility lockers. In June 2024, they stole from the Alpha Company a second time, and in January 2025 they raided the Alpha Company lockers a third time.
On June 1, 2025, the men were attempting to steal from the Charlie Company Operations Facility in the Ranger compound when a member of the Army discovered them. Fields and Frakes were masked and when questioned, the men started fighting with the Army member and beat him on the head and torso with a hammer. The victim was able to gain control of the hammer, only to have one of the men pull a knife and brandish it at him. The men – later identified as Fields and Frakes – ran from the Ranger compound and dropped the items they were trying to steal.
Investigators collected evidence at the scene of the attempted theft and assault and determined the men were trying to steal about $14,000 in government property on that occasion.
The men were traced to an address in Lacey and law enforcement obtained a warrant to search the residence the next day. Inside they found weapons and military property, including night vision devices, ballistic plates and plate carriers, and helmets; military munitions; and military explosives such as blasting caps, flashbangs, and smoke grenades. Some of the items are restricted and not allowed to be owned or stored in a private residence. Officers also recovered $24,000 in cash.
Assault and theft of government property are each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Robbery is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci L. Ellsworth.
frakes_and_field_indictment.pdfTwo Kanawha County Residents Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Charleston Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, Quanda Kiev Wilborne, also known as “Quan” and “Queso,” 29, of Charleston, was sentenced to ten years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and Taylor Faith Walke, 23, of St. Albans, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, each for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Wilborne and Walke participated in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Wilborne obtained methamphetamine from co-conspirator Amanda Marie Mace and fentanyl from multiple sources and distributed both controlled substances in and around Charleston between June 2024 and May 2025. As part of his plea agreement, Wilborne admitted that he obtained and re-distributed approximately 24 pounds of methamphetamine from Mace.
Wilborne also admitted that on March 4, 2025, he sold a quarter pound of methamphetamine to co-conspirator Walke in exchange for $700 and that Walke had contacted him by phone beforehand seeking to purchase the methamphetamine for a third party. Law enforcement officers stopped Walke later that day and seized the methamphetamine.
Wilborne further admitted that he possessed a firearm in connection with the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and/or fentanyl on February 29, 2024, December 9, 2024, and January 15, 2025.
Wilborne, Walke, and Mace are among 16 individuals indicted as the result of a federal investigation on charges alleging they participated in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025. Five defendants in the main indictment pleaded guilty, including Wilbourne, Walke, and Mace, also known as “A,” 42, of South Charleston. Four defendants pleaded guilty in separate cases that resulted from the investigation. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-78.
Tulsan Sentenced for Two Counts Related to Receiving, Sharing, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa man was sentenced today for two counts related to possessing, receiving, and sharing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Robert Nicholas Long, 27, for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Hill ordered Long to serve 262 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Long will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The investigation revealed that Long was receiving and sharing child sexual abuse material through the application, Discord. Law enforcement served a search warrant on his home and found more than 215 images and one video that showed children being sexually abused. Court records show that many of the files depicted infants, toddlers, and prepubescent minors being sexually exploited by adult males.
Additionally, Agents found messages between Long and minor children where he solicited sexually explicit content and discussed traveling to meet for sex. In one chat, Long coerced a 15-year-old victim to share sexually explicit images and requested to meet in person for sex.
Court records show that in 2016 and 2017, Long was convicted of several counts of indecent exposure after being caught masturbating in public and exposing his penis. He was also convicted in 2024 for failing to register as a sex offender.
Long will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema Onias prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Tren de Aragua senior leadership charged with terrorism and international drug distributionRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A six-count second superseding indictment has been unsealed, charging four Venezuelan nationals, including multiple alleged high-ranking members of Tren de Aragua - a designated foreign terrorist organization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The indictment adds charges against Yohan Jose Romero aka Johan Petrica, 48, and Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez aka Juancho, 44, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to TdA. Also charged in those counts are Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano aka El Viejo, 37, and Jose Enrique Martinez Flores aka Chuqui, 24. Mosquera Serrano and Martinez Flores are also under indictment for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.
“Tren de Aragua poses a direct threat to our national security, to our communities, and to our American way of life,” said Ganjei. “These defendants allegedly conspired to support a highly-structured foreign terrorist organization by smuggling bulk quantities of cocaine across our southern border and funneling the proceeds back to their fellow terrorists in Venezuela. The Southern District of Texas will scour the Earth to find and prosecute narco-terrorists, wherever they may hide. The American people have demanded nothing less than the total elimination of foreign terror groups like TdA, and Operation Take Back America will deliver.”
“TdA grew from a prison gang to a transnational criminal organization to a foreign terrorist organization,” said Co-Director Christopher Eason of Joint Task Force Vulcan. “Gold and drug trafficking, and violence and extortion to support TdA’s terrorist activities will not be tolerated. The charges unsealed today against TdA members and, specifically, some of the highest leaders of TdA, is directly in line with JTFV’s mission: a collaborative, whole of government effort to destroy TdA. We are grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to investigate and bring these important charges.”
A federal grand jury in Houston returned a second superseding indictment Dec. 16, which has now been unsealed in its entirety.
According to court records, Jose Romero and Mosquera Serrano are two of the three topmost leaders of TdA. Jose Romero is allegedly one of the organization’s founders and exercises command and control over all of TdA’s criminal operations, including the illegal importation and smuggling of gold and narcotics as well as extortion and murder. Mosquera Serrano is an alleged senior leader who oversees TdA criminal operations across Colombia, Central America and the United States. The indictment alleges Rivas Nunez and Martinez Flores are also high-ranking TdA leaders who operate out of multiple South American countries and direct operations to include gold smuggling, narcotics export and violent crime.
For years and up to the present, Jose Romero has allegedly exercised leadership over TdA, as one with authority over TdA’s expansion across the Western Hemisphere. The charges allege that under his authority, TdA members and associates engaged in a wide range of crimes, including extortions, kidnappings, murders, drug and gun trafficking, prostitution and sex trafficking, robberies, bank burglaries and money laundering.
He and other leaders have charged and collected a “causa” or fee from lower-level TdA members and others to work in their area of control, according to the allegations. These payments allegedly enrich TdA leadership and provide financial support to TdA, and members would threaten, beat or murder those who did not pay it.
As a TdA leader operating and managing from Venezuela, Jose Romero has allegedly ordered, directed, facilitated and supported such acts of violence and terrorism, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and maiming against victims located inside and outside the United States.
The charges also allege Mosquera Serrano and Martinez Flores caused the delivery of more than five kilograms of cocaine for international distribution, proceeds of which were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.
“Federal charges keep coming for alleged TdA leaders, regardless of where they are,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Just as the Venezuelan foreign terrorist organization is relentless in sowing violence and terrorizing communities throughout America, so are the efforts of the FBI and our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in our commitment to make our neighborhoods peaceful and safer.”
“The Drug Enforcement Administration is unwavering in its mission to dismantle the command and control of Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization that thrives on drug trafficking and violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene L. Crouch of the DEA Andean Division. “For years, TdA has exploited corruption to expand its reach and evade justice, but those days are over. DEA is relentlessly targeting TdA’s leadership, financial networks, and infrastructure, and we will not rest until these individuals are brought to justice. We are grateful to the Colombian National Police and the Colombian Attorney General’s Office for their invaluable partnership in this investigation.”
On Feb. 20, the Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Colombian authorities arrested Martinez Flores March 31 in Colombia pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had requested. He remains in custody there pending further proceedings.
Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Jose Romero and Rivas Nunez are also fugitives. If you have any information concerning either individual, please contact the FBI via WhatsApp or Telegram at 281-787-9939. Those with information may also contact their local FBI office, nearest American Embassy or Consulate or can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is also offering a reward of up to $4 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jose Romero and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mosquera Serrano.
All four are charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel (including themselves) and services and one count of providing material support to TdA. The indictment also charges Martinez Flores and Mosquera Serrano with one count of international drug distribution conspiracy based on their involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more and two substantive counts of international drug distribution.
If convicted, all face up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
The FBI and DEA conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Colombian National Police and the Colombian Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz are prosecuting the case along with Deputy Director David C. Smith and Trial Attorneys James Keller and Kelly McGann from JTFV.
JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target TdA. It is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country to include the Southern District of Texas; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada; as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; USMS, and Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
This case is also a 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 a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Tren De Aragua Members and Leaders Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar ATM Jackpotting SchemeRead the Press Release
UPDATED - United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that a federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska has returned two indictments charging 54 individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.” An indictment returned on December 9, 2025, charges 22 defendants with offenses corresponding to their role in the conspiracy, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud and related activity in connection with computers, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment also alleges that Tren de Aragua (“TdA”) has used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the United States and then transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash.
One of the individuals named in the Indictment is Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader and Venezuelan entertainer who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). OFAC’s press release alleged that Araya Navarro reportedly helped the notorious head of TdA, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (a.k.a. “Niño Guerrero”) escape from the Tocorón prison in Venezuela in 2012, and others in this network have laundered money for TdA leaders. Jimena Romina Araya Navarro was indicted by the grand jury for the District of Nebraska for material support to Tren De Aragua for factual allegations stemming from TdA’s nationwide ATM jackpotting scheme that included burglaries of many ATMs located in Nebraska. Jimena Romina Araya Navarro has been publicly photographed at parties and social events with the alleged head of TdA Nino Guerrero.
A related indictment was returned on October 21, 2025. That indictment charges 32 individuals and alleges 56 counts including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary, and 18 counts of damage to computers.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment ranging between 20 and 335 years.
“As alleged, these defendants employed methodical surveillance and burglary techniques to install malware into ATM machines, and then steal and launder money from the machines, in part to fund terrorism and the other far-reaching criminal activities of TDA, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The announcement of charges against 54 individuals today underscores both the scale of the alleged conspiracies and the tenacity of our investigators and prosecutors. The Criminal Division will not tolerate networks of thieves who breach the security of our financial system, including for the nefarious purpose of providing material support to terrorists.”
United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “Many millions of dollars were drained from ATM machines across the United States as a result of this conspiracy and that money is alleged to have gone to Tren de Aragua leaders to fund their terroristic activities and purposes. A tirelessly dedicated team of Nebraska law enforcement agents and officers banded together to identify this vast international criminal network and to follow the money trail of this devastating financial crime back to its terroristic roots in Venezuela. The agents, analysts, detectives, and officers who came together on this case were able to expose this conspiracy from its lowest levels to the alleged mastermind behind the malware that was deployed against American ATMs all across the nation. The members of Nebraska law enforcement who selflessly dedicated themselves to this mission have not only made Nebraska safer from a designated terrorist organization by removing dozens of TdA members from Nebraska but have also dealt a blow to an organization with international reach and impact. This case demonstrates what state, federal, and local law enforcement officers can accomplish when they fully join forces. The United States Attorney’s Office stands ready to fight alongside our law enforcement partners to defeat any threat to national security and to Nebraska’s security. TdA members will find no safe harbor in the State of Nebraska.”
“TdA poses a direct threat to our communities both here in the Midwest and across our country. This violent terrorist organization relies on a wide range of criminal activities to generate revenue supporting their campaigns of violence and terror. This case highlights TdA’s plot to deploy sophisticated malware targeting financial institutions across the U.S., syphoning millions of dollars from American banks to fund acts of terrorism,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Omaha Field Office. “As criminal enterprises change tactics, we surge resources and adapt accordingly to protect the American people. FBI Omaha will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with our local, state, and federal partners in the fight to dismantle and disrupt the activities of TdA in our neighborhoods and across the globe.”
“Tren de Aragua is not just a criminal gang; they are a ruthless terrorist organization that preys on communities, spreads fear, and bankrolls violence across borders. HSI and our law enforcement partners will track you down, break up your networks, and ensure you never find safe harbor in the United States,” said HSI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “Our mission is to protect American families from predators who think they can operate with impunity. We will not tolerate foreign terrorists stealing from our citizens and threatening our homeland. Our communities are safer today because of the relentless work of this team, and we are just getting started.”
According to court documents, TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities include a variety of violent and criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities. TdA has developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.
The alleged conspiracy developed and deployed a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was used to hack into ATMs and force ATMs to dispense cash. The conspiracy relied on the recruitment of a number of individuals to deploy Ploutus malware nationwide. Members of the conspiracy and TdA would travel in groups, using multiple vehicles, to the locations of targeted banks and credit unions. These groups would conduct initial reconnaissance and take note of external security features at the ATMs. Following this reconnaissance, the groups would open the hood or door of ATMs and then wait nearby to see whether they had triggered an alarm or a law enforcement response. The groups would then take steps to install malware on the ATMs, by removing the hard drive and installing the malware directly, by replacing the hard drive with one that had been pre-loaded with the Ploutus malware, or by connecting an external device such as a thumb drive that would deploy the malware. The Ploutus malware’s primary purpose was to issue unauthorized commands associated with the Cash Dispensing Module of the ATM in order to force withdrawals of currency. The Ploutus malware was also designed to delete evidence of malware in an effort to conceal, create a false impression, mislead, or otherwise deceive employees of the banks and credit unions from learning about the deployment of the malware on the ATM. Members of the conspiracy would then split the proceeds in predetermined portions.
The following photographs depict just a few of the alleged ATM burglaries in progress:
The following is a visual representation of the location of alleged jackpotting incidents committed across the United States, along with their geographical locations and total loss amounts as of August, 2025:
An indictment or a complaint is a charging document that contains one or more individual counts that are merely accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This year, the District of Nebraska has charged a total of 67 TdA members and leaders with a range of federal offenses that include material support to a designated foreign terror organization, sex trafficking of minors, assault, bank burglary, money laundering, damage and unauthorized access to protected computers, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit the same offenses.
This Operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF Omaha 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 District of Nebraska, The Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Joint Task Force Vulcan. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, Eastern District of California, the Southern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Oklahoma, District of New Mexico, Southern District of Florida, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin and have provided significant assistance.
Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua, and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Those include Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, has also provided significant assistance.
FBI’s Omaha Field Office and HSI Omaha is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI’s Sacramento, Seattle, Springfield, Miami, and Oklahoma Field Offices, and the United States Secret Service, United States Marshals Service, Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General, Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, Bates County Sheriff’s Office, Sheridan Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Warrant Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Colombus Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory, Bluff City Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Lincoln Police Department, Gothenburg Police Department, Loudon Police department, Alcoa Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Milford Police Department, Grand Island Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Papillion Police Department, Central City Police Department, Holdrege Police Department, New York State Police, Berkeley Police Department, Cook County Electronic Monitoring Unit, Aurora Police Department, Austin Police Department, United States Capitol Police, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, City of Rome Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, McCook Police Department, Nebraska DMV Crime Analysts, Rantoul Police Department, Olathe Police Department, North Platte Police Department, Walla Walla Police Department, Milton-Freewater Police Department, Missoula Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Sidney Police Department, Denver Police, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Glendale Police Department, Columbia Police Department, Brookfield Police Department, Wauwatosa Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Grafton Police Department, South Milwaukee Police Department, and Paducah Police Department.
Tennessee Man Sentenced for Aiding Memphis Police Department Officer in Destroying Evidence Related to On-Duty Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Joshua M. Rogers, 33, of Tennessee was sentenced yesterday to 56 months of in prison for his role in destroying evidence related to a police officer’s fatal shooting of a man identified by the initials R.H.
Documents filed in connection with the defendant’s plea established that Rogers’ co-defendant, Patric J. Ferguson, was on duty as an officer with the Memphis Police Department when Ferguson kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. on January 5, 2021. The defendant aided Ferguson in covering up the fatal shooting. The defendant assisted Ferguson as he purchased chains, padlocks, and cinderblocks from a store and affixed them around the victim’s body. Once the victim’s body was weighed down by the items, the defendant and Ferguson drove to the Wolf River in Memphis, where they disposed of the victim’s body.
Ferguson was sentenced to 38 years in prison on Dec. 1.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office and the Memphis Police Department investigated the case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Hartridge for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Tenette Smith and Sarah Armstrong of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
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Tennessee Man Sentenced for Aiding Memphis Police Department Officer in Destroying Evidence Related to On-Duty Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
Joshua M. Rogers, 33, of Tennessee was sentenced yesterday to 56 months in prison for his role in destroying evidence related to a police officer’s fatal shooting of a man identified by the initials R.H.
Documents filed in connection with the defendant’s plea established that Rogers’ co-defendant, Patric J. Ferguson, was on duty as an officer with the Memphis Police Department when Ferguson kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. on Jan. 5, 2021. The defendant aided Ferguson in covering up the fatal shooting. The defendant assisted Ferguson as he purchased chains, padlocks, and cinderblocks from a store and affixed them around the victim’s body. Once the victim’s body was weighed down by the items, the defendant and Ferguson drove to the Wolf River in Memphis, where they disposed of the victim’s body.
Ferguson was sentenced to 38 years in prison on Dec. 1.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office and the Memphis Police Department investigated the case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Hartridge for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Tenette Smith and Sarah Armstrong of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Teen Hitmen for Sinaloa Cartel Plead Guilty to Murder, Attempted Murder in Plot to Kill Cartel’s TargetRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Two teenage gang members pleaded guilty in federal court today to murder and attempted murder charges, admitting they were acting as hired hitmen for the Sinaloa Cartel when they made two attempts in five hours to kill the cartel’s target. Two people were wounded and one was fatally shot during the incidents, first at a Chula Vista restaurant and then at the target’s nearby luxury apartment.
According to their plea agreements, on March 26, 2024, 15-year-olds Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero—members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas gang from the greater Los Angeles area—drove from Wilmington, California to a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista, where their target was dining with his family.
When the target, identified in court records as Victim 1, and his family were leaving the Chili’s restaurant, Quintero and Nunez pulled up behind them in the parking lot. Quintero got out of the car and fired a single bullet that struck Victim 1’s legs. After that single shot, Quintero’s firearm jammed, and he was unable to unjam the weapon in time to shoot Victim 1 again. Quintero got back into the car Nunez was driving, and Nunez attempted unsuccessfully to hit and kill Victim 1 with the vehicle. Quintero and Nunez then fled the scene.
Later that night, in the early hours of March 27, 2024, the teen hitmen showed up at the intended victim’s home to finish the job. They were joined this time by an older accomplice, 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez. Each gang member expected to be paid approximately $50,000. The trio approached Victim 1’s home, carrying at least one firearm apiece.
Victim 1’s family (including Victim 2 and Victim 3, a minor) and friend (Victim 4) were present in the home. Sanchez banged on the front door, and once Victim 4 responded, Quintero and Nunez shot at Victim 4 and fired indiscriminately at Victim 1’s family home. According to the plea agreements, Nunez and Quintero acted with the intent of ending the life of Victim 4 and anyone within the kill zone they created in targeting Victim 1. Victim 4 was shot in the hand, arm, and face by Quintero and Nunez, but he survived. In response to Quintero and Nunez’s actions, Victim 4 shot toward Nunez, Quintero and Sanchez to protect himself and the others within the home and, in so doing, Victim 4 shot and killed Sanchez—a provocative-act murder to which Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty. After that, the hitmen fled the scene.
Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Victim 1 and Victim 4, and to the murder of Sanchez, for knowingly and intentionally engaging in the provocative acts described above.
The defendants admitted their purpose in committing the attempted murder was to gain entrance to, to maintain, and to increase their positions in the Westside Wilmas gang. They also admitted they were tapped to murder Victim 1 because they were minors and, specifically, only 15 at the time. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants knew—if apprehended for this conduct—that they were ineligible to be transferred to adult status under the laws of the State of California because they were under the age of 16 at the time of the offense. For example, among other discussions Nunez had with his co-defendant after being arrested, Nunez and Quintero talked about not being able to “catch a…707” because of their age at the time, which referred to not being subject to adult transfer under California Welfare & Institutions Code Section 707.
“In 2018, the California Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1391, which made state prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds in adult criminal court a practical impossibility regardless of the seriousness of the crime,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “SB 1391 created perverse incentives, and today’s plea agreements are proof that the Sinaloa Cartel and a hyper-violent criminal street gang controlled by the Mexican Mafia responded to these incentives. They recruited 15-year-olds to conduct a gangland assassination in San Diego for $50,000 each. The brutal realities of cartel and gang violence demand a response, not a reprieve. The Department of Justice will federally prosecute - as adults - juveniles who commit violent acts on behalf of cartels, the Mexican Mafia, or criminal street gangs.”
“Today’s guilty pleas reflect the FBI’s sustained commitment in working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate, dismantle and eliminate these violent groups and keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Mark Dargis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “The disgraceful tactic of cartels, street gangs, and the Mexican Mafia using underage children for murderous acts to evade enhanced punishments will not be tolerated. These violent crimes have no place in our communities and criminal gangs will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This outcome is the result of outstanding and tireless work by our investigative team and close coordination with our regional and federal partners,” said Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy. “Together, we remain committed to holding violent criminals accountable for their actions.”
The defendants were charged with Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and Murder in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR murder) because they conducted the hits for the purpose of promoting the Westside Wilmas Enterprise. In association with the Mexican Mafia, the Enterprise engages in drug trafficking, weapons distribution, the collection and transfer of “taxes” and narcotics proceeds, armed assaults, and murders for the Enterprise, which was the Wilmas gang. Enterprise members are also aware that juvenile gang members, particularly those under the age of 16, can be subject to significantly less custodial time than adults would in California state courts even if found guilty of the commission of violent offenses.
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Todd Robinson.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff, Peter Horn and Joshua Mellor.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr4822-TWR
Andrew Nunez
aka “Shooter,” aka “Felon,” Age: 16 Wilmington, CA
Johncarlo Quintero Age: 17 Wilmington, CA
aka “Dumper”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(5) and 2)
Two counts
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine
Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(1) and 2).
One count
Maximum penalty: Death or life in prison; $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Chula Vista Police Department
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
United States Marshals Service
California Highway Patrol
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Tech Company Executive Sentenced to Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Embezzlement Scheme and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that MARK ANGAROLA was sentenced to 38 months in prison for committing two extensive fraud crimes—an $8.3 million embezzlement scheme and a $668,000 tax evasion scheme. In the embezzlement scheme, ANGAROLA exploited his management position at a tech company to fraudulently enrich himself, his family, and his friends. Over the course of approximately nine years, ANGAROLA fraudulently billed personal expenses and hired his family and friends to no-show jobs. In the tax evasion scheme, ANGAROLA did not declare income received from the embezzlement scheme and, for two years, filed no taxes at all. ANGAROLA previously pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, who imposed today’s sentence. Four other members of the embezzlement conspiracy have also pled guilty to date.
“Mark Angarola was the ringleader of a long-running fraud scheme that betrayed the trust of his employer, treated its client like a personal slush fund, and caused millions of dollars in losses to his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He further harmed the broader community by brazenly evading taxes for years. Angarola used his position to rip off his employers, clients, and hard-working, tax-paying Americans, and now he’s going to federal prison.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the Superseding Information to which ANGAROLA pled guilty, and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings:
The Embezzlement Scheme
From approximately May 2010 through February 2019, ANGAROLA spearheaded a large fraud scheme to unlawfully enrich himself and his co-conspirators (the “Conspirators”) by submitting and causing to be submitted fraudulent invoices and expenses to an information technology (“IT”) services company (the “Contractor”), at which he was employed in a senior position. In total, the embezzlement scheme caused a loss of more than $8 million.
ANGAROLA was a New York-based Global Account General Manager at the Contractor. He was responsible for managing the Contractor’s relationship with a particular client, which was a subsidiary of a global financial institution (the “Client”). The Contractor had a service contract with the Client, pursuant to which the Contractor provided IT support services to the Client at locations across the U.S. The Contractor subcontracted certain of this work to a technology solutions company (the “Subcontractor”). Pursuant to the agreement between the Contractor and the Subcontractor (the “Subcontract”), the Subcontractor provided certain IT support services directly to the Client in the place of the Contractor. Angarola was responsible for oversight of the Subcontractor’s performance on the Subcontract, which included approving payment to the Subcontractor on invoices submitted for work purportedly performed and expenses purportedly incurred in the Subcontractor’s performance on the Subcontract.
ANGAROLA abused his position to fraudulently enrich himself, his family, and his friends. For instance, he arranged for the Subcontractor to hire certain of his family members, friends, and subordinates, despite the fact that these individuals lacked apparent qualifications to perform deskside IT work. He arranged for the Subcontractor to hire, among others, his wife (a homemaker); his former college roommate (a police sergeant); and his close friends, including a construction manager and the construction manager’s wife, a schoolteacher. Thereafter, various Conspirators falsely reported to the Subcontractor that they had performed work under the Subcontract and incurred business expenses. ANGAROLA himself personally benefitted from the scheme by circumventing the Contractor’s expense policies by disguising his personal expenses as purported business expenses under the Subcontract. The Subcontractor submitted invoices to the Contractor for the hours purportedly worked and business expenses purportedly incurred by several of the Conspirators, and ANGAROLA, in turn, caused the Contractor to pay the Subcontractor on these fraudulent invoices. The purported business expenses incurred by several Conspirators, and ultimately paid for by the Contractor at the direction of ANGAROLA, included restaurant meals, hotel stays, transportation fees, a cruise, and gentlemen’s clubs.
Tax Evasion
ANGAROLA also furthered his lavish lifestyle, including his near-daily use of a limousine service, through tax evasion, resulting in a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) of approximately $668,000. For four years, ANGAROLA failed to declare to the IRS the income he derived from his embezzlement scheme. In two of those years, he did not even file any tax returns.
* * *
In addition to his prison term, ANGAROLA, 52, of Point Lookout, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. ANGAROLA was also ordered to forfeit $2,679,445.26 and pay restitution in the amount of $9,023,444.96.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; the IRS-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office; and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy V. Capozzi and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Almonte are in charge of the prosecution.
South Bend Man Sentenced to 180 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Yesterday, Elijah Suggs, 31 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Suggs was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, over the course of four transactions, Suggs sold a total of about two pounds of methamphetamine to another person in South Bend.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the St. Joseph County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Lydia T. Lucius.
Smithfield man sentenced to eight years in prison for possessing over 150 improvised explosive devices and an unregistered short barrel rifleRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Smithfield man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
According to court documents, on July 31, 2021, Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was admitted to an emergency room with a completely amputated right thumb, partially amputated right middle and index fingers, hearing loss, and scalp lacerations. Spafford falsely told the hospital his injuries were caused by fireworks. An investigation later revealed that Spafford’s injuries resulted from his misfire of a launcher at a family member’s rural property where Spafford routinely detonated explosives he made.
On Dec. 17, 2024, law enforcement arrested Spafford for possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle. Immediately following Spafford’s arrest, law enforcement searched his Smithfield property and vehicles. Agents recovered an unregistered short barrel rifle and ammunition compatible with the rifle. Agents also found approximately 155 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that appeared to be homemade pipe bombs. Some of the IEDs had handwritten identification on them, including “lethal” and “concussion.”
“Brad Spafford’s manufacture and stockpiling of explosive devices posed a serious danger to himself and to others,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This sentence, along with Mr. Spafford’s own injuries, should serve as a deterrent to anyone considering the manufacture of homemade explosives.”
“The sentencing of Brad Spafford reflects the serious consequences of illegally possessing dangerous weapons and explosive devices that threaten public safety. This case underscores the FBI's commitment to identifying and stopping individuals who endanger our communities,” said Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Norfolk Field Office. “The outcome of this case reflects the strength of our justice system and the coordinated efforts of law enforcement to mitigate such threats. I thank the men and women of the FBI Norfolk Field Office for their exhaustive and disciplined work during the all-hands-on-deck search, and our local, state, and federal partners for their assistance and professionalism while supporting FBI Norfolk's Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
Among the IEDs analyzed were some with propellant capabilities consistent with use in a launcher and IEDs capable of causing property damage, personal injury, or death. Investigators also recovered bomb-making equipment, along with riot gear, Tannerite, two empty grenade canisters, an improvised mine, precursor chemicals for explosive materials, and numerous rounds of homemade ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Gantt and Luke Bresnahan prosecuted the case.
The Suffolk Police Department, Norfolk Bomb Squad, Virginia State Police, Isle of Wight County Fire Rescue, and Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation, with continued support from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Norfolk.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-3.
Six Additional Defendants Charged, One Defendant Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Six additional defendants have been charged federally with participating in schemes to defraud the government in the Autism fraud scheme and the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) fraud scheme. One defendant charged in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Autism scheme pled guilty today. And this morning, federal agents executed a search warrant relating to fraud in an additional state program, the Integrated Community Services (ICS) program, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
The EIDBI Autism Fraud Scheme
In the Autism fraud scheme, Abdinajib Hassan Yussuf, age 27, has been charged by federal information with one count of wire fraud. As set forth in the information, Yussuf and others devised and carried out a scheme to defraud the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit, a publicly funded Minnesota Health Care Program that offers medically necessary services to people under the age of 21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yussuf was the President and CEO of Star Autism Center LLC.
From late 2020 through December 2024, Yussuf used Star Autism to carry out a scheme to defraud the EIDBI program. Star Autism purported to provide necessary one-on-one therapy to children with autism. In fact, Star Autism employed unqualified individuals as “behavioral technicians.” These behavioral technicians were often 18- or 19-year-old relatives, with no formal education beyond high school and no training or certifications related to the treatment of autism.
To run their fraud scheme, Yussuf and his partners needed children who had an autism diagnosis and an individual treatment plan. They approached parents in the Somali community to recruit their children into Star Autism. If a child did not have an autism diagnosis, Yussuf and his partners worked to get the recruited child qualified for autism services.
As a recruitment tactic to drive up enrollment, Star Autism paid monthly cash kickback payments to parents who enrolled their children to receive EIDBI services through Star Autism. The amount of these payments was contingent on the services DHS authorized a child to receive—the higher the authorization amount, the higher the kickback.
Yussuf and his partners submitted millions of dollars’ worth of claims for Medicaid reimbursement on behalf of Star Autism. Many of these claims were fraudulently inflated, billed without providers’ knowledge, and for services that were not actually provided. The cost of the kickback payments that Star Autism paid to parents were financed through Star Autism’s fraudulent billings to Medicaid.
Yussuf’s fraudulent scheme resulted in Star Autism obtaining more than $6 million in EIDBI reimbursement funds from Minnesota DHS and UCare. Yussuf shared in the proceeds of the fraud scheme with the other owners and investors in Star Autism. Among other things, Yussuf used more than $100,000 in fraud proceeds to purchase a freightliner semi-truck. He also sent more than $200,000 in fraud proceeds to Kenya.
In September 2025, Asha Farhan Hassan, age 28, was charged by federal information with wire fraud for her role in a $14 million Autism fraud scheme. Hassan was also charged with participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, for which she received $465,000. This morning, before United States District Judge David Doty, Hassan pled guilty to one count of wire fraud for her role in these schemes. Hassan will be sentenced at a later date.
The Housing Stabilization Services Fraud Scheme
In July 2020, Minnesota became the first state in the country to offer Medicaid coverage for Housing Stabilization Services. The Housing Stabilization Services Program is a Medical Assistance (that is, Medicaid) benefit designed to help people with disabilities, including seniors and people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, find and maintain housing. By design, the HSS Program had low barriers to entry and minimal records requirements for reimbursement that combined to make the Program susceptible to fraud.
Before the HSS Program’s inaugural year, DHS predicted the HSS Program would cost about $2.6 million annually. That proved to be inaccurate. In 2021 alone, the HSS Program paid out more than $21 million in claims. That figure ballooned in the following years: $42 million in 2022, $74 million in 2023, and $104 million in 2024. In just the first six months of 2025, the Program paid out another $61 million.
In the Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, Anthony Waddell Jefferson, age 37, and Lester Brown, age 53, have both been charged by federal information with one count of wire fraud.
As set forth in the information, Jefferson and Brown devised and carried out a scheme to defraud Minnesota’s Housing Stability Services Program. Jefferson and Brown live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jefferson and Brown heard that Minnesota’s HSS Program was a good opportunity to make money. Jefferson, Brown, and three of their associates decided to become Minnesota HSS Providers, despite living on the other side of the country and having no network in or connections to Minnesota or its communities. Ultimately, their sole connection to Minnesota was their fraudulent participation in the Housing Stabilization Services Program.
Jefferson and Brown registered LLCs in Minnesota and participated in the Housing Stability Services Program as service providers. They were supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need. Instead, they defrauded the program.
Jefferson and Brown repeatedly flew together from Philadelphia to Minneapolis for the purpose of recruiting beneficiaries for their companies. They visited shelters and Section 8 housing facilities, marketing themselves as “The Housing Guys.” Jefferson hired family members and associates to work as his employees. At Jefferson’s direction, those employees created fake client notes purporting to document services provided. In some of that documentation, Jefferson invented fake employees whose names he used to sign off on client notes. Brown generally did not keep client notes, despite being required by Program rules to do so. When insurance representatives sought that documentation, Brown made up fake notes to satisfy the requests.
Jefferson and Brown submitted about $3.5 million in HSS claims for services purportedly provided to about 230 beneficiaries.
In the Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, Hassan Ahmed Hussein, age 28, and Ahmed Abdirashid Mohamed, age 27, have both been charged by federal indictment with one count of wire fraud.
As set forth in the indictment, Hussein and Mohamed owned and operated a company called Pristine Health LLC in St. Paul. Hussein and Mohamed registered Pristine Health with the Minnesota Secretary of State and then submitted paperwork to DHS to operate Pristine as an HSS provider. Hussein and Mohamed were supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need. Instead, and in furtherance of their fraud scheme, Hussein and Mohamed caused the submission of false claims information that significantly overrepresented the services they provided.
Hussein and Mohamed shared responsibilities for Pristine’s operations. They worked with another HSS Provider called Foundation First—which was in the business of generating fake HSS Program paperwork—to “consult” on many of Pristine’s purported beneficiaries. Pristine and Foundation First worked together to fabricate Housing Focused Plans for Pristine beneficiaries. Pristine then used those beneficiaries’ names to submit false claims to the HSS Program.
To further expand their operations, Hussein and Mohamed retained the services of another entity—Company 1—to find new beneficiaries whose names Pristine could use to bill the Program. Company 1 encouraged providers to use Company 1’s services to “grow [their] clientele,” “grow bigger than you are now,” and achieve “BIG profit.”
Hussein and Mohamed claimed to service nearly 100 different beneficiaries through Pristine and for such services claimed to be entitled to about $750,000. But in reality, the defendants’ operations at Pristine provided only a fraction of their claimed total.
Hussein and Mohamed spent much of their fraud proceeds on themselves and to fund personal travel, including to London, Sydney, Dubai, Istanbul, and several destinations in Saudi Arabia.
In the housing stabilization services fraud scheme, Kaamil Omar Sallah, age 26, has been charged by indictment with four counts of wire fraud. Sallah owned and operated a company called SafeLodgings, Inc. Sallah registered SafeLodgings with the Minnesota Secretary of State in March 2023. That same month, Sallah submitted paperwork to enroll SafeLodgings as an HSS Provider.
Through SafeLodgings, Sallah was supposed to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services to qualifying people in need. Instead, he defrauded the program.
Sallah submitted inflated and fraudulent bills in which he repeatedly claimed that individual SafeLodgings employees had serviced multiple beneficiaries in the same one- or two-hour blocks. Such double billing is neither practically possible nor is it permitted under Program rules. Sallah submitted bills to the Program claiming that he personally provided reimbursable services. Those bills, too, included double billing. In 2024 alone, Sallah claimed to have personally provided more than 3,600 billable service hours.
Sallah diverted much of his fraud proceeds to conspirators, including to his employees at SafeLodgings, and he spent much of it on himself and on investments, including nearly $150,000 in a cryptocurrency exchange.
In all, between approximately March 2023 and August 2025, Sallah and his company fraudulently claimed to be entitled to approximately $1.4 million for providing Housing Stabilization Services and received nearly $1.3 million.
In November 2025, federal agents served Sallah, as SafeLodgings’s owner, with a grand jury subpoena for company records related to the HSS Program. Sallah retained counsel for the purpose of responding to that subpoena. Then he fled the country. On or about November 26, Sallah flew from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Amsterdam. He has not returned to the United States.
The Integrated Community Supports (ICS) Fraud Scheme
Today, the Court unsealed a search warrant for the business of Ultimate Home Health Services LLC which participated in the Integrated Community Supports (“ICS”) program. In 2021, Minnesota began offering Medicaid coverage for ICS. ICS is a Minnesota Medicaid benefit designed to fill a gap in the service continuum between a person living in their own home and more restrictive settings such as group homes and assisted living.
ICS was designed to help people live more independently in the community—as opposed to an institutionalized setting—with daily one-on-one help with health, safety, and household tasks so that qualifying individuals can live in the community. Providers can bill up to 24 hours per day for ICS services.
Unfortunately, the ICS program has been vulnerable to fraud. As with the EDIBI and HSS programs, the ICS program has seen explosive growth over the five years since it began in 2021. After paying out a total of approximately $4.6 million in 2021, the program has grown to cost more than $170 million in 2024. In all, claims data shows that the Medicaid system has paid out more than $400 million for ICS services since 2021.
According to DHS records, Ultimate Home Health Services submitted claims for reimbursement for over $1.1 million in ICS funds between approximately June 2024 and August 2025. During that time, Ultimate Home Health Services submitted claims on behalf of a total of 13 clients. According to the search warrant affidavit, ICS billed Medicaid for services for multiple individuals that it did not provide. ICS falsely claimed to have provided ICS services to one individual on all but four days over a 447-day period.
Another individual with severe mental illness was found dead in his apartment, and DHS records show that he was receiving ICS services from Ultimate Home Health at the time of his death. According to DHS records, Ultimate Home Health claimed to be providing 12 hours of services a day, although the individual’s mother, who visited him at least once a week, said that Ultimate Home Health was not providing anywhere near the care for which they were billing Medicaid.
These cases are the result of investigations being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Daniel W. Bobier, Harry M. Jacobs, Rebecca E. Kline, and Matthew Murphy are prosecuting these cases.
Informations and Indictments are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sioux City Man Who Illegally Possessed a Firearm Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Joshua Solis, age 37, from Sioux City, was sentenced December 17, 2025, to 8 years in federal prison after a September 9, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence in the case revealed on May 9, 2025, law enforcement responded to a report of a motor vehicle stopped in a turn lane, with a witness reporting the driver of the vehicle appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel. Solis was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. Law enforcement observed Solis displaying signs of drug impairment. Solis consented to a search, where law enforcement located a baggie containing methamphetamine, as well a loaded handgun, magazines, several other rounds of ammunition, and further drug paraphernalia. He was arrested on state charges for these crimes and later formally charged in state court with possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of a controlled substances.
He paid a bond and was released on the state charges prior to trial. However, on June 3, 2025, Solis was observed walking in the middle of a roadway. Law enforcement contacted Solis and found him in possession of another handgun, more methamphetamine, a digital scale, and $750 in cash. He was then charged federally for his criminal conduct.
Solis was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 96 months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively to any state sentence, if one is imposed. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Solis is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4034.
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Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethRead the Press Release
Jarrami Berndt, 46, from Sioux City, Iowa, who, on two separate occasions, possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty December 16, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on August 10, 2024, Sioux City police stopped Berndt’s vehicle and observed Berndt throw something out of the window of the vehicle during the traffic stop. Officers found the thrown object, a black bag which contained a scale, marijuana and over 13 grams of pure methamphetamine. On May 1, 2025, Sioux City police conducted a traffic stop of a taxi occupied by Berndt. Berndt admitted ownership of a bag found in the back seat which contained over 16 grams of pure methamphetamine. Berndt admitted that on both occasions, he intended to distribute some or all the drugs to another person or persons.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Berndt remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.
On October 4, 1999, Berndt was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, terrorism, going armed with intent, possession and use of an offense weapon (firearm) in the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County. These convictions constitute a serious violent felony conviction which subjects Berndt to a sentencing enhancement. Berndt faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4029. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Shelton Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BURNEST GEYER, JR., 32, of Shelton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 150 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for engaging in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of minors, including attempting to produce child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement began investigating Geyer after learning he had told an individual that he possessed child pornography videos, and that he had communicated with a second individual through Telegram, an encrypted phone messaging application, about his child pornography collection. During a Telegram communication in July 2024, Geyer shared his laptop screen and showed pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Geyer was arrested on October 8, 2024. On that date, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of his residence and seized his iPhone and other items. Analysis of the Telegram app on the iPhone revealed more than 3,000 images and videos depicting child pornography, including the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
The investigation further revealed that Geyer engaged in numerous conversations with others on Telegram and WhatsApp, including more than 50 adult content creators, regarding his interest in the sexual abuse of minors. Geyer offered to pay the content creators to sexually exploit their children over video calls with him. In certain conversations, Geyer said he had engaged in the sexual abuse of minors.
On July 28, 2025, Geyer pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography. He has been detained since August 5, 2025, when his bond was revoked.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Watertown, Bridgeport, Shelton, and Westport Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Romanian Nationals Unlawfully Residing in the United States Indicted for Conspiring to Steal SNAP BenefitsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Two Romanian nationals unlawfully residing in the United States made their initial appearances yesterday after being indicted by a federal grand jury for their role in a conspiracy to steal more than $160,000 of benefits from low income and food insecure individuals and families.
Alexandru Telescu, 29, and Aramis Manolea, 35, have been charged in a 26-count indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States, access device fraud, possession, production, and trafficking of device-making equipment, and aggravated identity theft.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of essential programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “Those who steal these sacred funds will be held accountable, and we will ensure that these vital programs continue to serve the communities that rely on them.”
“This scheme effectively took food from the dinner tables of struggling American families,” said Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Seattle Field Office. “We’re proud to help our law enforcement partners expose abuse of the SNAP Program and keep government assistance available for those who need it.”
“We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and IRS-CI for their steadfast work on this impactful investigation,” said Shawn Dionida, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG) Special Agent-in-Charge.
According to court documents, beginning in April 2025, Telescu and Manolea, along with others, conspired to use stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account information and PINs to fraudulently purchase SNAP-eligible items, like infant formula and energy drinks. The defendants, along with their co-conspirators, also conspired to possess and use electronic devices to steal EBT account information and PINs from point-of-sale terminals in Oregon and elsewhere. The conspiracy used the EBT benefits at grocery stores in Oregon, Washington, and California. The stolen goods were packaged in storage units and loaded into vans and trucks for shipment to California.
For example, from July 4, 2025, through October 13, 2025, Telescu and co-conspirators used a Sam’s Club account in California to conduct approximately 231 fraudulent SNAP transactions using victims’ EBT accounts totaling approximately $102,000. From September 5, 2025, through September 9, 2025, Manolea and a co-conspirator used 10 separate EBT accounts in Oregon retail stores to steal approximately $8,739 in SNAP funds. On September 23, 2025, Telescu and co-defendant Andy Perovici installed a skimming device on a retail point-of-sale terminal in Tigard, Oregon, with the intent to capture EBT card account data and customers’ PINs.
Telescu and Manolea made their initial appearance in federal court yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending trial.
The USDA OIG and IRS-CI are investigating the case with assistance from the United States Marshals Service for the District of Oregon, Eastern District of California, and the Central District of California, and the Oregon Department of Human Services. Geoffrey A. Barrow and Nicholas D. Meyers, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon, are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Rockford Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine and possessing firearms to protect his drug trafficking operation.
CORNELL FINLEY, 48, pleaded guilty earlier this year to knowingly and intentionally possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing two handguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Finley admitted in a plea agreement that he possessed the loaded guns in Rockford for the purpose of protecting his drug supply and his drug trafficking proceeds.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Finley to 156 months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Winnebago County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson.
Rochester drug kingpin going to prison for more than 21 yearsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Brandon Washington a/k/a B Mack, 40, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who handled the case, stated that between at least May 2021 and July 21, 2022, Washington operated an armed drug trafficking organization that sold significant quantities of marijuana from various drug houses located in the city of Rochester. In addition to selling from drug houses on St. Paul and Sixth Streets in Rochester, he also maintained stash locations, including one at 52 Laser Street, also in Rochester. Washington employed several individuals to supply, package and sell marijuana 24 hours a day, generating thousands of dollars per shift. Other men were hired to provide protection for his operation.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement executed numerous search warrants resulting in the seizure of significant quantities of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, $21,644 in cash, and nine firearms. At Washington’s residence located at 55 Laser Street, officers seized marijuana, packaging materials and over 100 rounds of ammunition. Washington’s prior criminal history prohibited him from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
Gun traces on several of the seized firearms connected them to multiple shootings and homicides in Rochester in the summer of 2022. While investigating one of the homicides, Rochester Police Department Tactical Unit Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz and Investigator Sino Seng were conducting surveillance from a van when Kelvin Vickers discharged numerous rounds into their van, killing Mazurkiewicz and injuring Sang. Kelvin Vickers was later convicted of that murder and sentenced to life in prison.
“Today’s sentencing brings an end to the stranglehold of drugs and violence that Brandon Washington and his co-conspirators had on the Rochester community,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “A total of 23 defendants filled the streets with poisonous narcotics and inflicted violence that led to the murder of Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, each of these defendants is now being held accountable for their criminal behavior, including Washington, who is going to prison for a very long time.”
Rochester Police Chief David Smith said, “the Rochester Police Department would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, DEA, and all of our law enforcement partners for their assistance in bringing the successful apprehensions and prosecutions of Brandon Washington, and his co-conspirators, who brought a reign of terror to our community and took the life of Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz.”
ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo stated, “Today’s sentencing marks an important measure of justice in a case that laid bare the devastating toll of armed drug trafficking on our communities and on the law enforcement officers sworn to protect them. We honor their courage and service, and we extend our deepest respect and sympathy to their families. Together with our partners, we remain relentless in dismantling violent criminal organizations and reducing gun violence across Rochester.”
DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino stated, “Today’s sentencing of Brandon Washington held a key member of a Rochester drug organization accountable for fueling an illegal marijuana distribution network, while arming himself to protect his profits.”
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
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Richmond identity thief sentenced to over three years in prison for hundreds of fraudulent unemployment benefits claimsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison for a multi-state scheme designed to steal COVID-19 pandemic benefits slated for unemployed workers.
“At a moment of national urgency, Makka Garba and other fraudsters took advantage of the government programs designed to be a lifeline for American families in need,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “My office will vigorously pursue anyone who defrauds governmental programs to line their own pockets.”
“During an unprecedented time when so many Americans struggled with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Makka Garba and his co-conspirators callously exploited the unemployment insurance system by filing over 300 fraudulent claims with several states across the country, including the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “Today’s sentencing affirms the continued commitment of the Office of Inspector General, working in close collaboration with our many federal and state law enforcement partners, to vigorously protect the integrity of unemployment insurance programs and hold accountable those who seek to unlawfully enrich themselves.”
According to court documents, Garba, 36, and his co-conspirators filed at least 346 false claims for pandemic-related unemployment benefits in the names of identity theft victims. Garba and his co-conspirators filed false claims with at least seven different state workforce agencies throughout the United States, including the Virginia Employment Commission, with which Garba and his co-conspirators filed at least 162 false claims for unemployment insurance benefits between October 2020 and February 2021. These false pandemic unemployment applications falsely represented that the victims were filing these claims and falsely represented the victims’ eligibility for pandemic-related unemployment benefits. In many cases, the victims were employed during the pandemic and were not eligible for such funds.
Garba and his co-conspirators received at least $619,442 in funds to which they were not entitled. Garba and his co-conspirators designated electronic payment cards to be mailed to Garba with fraud proceeds, at which point Garba withdrew those funds from Richmond-area ATMs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case.
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-45.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 22 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced registered sex offender Scott Lee Dye, 46, of North East, Maryland, today, to 22 1/2 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor. Dye must also continue to register as a sex offender for life and was also ordered to pay $4,500 in restitution to his victims. He pled guilty to the charge on June 16, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland, and Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Acting Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP).
As Dye admitted pursuant to his plea agreement, he used the WhatsApp and Kik applications to attempt to meet and have sexual intercourse with individuals he believed were various minors.
According to court documents, in October 2022, law enforcement learned that Dye was engaging in sexual communications via WhatsApp with a minor after the parents reported the communications to the school, who in turn notified the police. Around the same time, New Jersey law enforcement notified Maryland law enforcement that Dye was communicating on the Kik application with an individual he believed was a 13-year-old girl, but was actually law enforcement. Dye’s communications with the purported minor included graphic descriptions of the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the minor. His accounts and devices contained various videos and images of child sexual abuse material.
After his release from federal prison, Dye is required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at dhs.gov/know2protect.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI and MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Rapid City Woman Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Interstate Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 15, 2025.
Ruth Kazmer, 60, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. She was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October of 2024. She pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.
Beginning at least in July 2022, Kazmer organized a conspiracy to transport large amounts of methamphetamine from surrounding states into western South Dakota. Kazmer financed multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine and arranged for co-conspirators to transport the methamphetamine into South Dakota. No stranger to the drug trade, Kazmer was on parole for a state conviction for distribution of methamphetamine at the time she organized this conspiracy. Kazmer was responsible for bringing at least 14.9 kilograms of methamphetamine into South Dakota, where it was destined for sale in communities throughout Rapid City and surrounding areas. Law enforcement seized over six pounds of methamphetamine during the investigation.
“We are immensely grateful for our collaborative relationship with our state and local law enforcement partners whose incredible detective work led to this conviction and sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Getting meth and other drugs off the streets and dismantling the criminal organizations responsible for their distribution takes teamwork, time, dedication, and a relentless work ethic. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the highly skilled men and women of law enforcement in Rapid City and communities across South Dakota who wake up every day and risk their lives protecting our children and fellow citizens from these ruinous substances.”
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Kazmer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 15, 2025.
Elisha Rose Merdanian, 21, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Merdanian was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in December 2024. She pleaded guilty on September 18, 2025.
Beginning in at least October 2023, Merdanian worked with a Pine Ridge-based source of supply to sell methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge community. Merdanian sold methamphetamine to end-users, assisted her co-conspirators in identifying potential buyers, and arranged methamphetamine sales to end-users on behalf of her co-conspirators.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Drug Enforcement, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Merdanian was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pair Sentenced in Overdose Death of Northern Virginia TeenRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A pair of individuals responsible for distributing the fatal dose of fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old high school student in 2023 were sentenced today in federal court.
Bessy Jimenez Mejia, 27, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison. Jimenez Mejia previously admitted to being the source of supply for the fentanyl that ultimately killed Cayden Foster in 2023.
Liam Conaway, 24, also of Harrisonburg, was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison. Conaway previously admitted to obtaining the deadly fentanyl from Jimenez Mejia and providing it to Foster.
“Fentanyl is a clear and present danger to our communities. One pill can kill,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “In this case, half a fentanyl-laced pill cost a uniquely precious and extraordinary young man his life. This office will seek clear accountability against those who profit from trafficking this poison in the Western District of Virginia.”
“We need a Fentanyl-Free America,” stated Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division. “Our families are enduring the tragedy of losing loved ones, all due to greedy criminals like Jimenez Mejia and Conaway. For them, Fentanyl is merely a business; they lack concern for human lives and the well-being of our children. To the Foster family, we want you to know that we stand by your side in the fight against this crisis, committed to making a safer future for all. Your strength and resilience inspire us every day.”
According to court documents, in January 2023, Foster – who was at the time a high school student in Centreville, Virginia – reached out to Conaway, who was a student at James Madison University (JMU) to purchase pills. Conaway and Foster had previously consumed pills together during Conaway’s academic break from JMU.
On January 27, 2023, Foster sent Conaway $105 through Venmo to pay for the drugs. Conaway purchased approximately ten pills from his supplier, Jimenez Mejia, in Harrisonburg. The pills Conaway purchased from Jimenez Mejia were designed to appear as though they were 30 mg Percocet pills but were in fact counterfeit and contained fentanyl.
Two days later, a friend of Foster’s delivered three pills, sourced from Jimenez Mejia through Conaway in Harrisonburg to Foster in Northern Virginia.
On January 30, 2023, Foster consumed a portion of one of the pills purchased from Conaway. That night, Foster died from fentanyl poisoning.
First responders arrived at Foster’s home the next morning and pronounced Foster deceased.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sally J. Sullivan and Jason Scheff are prosecuting the case for the United States.