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25 November 2025
Numerous Individuals Charged as Part of Operation BrightsideRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United States Attorney announces multiple new indictments against individuals in mid-Missouri, returned by a grand jury in Jefferson City, Missouri on November 18, 2025.
The following individuals were each charged with being in possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction:
- Thomas Adam Abbey, Jr., 38, of Columbia;
- Paul Stewart Arnall, 35, of Columbia;
- David Tyler Blair, 27, of Columbia;
- Frank Cortez Bonaparte, 44, of Columbia;
- Jordan Booker, 31, of Jefferson City;
- Jaimonte Tremelle Cooper, 34, of Columbia;
- James Elvaughn Hanton, 45, of Columbia;
- Malachi Allen Hughes, 21, of Columbia;
- Paul Allen Johnson, 58, of Columbia;
- Quinton Marquez Miller, 27, of Columbia;
- Leo Demarcus Roland, 34, of Columbia;
- Tyrone Sabb, 49, of Columbia;
- Justin Terrell Shelton, 31, of Columbia;
- Terrell Maurice Sims, 29, of Columbia;
- Damon Lashay Thompson, 25, of Columbia;
- Timmy Ray Whittle, 69, of Lohman, Mo.
If convicted, these individuals will face up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Several other defendants were also indicted by the grand jury in Jefferson City, Missouri, on November 18, 2025, and charged with other crimes.
- Kenneth Ryan Williams, 41, and Asia Javone Shafer, 24, were both charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as separate counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Williams is also alleged to have possessed a firearm after a prior felony conviction.
- Dexter Terrell Mason, 45, of Jefferson City, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges contained in all these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley S. Turner, Jim Lynn, Aaron M. Maness, Cecily L. Hicks, and Lauren E. Kummerer.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Enticing Okeechobee MinorRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Charlotte, North Carolina man has pleaded guilty in Fort Pierce on Oct. 14 to enticing a minor to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Kaleb Harrison Childs, 26, began communicating in February 2025 with a minor from Okeechobee through a social media application. The minor told Childs that she was 13 years old, but she was actually 12. During their online exchanges, Childs offered to provide gift cards and video game credits in exchange for sexually explicit images and videos of the minor.
In May 2025, Childs was arrested as he reentered the U.S aboard a cruise ship. Following his arrest, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and discovered hundreds of images of CSAM.
Childs pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of producing material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. Childs faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the enticement count and up to 30 years in prison for the production count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Noel E. Stephen of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
HSI Fort Pierce and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover is prosecuting the case.
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. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-14034.
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New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment on Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on November 24, 2025, Senior United States District Judge Malachy E, Mannion sentenced Naquan Simmons, age 31, of Bronx, New York, to 120 months’ imprisonment for false statements in the acquisition of firearms.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, on September 22, 2022, Naquan Simmons travelled to a gun store in Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, with a woman suffering from opioid use disorder. The woman purchased two guns in her name on behalf of Simmons, who was legally prohibited from purchasing firearms. Simmons provided the woman with heroin in exchange for the two firearms. One of the firearms was later located in Bronx, New York. Thereafter, on August 15, 2023, Simmons entered a gun store in Plains Township, Luzerne County, with a man who Simmons was supplying with crack cocaine. The man attempted to purchase the firearm in his name on behalf of Simmons but never received the firearm due to law enforcement intervention. At the time of these offenses, Simmons was on federal supervised release in the Southern District of New York for conspiracy to commit racketeering and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Luzerne County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
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New York Man Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting and Threatening Child He Met on SnapchatRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ZACHARY WILLIAMS, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 240 months of imprisonment for offenses related to his sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl he met on Snapchat.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in February 2021, Williams began communicating with an 11-year old girl on Snapchat. Williams groomed the girl and coerced her to send her sexually explicit images of herself. Once in possession of the images, Williams threatened to post them online for her family, friends, and others to see, and used these tactics to pressure the girl to meet him in person for a sexual encounter. Then, on two occasions in February 2021, Williams traveled to Connecticut, sexually abused the girl in her home while her family was asleep, and recorded the sexual acts on his iPhone. After these encounters, Williams used the sexual videos and images he recorded to threaten the girl further so she would not expose his conduct.
Williams has been detained since March 13, 2021, after he was charged in the District of New Jersey with similar child exploitation offenses. He was convicted after trial and sentenced on March 18, 2025, to life in prison.
On August 8, 2025, Williams pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to one count of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct.
Williams is also charged with child exploitation offenses in the Eastern District of New York where he is currently awaiting trial.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Galloway Township (N.J.) Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford, Daniel E. Cummings, and Alexis L. Beyerlein.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
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.
New Hampshire Woman and New York Man Sentenced for Role in Transporting Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 17, 2025, Jody Lynn McGuire, 52, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a time-served term of approximately 2.5 months, to be followed by a 2-year term of supervised release. On October 20, 2025, Judge Sessions sentenced McGuire’s co-defendant, Tyler Kenneth George Leavine, 34, of Dannemora, New York, to a time-served sentence of approximately 7 months, to be followed by a 2-year term of supervised release. Leavine and McGuire previously pleaded guilty to transporting illegal aliens.
According to court records, on March 26, 2025, United States Border Patrol received a tip that there was going to be a human smuggling event in Alburgh, Vermont. Upon reporting to the area, Border Patrol found a white Ford Edge with New York plates. Video footage showed several people had run to, and entered, the Ford Edge. Border Patrol stopped the vehicle; the driver was McGuire and the front-seat passenger was Leavine. In the backseat of the vehicle there were three Indian citizens who did not legally enter the United States and had no documentation allowing them to remain in the United States. Leavine and McGuire later told law enforcement they had driven to Alburgh to pick people up and were expecting to be paid for their role in transporting these individuals.
First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn. McGuire was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon. Leavine was represented by Kevin M. Henry, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
New Britain Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HENRY MENESES JR., 33, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force investigation revealed that Meneses was selling large quantities of fentanyl in the Hartford area. On January 6, 2025, Meneses distributed 6,000 dose bags of fentanyl to an individual who had driven from Vermont to pick up the drugs. On February 25, 2025, investigators made a controlled purchase of 1,200 dose bags of fentanyl from Meneses on Franklin Avenue in Hartford.
Meneses was arrested on March 25, 2025. On that date, searches of his residence and vehicle revealed two handguns, five gun magazines, ammunition, and more than $6,000 in cash.
On June 24, 2025, Meneses pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Released on a $100,000 bond, he is required to report to prison on January 7.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham.
Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Vials of FentanylRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Grosse Pointe Park registered nurse, Travis Eskridge, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for tampering with a consumer product, specifically the Schedule II controlled substance fentanyl. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Ronne Malham, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Chicago Field Office.
Travis Eskridge, 54, of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room at Ascension St. John Hospital until August of 2022. In his guilty plea Eskridge admitted that he tampered with vials containing fentanyl, a powerful narcotic pain reliever, which he knew were intended to be administered to patients in the hospital’s emergency room. Eskridge removed fentanyl from the vials, replaced fentanyl with another liquid, and returned the tampered vials to the locked drug storage system. Eskridge did this with reckless disregard for the dangerous risk to patients that resulted from such tampering. The defendant also admitted that he stole fentanyl vials as part of a pattern of thefts for his personal drug use from May of 2022 until August of 2022. Nurse Eskridge was immediately removed from his position at Ascension St. John Hospital in August of 2022 when the hospital discovered the tampering and thefts.
United States Attorney Gorgon stated, “When nurse Eskridge placed tampered vials back into the hospital’s medical supply, he exposed patients in desperate need of pain relief to continued suffering. This is a reprehensible crime. No medical professional should torture a patient. I credit the hospital and the FDA investigators for their work in exposing this crime.”
“Emergency room patients trust they will be administered the pain relief drugs that the doctor ordered,” said Special Agent in Ronne Malham, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Chicago Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice healthcare professionals who violate their position of trust and jeopardize patients’ health and well-being by tampering with their pain medications.”
Travis Eskridge was sentenced by United States District Judge Susan K. DeClercq.
The case was investigated by special agents of the Food and Drug Administration.
Missouri Man Sentenced to Federal Prison Four Years After Fleeing State Following Drug Charge in 2020Read the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JOSHUA KYLE COOK, 39, of Missouri, has been sentenced to serve 210 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, on August 27, 2020, Cook was stopped by an Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) agent while traveling on Interstate 40 in Canadian County and found to be in possession of approximately 3 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside his vehicle. On September 16, 2020, a federal Grand Jury charged Cook with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Following his initial arrest, Cook was placed on pretrial release, but later absconded and has been a fugitive since March 10, 2021. Recently uncovered information suggested that Cook was living in Theodosia, Missouri. On June 9, 2025, multiple law enforcement agencies located and surrounded Cook who was armed and barricaded inside a shed. An armed standoff ensued, lasting approximately two hours, during which time Cook threatened to shoot officers. Cook was eventually taken into custody peacefully.
Cook pleaded guilty to the 2020 drug charge on September 2, 2025, and admitted he possessed methamphetamine which he intended to distribute.
At the sentencing hearing on November 24, 2025, Cook was sentenced to serve 210 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court considered the need for Cook’s sentence to provide just punishment, promote respect for the law, and afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct. By engaging in an armed standoff with officers, the Court noted that Cook had endangered his own life and the lives of law enforcement.
This case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, OBN, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office, and Howell County SWAT. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew E. Davis and Jason Harley prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Mexican Citizen Charged with Human Smuggling and Improper EntryRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on November 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Juan Pablo Espinoza-Morales, 51, of Sonora, Mexico, with knowingly bringing illegal aliens to the United States for private financial gain and improper entry into the United States. Espinoza-Morales was arraigned on November 24, 2025 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.
According to court records, on October 21, 2025, Espinoza-Morales was apprehended with a group of nine aliens who had unlawfully crossed the border from Canada into the United States. Espinoza-Morales attempted to flee from U.S. Border Patrol agents when they first encountered the group, and he was apprehended approximately one hour later. Investigators subsequently determined that Espinoza-Morales had lead the group across the border for pay.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Espinoza-Morales is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Espinoza-Morales faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum sentence of up to fifteen years’ imprisonment, if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney David Golubock. Espinoza-Morales is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sam Ansell.
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.
Maryland Felon Sentenced in D.C. for Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Glock Pistol with an Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Eugene Burns, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, was sentenced November 24, 2025, in U.S. District Court to 55 months in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a loaded Glock 27 pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
A federal jury found Burns guilty on September 10, 2025, on a charge unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 55-month prison term, Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Burns to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to the evidence presented to the jury, on Feb. 25, 2024, officers from the MPD were on patrol in Southeast when they received a call about a disorderly group of people at an apartment building on the 2700 block of Wade Road Southeast. As officers walked to the building, they observed Burns quickly turn and sprint away.
As Burns ran, officers saw him make an overhead throwing motion, appearing to toss a dark-colored object over a fence and into a large vacant lot. Burns continued to run through an alley between Eaton Road Southeast and Sumner Road Southeast. Officers briefly lost sight of Burns in the alley; however, they soon found him hiding on the 1200 block of Sumer Road Southeast.
Officers returned to where they observed Burns throw an object and recovered a black Glock 27 pistol with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one in the chamber.
Burns previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2017 in connection with a violent armed robbery spree, that included conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Burns was still on supervised release for those charges at the time of this offense.
This case was investigated by the MPD and ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Special Assistant United States Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Robinson.
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Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who produced child pornography was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison today, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Emmanuel Jacobo Reyes, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen, pled guilty in July 2025, to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. Today, he was sentenced to 420 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Terry Means.
According to court documents, the defendant admitted that he enticed a minor victim living in the North Texas area to engage in sexually explicit conduct, produce visual depictions of such conduct, and transmit the depictions to Reyes. At the time, Reyes resided in North Carolina. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Worth Field Office, working from information provided by the North Richland Hills Police Department, reviewed contents of the minor victim’s phone that included screenshots of video chats between Reyes and the victim. As Reyes’s face was visible in some of the screenshots, agents were able to find his social media profile, confirm his identity, and determine his location.
FBI’s Fort Worth Field Office, FBI-Raleigh, NC, North Richland Hills Police Department, and the Raleigh, NC Police Department conducted this investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Allyson Monte.
This case was part of the FBI’s national Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country. In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice.
The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation and brought this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
Man Pleads Guilty to Discharging Machine Gun That Killed 69-Year-Old Bystander in East HarlemRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Ricky J. Patel, announced that FAISIL McCANTS pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to possessing and brandishing a machine gun in connection with an August 27, 2025, daytime armed robbery and shooting in which McCANTS fired 15 rounds on a public street in East Harlem, striking and killing a 69-year-old woman. McCANTS is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
“Faisil McCants fired 15 bullets in a matter of seconds in the middle of the day, killing a 69-year-old innocent woman who was doing nothing more than standing by her walker on an East Harlem street,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This type of senseless violence cannot and will not be tolerated. The people of this City expect and deserve to be able to walk our streets without fear. Thanks to the swift and tireless work of our partners at HSI and the NYPD, McCants will now face justice for his August 2025 crime. His plea today underscores our Office’s unwavering commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who use guns to destroy communities and lives.”
“Nearly three months ago, Robin Wright’s life was cut short in what can only be described as a senseless, avoidable, and absolutely unacceptable tragedy,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “With today’s guilty plea, an admitted violent criminal will spend decades in prison with no choice but to relive the events—and the decisions—that landed him there, while an innocent woman’s grieving family prepares for their first holiday season without her. Protecting New Yorkers is non-negotiable, and HSI New York, alongside our law enforcement partners, will use every tool at our disposal in doing just that.”
As alleged in public court filings, statements in public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case:
On or about August 27, 2025, shortly before 12:30 p.m., McCANTS and two co-conspirators (“CC-1” and “CC-2”) robbed a drug dealer (“Individual-1”) near East 109th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. During the robbery, McCANTS and his co-conspirators got into a physical altercation with Individual-1 before both McCANTS and CC-1 grabbed backpacks from Individual-1—which contained marijuana—and then fled north on Madison Avenue, turning onto East 110th Street.
McCANTS pulled a black firearm (equipped with a machine-gun conversion device) out of his right sweatshirt pocket and fired 15 shots in quick succession in the general direction of Individual-1. A photograph of McCants firing is below:
A 69-year-old woman (the “Victim”) standing with a walker on the northwest corner of East 110th Street and Madison Avenue—in the direction that McCANTS shot the firearm—was struck by gunfire. The Victim was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
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McCANTS, 18, of New York, New York, pled guilty to one count of use, carrying, and possession of a machine gun, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department. He also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the New York State Board of Parole, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations & Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra S. Messiter, Kathryn Wheelock, and Brandon D. Harper are in charge of the prosecution.
Man and Woman Charged with Obstructing Use of Entrance of Federal Property and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two individuals have been charged with obstructing the use of entrances on federal property, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. William Stanley, 25, and Heather Morrow, 44, both of Charlotte, are also charged with impeding and disrupting the performance of official duties of government employees, failure to comply with the lawful direction of an authorized individual, and assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with persons performing official duties. Morrow was previously charged by a federal criminal complaint, which the Court dismissed at the government’s request upon the filing of the formal charges.
According to allegations in the criminal bill of information, on November 16, 2025, Morrow and Stanley, aiding and abetting one another, did willfully enter federal property, specifically, the grounds of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE/ERO) building in Charlotte. While there, Stanley and Morrow allegedly engaged in disorderly conduct and other actions that unreasonably obstructed the usual use of the building’s entrances and parking lots. It is further alleged that Stanley and Morrow’s conduct impeded and disrupted ERO Deportation Officers in the performance of their official duties. Stanley and Morrow also allegedly failed to comply with the lawful direction of ERO Deportation Officers and forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, and intimidated ERO Deportation Officers who were engaged in the performance of their official duties, with such acts constituting simple assault.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is joined in making today’s announcement by Homeland Security Investigations, ICE/ERO, and the FBI.
The charges in the bill of information are allegations only. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Milton Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Willie Curtis Slack Jr., 49, of Milton, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent work of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, supported by our federal law enforcement partners, this violent career criminal has been removed from our streets. My office stands ready to aggressively prosecute these repeat offenders to keep our communities safe.”
Court documents reflect that during a traffic stop in October 2023, law enforcement officers found and seized a loaded pistol and marijuana from the defendant’s waistband. Then, in December 2024, law enforcement seized two additional firearms and matching bulk ammunition that the defendant had knowingly possessed earlier that year. Prior to these incidents, the defendant had been convicted of numerous felonies, including batteries, resisting officer with violence, aggravated assault by threat, and multiple drug sale and trafficking convictions. As a result, under the Armed Career Criminal Act, the defendant faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years in prison up to a maximum term of life on each count.
Sentencing is currently set for January 13, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
The plea was the result of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Lowe’s Home Centers to Pay $12.5M Penalty for Lead Paint Violations During Home RenovationsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a proposed nationwide settlement with Lowe’s Home Centers LLC — a subsidiary of Lowe’s Companies Inc. — to resolve alleged violations of EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. The violations stem from renovation work performed by Lowe’s contractors at hundreds of homes across the country, primarily between 2019 and 2021. As part of the settlement, Lowe’s will pay a $12.5 million penalty and improve its compliance program for renovations in homes that may contain lead-based paint.
“Careless handling of lead paint endangers the health of children and other Americans. The stiff penalty Lowe’s will pay reflects the importance of using certified firms and contractors in older home renovations,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Contractors hired for work that may disturb paint in homes built prior to 1978, when lead-based paint was in widespread use, must be certified. These contractors have the training to recognize and prevent the hazards that can be created when lead paint is disturbed.”
“Noncompliance with EPA regulations aimed at reducing or preventing health risks from lead paint exposure during renovations, repairs, and painting can endanger families, especially young children and infants,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Craig Pritzlaff of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA). “Through this enforcement action, Lowe’s will help protect their customers from the harmful effects of lead by ensuring that renovation work in homes built before 1978 is conducted by certified contractors using lead-safe practices.”
The settlement agreement requires Lowe’s to implement a comprehensive, corporate-wide program to ensure that the firms and installers it hires to perform work are qualified to use lead-safe work practices to avoid spreading lead dust and paint chips during home renovations. EPA found that Lowe’s failed to successfully implement the compliance terms of a 2014 settlement with the EPA, resulting in the alleged violations of the RRP rule.
EPA discovered some of the alleged violations after investigating problems disclosed by Lowe’s in periodic compliance reports required under the terms of a 2014 consent decree. The agency found additional alleged violations after responding to a tip from a member of the public concerning door replacements and other renovation work performed by a firm hired by Lowe’s to do work in southern and central California.
Residential lead-based paint use was banned in 1978 but remains in many older homes and apartments across the country. Lead dust hazards can occur when lead paint deteriorates or is disrupted during home renovation and remodeling activities. Lead exposure can cause a range of health problems, from behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to seizures and death, putting young children at the greatest risk because their nervous systems are still developing. A blood lead test is the only way to determine if a child has a high lead level. Parents who think their child has been in contact with lead dust should contact their child's health care provider.
The consent decree was lodged in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The lodged consent decree and information on submitting public comment is available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
More information is available on the 2025 Lowe’s RRP Rule Settlement Summary page: www.epa.gov/enforcement/lowes-home-centers-llc-rrp-2025-settlement-summary.
EPA investigated the case.
Attorneys with ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section are handling this matter.
Louisville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Jonathan Ernspiker, 42, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison, followed by 6 years of supervised release, for firearms trafficking, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, for conspiring to sell 18 firearms and approximately 58 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential law enforcement source on November 20, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated, “Ernspiker’s 15-year sentence demonstrates that the United States Attorney’s Office and ATF have absolutely no tolerance for drug trafficking and illegal firearms trafficking. Drug trafficking and illegal firearms trafficking significantly contribute to the violence plaguing our community. Hopefully, Ernspiker’s sentence sends a strong deterrent message to others engaged in or contemplating engaging in similar conduct.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge John Nokes stated, “Firearms trafficking undermines the basic safeguards that are in place to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. When combined with the distribution of dangerous narcotics such as methamphetamine, it creates an environment that threatens the safety and stability of communities throughout the Commonwealth. Jonathan Ernspiker’s significant prison sentence sends a clear message: the ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our local law-enforcement partners remain fully committed to aggressively pursuing and prioritizing investigations of this nature.”
Ernspiker was prohibited from possessing firearms due to the following prior felony convictions.
On March 26, 2017, in Bullitt County Circuit Court, Ernspiker was convicted of convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.
On November 4, 2013, in Bullitt County Circuit Court, Ernspiker was convicted of fleeing or evading police in the first degree and manufacturing methamphetamine in the first degree.
On May 3, 2013, in Bullitt County Circuit Court, Ernspiker was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree.
On October 1, 2008, in Bullitt County Circuit Court, Ernspiker was convicted of criminal mischief in the first degree.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Porter prosecuted the case with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Adela Alic.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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London Man Sentenced for Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving COVID Relief LoansRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A London man, Joshua Pennington, 51, was sentenced on October 17 by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to 22 months, for conspiracy to commit money laundering of fraudulently obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program loans.
According to Joshua Pennington’s plea agreement, his co-defendant, Nicole Pennington, made materially false statements on applications for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans made available to qualified applicants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six of the loan applications were approved for a total of $1,090,398.35 in fraudulently obtained SBA loan proceeds. Between May 2020 and June 10, 2021, Joshua Pennington and his co-defendant knowingly laundered over $1,000,000 in criminally derived funds, via transactions over $10,000. They used the money to renovate their kitchen, pay for plastic surgery, purchase a Viking River Cruise trip, withdraw cash, purchase vehicles, and pay off loans and mortgages.
Joshua Pennington’s co-defendant, Nicole Pennington, is scheduled for sentencing on January 27, 2026.
Under federal law, Pennington must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Kelly K. Moening, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Great Lakes Field Division; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS-CI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Kidnapper Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced Monday in a federal court to 48 months in prison for kidnapping.
According to court documents, on Jan. 20, Leland Alexander Drumheller, 20, sent a text message to his ex-girlfriend asking her to return his sweatshirt. The two agreed to meet and did so inside Drumheller’s vehicle in front of the ex-girlfriend’s apartment. During the interaction, Drumheller became enraged and grabbed his ex-girlfriend, preventing her from exiting the vehicle as he drove away toward Chapparal, New Mexico.
At multiple traffic lights, the kidnapping victim tried to escape, but Drumheller prevented her from doing so by grabbing her hair and sweatshirt. At one point, the victim received a phone call from her current boyfriend. When the victim told her boyfriend to “call the cops,” Drumheller grabbed the phone and threw it outside the vehicle as he continued to drive the victim to a desert area in Chaparral.
In Chaparral, Drumheller ordered the victim to get out of the vehicle and demanded she get on her knees. He placed his cell phone to the back of her head, leading the victim to believe the object was a gun. Drumheller told her, “If you play me again, it’ll get worse.” He threatened to shoot her if she followed him and then got back in his vehicle and drove away, leaving the victim alone in the desert.
Drumheller was charged with one count kidnapping and arrested on Feb. 3. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 2. In addition to the four years in prison, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone sentenced Drumheller to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI and El Paso Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Valenzuela prosecuted the case.
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Justice Department Opens Investigation into SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando for Disability DiscriminationRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that they have launched an investigation into United Parks & Resorts Inc. to determine whether it violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against guests with disabilities. United Parks & Resorts is a global theme park and entertainment company that owns or licenses seven brands including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando.
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by public accommodations, including theme parks.
The Department opened this investigation after receiving complaints from members of the public with disabilities who allege that three of its parks violate the ADA by banning guest use of certain walkers, known as “rollator walkers.” Complainants allege that they cannot access the parks without their rollators and the only alternative the parks offer would require them to use mobility aids that are inappropriate for their individual disabilities and to incur additional charges, among other allegations.
“The ADA protects every American from disability-based discrimination in places of public accommodation, including theme parks,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are committed to upholding our federal civil rights laws so that no guest is denied access or charged more because of a disability.”
“Every year, millions of people from around the world travel to Florida to visit our theme parks,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “No one should ever be denied equal access to public accommodations based on disability. Our office remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that all individuals with disabilities are guaranteed their rights under the ADA.”
Trial Attorney David K. Gardner from the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra N. Karahalios from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are handling this case.
If you believe you have been a victim of disability discrimination by United Parks & Resorts Inc., including parks such as SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando, please file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (1-833-610-1264 (TTY)). For more information on the ADA and the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.ada.gov or www.justice.gov/crt.
Justice Department Opens Investigation into SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando for Disability DiscriminationRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that they have launched an investigation into United Parks & Resorts Inc. to determine whether it violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against guests with disabilities. United Parks & Resorts is a global theme park and entertainment company that owns or licenses seven brands including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando.
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by public accommodations, including theme parks.
The Department opened this investigation after receiving complaints from members of the public with disabilities who allege that three of its parks violate the ADA by banning guest use of certain walkers, known as “rollator walkers.” Complainants allege that they cannot access the parks without their rollators and the only alternative the parks offer would require them to use mobility aids that are inappropriate for their individual disabilities and to incur additional charges, among other allegations.
“The ADA protects every American from disability-based discrimination in places of public accommodation, including theme parks,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are committed to upholding our federal civil rights laws so that no guest is denied access or charged more because of a disability.”
“Every year, millions of people from around the world travel to Florida to visit our theme parks,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “No one should ever be denied equal access to public accommodations based on disability. Our office remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that all individuals with disabilities are guaranteed their rights under the ADA.”
Trial Attorney David K. Gardner from the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra N. Karahalios from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are handling this case.
If you believe you have been a victim of disability discrimination by United Parks & Resorts Inc., including parks such as SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando, please file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (1-833-610-1264 (TTY)). For more information on the ADA and the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.ada.gov or www.justice.gov/crt.
Jay Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Distributing Narcotics and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Jay man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for distributing narcotics and illegally possessing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Stacy D. Neumann sentenced Thomas Ray Cook, 46, to four years in prison and three years of supervised release.
According to court records, Cook sold $600 worth of cocaine to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) confidential information source (CI) in February 2025 from Cook’s home in Jay. In March 2025, Cook sold the CI additional cocaine and seven firearms for $1,600, from a different residence in Farmington. Cook is prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior Maine state felony convictions, including Aggravated Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation and Eluding an Officer.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and MDEA investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Individuals arraigned on murder chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - Two individuals accused of murdering a man on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation were arraigned yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Levi Terrance Olson, 29, and Brandon Lee Weaselboy, 30, both of Box Elder, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging both defendants with conspiracy, attempted robbery, attempted aggravated burglary, second-degree murder, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, the defendants face life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston presided. Both defendants were detained pending further proceedings.
Count 1 of the indictment alleges that on July 29, 2024, near Box Elder, the defendants knowingly conspired, confederated, and agreed with each other to commit offenses against the United States of America—namely, robbery.
Count 2 of the indictment alleges that on July 29, 2024, near Box Elder, the defendants, by force and violence, and by intimidation, attempted to take from the person and presence of another something of value—that is, the defendants used firearms to threaten and assault multiple persons.
Count 3 of the indictment alleges that on July 29, 2024, near Box Elder, the defendants knowingly entered and remained unlawfully in an occupied structure on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, and did so with the purpose to commit another offense therein—the robbery—and in the course of committing the offense were armed with weapons and did purposely and knowingly inflict bodily injury on another, and aided and abetted the same.
Count 4 of the indictment alleges that on July 29, 2024, near Box Elder, the defendants unlawfully and with malice aforethought, that is recklessly with extreme disregard for human life, killed John Doe, and aided and abetted the same.
Count 5 of the indictment alleges that on July 29, 2024, near Box Elder, the defendants knowingly possessed a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence that may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, namely second-degree murder, affecting commerce as charged in Count 4 of the indictment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
PACER case reference. 25-118.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indianapolis Pimp Given Three Life Sentences in Federal Prison for Running Sex Trafficking Enterprise and Committing MurderRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Kristopher McDonald, 37, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three life sentences in federal prison. In May of 2025, a federal jury found McDonald guilty of the following eight counts related to his operation of a violent human trafficking enterprise:
Count 1: Murder in aid of racketeering activity.
Count 2: Brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Count 3: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Counts 4 & 5: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
Count 6: Enticing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution.
Counts 7 & 8: Travel act; a federal crime to engage in interstate or international travel, for the purpose of furthering certain "unlawful activities.”
According to trial testimony, from June 2023 through April 2024, Kristopher McDonald orchestrated and led a human trafficking operation in Indianapolis and other states. During this time, he recruited and exploited women, some from out of state, for commercial sex, maintaining strict control over the operation. McDonald managed all aspects of the criminal enterprise, using force, fraud, and coercion to control the activities of the women.
McDonald recruited the women over the internet, making false promises to them to lure them into his enterprise. He then used several means to manipulate and control the women to engage in commercial sexual activity. McDonald limited the victims’ access to the outside world by taking control of their personal identification, cash cards, and cellphones. McDonald threatened the women with physical violence and directly employed violence, including pistol whipping, to compel them to engage in commercial sex. McDonald also caused the women to become addicted to crack cocaine by rewarding them with the drug when they followed his orders and withholding it when they did not make enough money on a given day. McDonald also threatened to kill the victims and their families if they contacted the police. McDonald often compelled the victims to engage in commercial sexual intercourse on nine or ten occasions per day.
The trial testimony also established that on October 11, 2023, McDonald murdered another man in furtherance of his human trafficking organization. After the man engaged in commercial sex with one of the victims, McDonald emerged from an adjacent room and demanded an additional $200 from the man at gunpoint. The male victim drew his own firearm in self-defense and shot McDonald. McDonald ran back into the adjacent room, loaded his firearm with a magazine, and shot the male victim eleven times in the back as he attempted to flee the hotel room. McDonald, a previously convicted felon, was not permitted by law to possess the firearm that he used to murder the male victim.
“Kristopher McDonald’s reign of terror is over, and our community is safer because of it. This sentence sends a clear message that those who exploit vulnerable individuals through violence, addiction, and fear will face the full force of federal justice,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I am grateful for the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, whose collaboration and dedication made this prosecution possible, and to the survivors, whose strength and courage in coming forward were instrumental to securing justice.”
“There is no place in our society for criminals like Kristopher McDonald. The crimes he committed were despicable, outrageous, and cut to the very core of our moral fabric. Life in prison is exactly what he deserves — and ATF could not be prouder of the agents whose relentless work made this outcome possible,” said ATF Columbus Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jorge Rosendo.
“Kristopher McDonald wielded violence as a weapon to coerce victims, expand his sex-trafficking operation, and maintain power through fear,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “His life sentence removes a ruthless predator whose presence threatened the very fabric of our communities—and the importance of that removal cannot be overstated. IRS Criminal Investigation will continue leveraging its forensic accounting expertise to follow the money, dismantle criminal enterprises, and bring violent offenders like McDonald to justice.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley Blackington and Michelle P. Brady, who prosecuted this case.
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Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Elder Fraud Conspiracy Involving Gold BarsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Illinois man pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to taking part in an elder fraud conspiracy in which victims liquidated savings and retirement accounts to buy gold bars, coins, and cash.
Syed M. Makki, 37, a citizen of India, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Makki admitted that from 2023 to March 2024, he acted as a courier for the conspiracy, in which he picked up gold bullion and cash from victims and delivered it to co-conspirators.
From 2023 through March 31, 2024, conspirators put malware on people’s computers with a phone number to call. When the victims called, they falsely represented themselves as ‘Microsoft’ employees, banking officials, government employees, and law enforcement officers. Conspirators convinced the victims, who were mostly elderly, that their identities had been compromised, that their money was not safe in banks, and often that victims were assisting law enforcement.
Having established relationships with the victims, the perpetrators had the victims liquidate bank and retirement accounts and buy gold bullion in the form of gold bars or gold coins with the proceeds. When the gold was delivered to the victims’ houses, conspirators directed the victims to provide the gold for ‘safekeeping’ to a co-conspirator, including Makki.
Sometimes conspirators instructed the victims to package the gold and address it to the ‘Department of Justice’ in the name of a specific person, to further the false impression that victims were dealing with trustworthy officials. Makki and others picked up the gold or cash and then transported it across state lines to co-conspirators.
On March 25 and 26, 2024, Makki picked up 16 gold bars, weighing one kilogram apiece and worth more than $1 million, from victims in Littleton, Co. and Kansas City, Mo. On March 27, 2024, Makki transported the gold bars to Illinois to deliver them to co-conspirators. That date, Makki was arrested in possession of the gold bars by a Morgan County, Illinois, Deputy Sheriff and by an Illinois State Highway Patrol Sergeant.
Ten victims identified to date lost over $6 million in the scheme.
Under federal statutes, Makki is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of Makki will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, the Douglas County, Colorado Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois State Highway Patrol, and the Morgan County, Illinois Sheriff’s Department.
Idaho construction company settles paycheck protection program loan allegationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Engineered Structures, Inc. (ESI), located in Meridian, Idaho, paid $5,750,000 to settle civil fraud allegations that it was ineligible for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan that it received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The settlement began with a lawsuit, United States ex rel. Karen Bloomfield v. Engineered Structures Inc., filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims presented to the federal government.
The whistleblower complaint alleged that ESI received an $8.6 million PPP loan for which it was ineligible. According to the complaint, ESI should have included temporary workers from staffing agencies in its employee headcount, which would have increased ESI’s average employee count above 500 employees, making ESI ineligible for the PPP loan. The complaint also contended that ESI made false representations in connection with its PPP Loan Necessity Questionnaire. After the United States declined to intervene formally in the litigation, the whistleblower continued the litigation. ESI agreed to pay $5,750,000 to settle the whistleblower’s allegations. The United States consented to the settlement. The whistleblower received a share of the settlement.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard Mene with the assistance of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 1:22-cv-789.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Honduran National, Illegally in U.S., Sentenced to Seven Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Marvin Enrique Pena-Portillo, 38, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to seven months in prison and two years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mia Roberts Perez for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Pena-Portillo was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in April of this year and charged by information in June. He pleaded guilty in July, waiving prosecution by indictment.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on April 15, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested the defendant for immigration violations, Pena-Portillo had a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his waistband.
In August of 2024, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pena-Portillo had pleaded guilty to carrying an illegal firearm in public and was sentenced to two years of probation for that offense.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Eckert.
Henry County Woman Sentenced to 14 years in Prison for Methamphetamine OffenseRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A former resident of Henry, Tennessee has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, during the first three months of 2024, investigators utilized controlled drug buys, traffic stops, and the execution of search warrants to determine that Carla Sue Stout and others were involved in the trafficking of large amounts of methamphetamine in Henry and Carroll counties in West Tennessee. Investigators were able to use a confidential informant to obtain over 450 grams of pure methamphetamine from Stout at her residence in Henry on two occasions in January 2024. Investigators subsequently executed a search warrant at Stout’s residence where they seized an additional pound of methamphetamine and over $3,000 in U.S. currency.
Investigators conducted another controlled drug buy from Stout and executed a search warrant at her trailer in Carroll County in March 2024, which led to the seizure of roughly two more ounces of methamphetamine. In all, Stout is responsible for distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 900 grams of actual methamphetamine.
After Stout’s guilty plea in federal court to conspiring with others to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine in August 2025, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Stout to 168 months’ imprisonment on November 18, 2025 to be followed by five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Methamphetamine that is trafficked in and through West Tennessee is increasing in dangerous purity, and continues to destroy individuals, families, and communities. Drug dealers who profit from the pain, addiction, violence and death caused by these dangerous substances deserve proper punishment, and this sentence does just that."
This case was investigated by members of the 24th Judicial Drug Task Force, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Hays woman pleads guilty to assault on Fort Belknap Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Hays woman accused of an assault on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation admitted to charges yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Heavenlee Drewann Sears, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sears faces a term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 12, 2026. Sears was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of September 29, 2023, the defendant and a co-defendant were driving around on the Fort Belknap reservation and drinking beer. Late in the night, the two went to a bar to buy more alcohol before driving to John Doe’s home.
When Sears and her co-defendant arrived at Doe’s house, they were highly intoxicated, and they beat him. Sears hit him multiple times on the head with a peppermint schnapps bottle. Around 6:00 a.m. on September 30, Sears called a family member to say something was wrong with Doe. While they waited for the family member to arrive, Sears analyzed the bloody footprints around Doe and realized she had made the prints. Sears also called 911.
Doe was taken to Fort Belknap Indian Health Services. He was unresponsive and breathing erratically. His admission records state his ears and face were bruised and swollen, his nose was lacerated, his upper lip was lacerated, and there was a human bite mark on his forehead. There were also bite marks to his left wrist and left upper chest. After he was intubated, Doe was life flighted to a higher level of care.
On September 30, 2023, Sears spoke to law enforcement. She reported Doe was drinking earlier with a friend. Sears first told law enforcement she blacked out and when she “came to,” she found Doe on the ground, with lots of blood around him and blood coming out of his mouth. She told law enforcement she called a family member and then called 911. Sears said she didn’t remember what happened to Doe.
When officers told her it seemed like she remembered more than she said she did Sears started to cry. She said she “probably” hit him because she was drunk and has a temper. Sears said she thought she might have hit Doe with the empty peppermint schnapps bottle. When asked if she hit him, she nodded. When asked if she hit him with the bottle, she again nodded. Sears did not know how many times she hit Doe, but she hit him more than once. The second time she hit him, Doe fell to the ground.
On October 18, 2023, Doe was admitted to the Long-Term Care Hospital in Billings, Montana. He was diagnosed with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Doe was largely unresponsive to stimuli and completely nonverbal due to his traumatic brain injury. Doe died on December 11, 2023.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Hacienda Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On Friday, November 21, 2025, Elsa Santiago-Colón, a Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Departamento de Hacienda or “PRTD”) employee pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to defraud the United States, involving the theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 371.
According to the charges and evidence in the case, Elsa Santiago-Colón, knowingly and willfully conspired with others to steal more than $1,000 in federal funding, as well as accepting bribery payments in exchange for her corrupt acts. The allegations include that from January 2021 until May 2021, Santiago-Colón was a public official at the PRTD and had privileged access to the Internal Revenue Unified System (“SURI” for its Spanish acronym) accounts of Puerto Rico taxpayers. As part of the conspiracy to defraud, Santiago-Colón corruptly accepted cash payments and other benefits, including meals, in exchange for modifying and providing the SURI credentials of taxpayers to Individual A, a coconspirator. With that SURI information, Individual A later submitted fraudulent applications to the Business Interruption Grant (“BIG”) program, which provided assistance from the U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Relief Fund to eligible small businesses. In total, PRDT disbursed an approximate total of $128,000 in fraudulent funds because of the crimes charged.
“Together with our law enforcement partners, our office will continue to aggressively pursue corrupt individuals in the government who take advantage of the system to benefit a few in exchange for bribes,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “This prosecution serves as a warning to other public employees involved in these types of schemes that they will be investigated and prosecuted, and that such violations will not be tolerated.”
Elsa Santiago-Colón made her initial court appearance at the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico where she waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a one-count Information before United States District Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine not to exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars, and supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linet Olinghouse is prosecuting the case.
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Guatemalan Man Guilty of Illegal Reentry of a Removed AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ-SOSA (“LOPEZ-SOSA”), age 31, plead guilty on November 20, 2025, to illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, LOPEZ-SOSA, an illegal alien, was found in St. Tammany Parish on September 11, 2025. He had previously been convicted of violating 8 U.S.C. § 1325, Illegal Entry by Alien on April 6, 2018, in the United States District Court – District of Arizona. LOPEZ-SOSA was thereafter removed to Guatemala on April 20, 2018.
If convicted, LOPEZ-SOSA faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
LOPEZ-SOSA sentencing is set for January 15, 2026, before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe.
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).
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick W. Veters Jr., of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
Group of Eight Pleads Guilty in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Involving Hundreds of Forged Checks Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – DERRY LEE DAVIS, 24, ANTAJAUN MONZELLE BROWN, JR., 24, AMAURION RAMONE NORMENT, 21, OLIVERNAESHA OLIEAH WOODS, 22, LORENZO JONES IV, 24, and MATEI LEANN BASS, 23, all of Oklahoma City, DAZJUAN JERAE DEMOND MATTHEWS, 21, of Kansas, and AMARION ADRIONE WHITESIDE, 22, of Texas, have pleaded guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to steal mail from mail deposit boxes across the Oklahoma City metro area using a stolen United States Postal Service (USPS) arrow key, forge checks found in the stolen mail, and deposit the forged checks to obtain cash from financial institutions. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, beginning in 2022, Davis possessed a stolen USPS arrow key, which he and other conspirators used to access and steal mail from mail deposit boxes across the Oklahoma City area in search of checks. Davis and Brown would then alter information on stolen checks so that they could be deposited into the bank accounts of other conspirators who agreed to participate in the scheme. In order to find people willing to join the scheme, the court records allege that Davis, Brown, Norment, and others, advertised the scheme on social media urging those interested to contact them to make quick money. Matthews, Whiteside, Woods, Jones, Bass, and others agreed to join the conspiracy and allowed forged checks to be deposited into their bank accounts in exchange for a portion of the check proceeds.
Brown, Davis, Norment, Matthews, and Whiteside have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and face up to 30 years in federal prison. Brown has also pleaded guilty to a second count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud for his role in a similar but separate check fraud scheme in Illinois and faces up to an additional 30 years in federal prison. Woods, Jones, and Bass have each pleaded guilty to forgery of securities and face up to 10 years in federal prison.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson D. Eldridge is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Former Suffolk County Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID Unemployment and Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former corrections officer employed by the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department pleaded guilty today to submitting fraudulent information in an effort to obtain loans through CARES Act programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Christnel Orisca, 25, of Boston, pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, arising out of PUA, traditional Unemployment Insurance and PPP loan benefits obtained prior to his employment at the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2026. Orisca was arrested and charged in December 2024.
Orisca was a Corrections Officer with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department from late 2021 to December 2024. Orisca fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits while working full-time, initially for a security company and later for a delivery company. While employed full-time, Orisca collected approximately $54,700 in unemployment benefits and small business loan funds.
In his PUA application, Orisca made fraudulent representations about his employment status and thereafter falsely claimed, on a weekly basis, that he did not work and did not receive any income during the prior week. In his PPP loan application, Orisca submitted false statements to SBA-approved lenders, including about the income and/or payroll of his purported small businesses, in order to obtain his loan. He also made false representations on forms submitted to request that his PPP loans be forgiven.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements to a financial institution provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. 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; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former School District Accountant Sentenced for Embezzlement of Funds from Savannah School District and His EmployeesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Savannah, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, wire fraud, and embezzlement from an employee benefit plan.
Anthony S. Moon, 44, worked as the district accountant for the Savannah R-III School District (District). In addition to his duties as district accountant, Moon was also the owner and president of Parker and Associates LLC, a tax preparation and bookkeeping service company.
Moon was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to a total of 12 months and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Moon to pay restitution of $92,746.99 to the District and $29,695.77 to his two employee-victims. In addition, the court entered a final order of money judgment forfeiture of $122,442.76.
Beginning in or about January 2023, and continuing through on or about Nov. 21, 2023, Moon embezzled funds from the District. Moon used his position at the District to write unauthorized checks to himself and his business from the District’s checking account. Moon also used the District’s checking account to make Automated Clearing House payments, to his and his wife’s personal credit card accounts.
Moon also devised a scheme as president of his accounting business and embezzled funds from his employees’ retirement savings plan. For his employees, Moon sponsored an employee pension plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Simple IRA Plan (Plan). However, for nearly two years, Moon caused tens of thousands of dollars to be withheld from salaries of his employees but failed to transfer those funds to the Plan. In addition, Moon failed to deposit funds in employer matching contributions to the Plan.
Moon used those embezzled funds to pay for his and his wife’s personal expenses, including, among other things, Kansas City Chiefs tickets, food, travel, gas, and entertainment.
The court ordered Moon to self-surrender on Jan. 8, 2026.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration.
Former Rochester area teacher going to prison for possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kevin Burns, 45, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 54 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who handled the case, stated that on November 5, 2024, the New York State Police executed a search warrant at the Burns’ residence in Irondequoit, because of a child pornography file he uploaded to Bing Image. During the search, electronic devices were seized, including a computer. More than 450 images of child pornography were found on the computer. Some of the images depicted violence against children and the sexual exploitation of an infant or toddler.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
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Former Recording Financial Secretary Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen UnionRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former recording financial secretary of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, AFL-CIO, Local Lodge 21 (BRS Local Lodge 21), pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to embezzling nearly $55,000 from the labor union.
David L. Scofield, 65, of Independence, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to an information charging him with four counts of bank fraud, one count of embezzlement theft of labor union funds, and one count of falsification of an annual financial report filed by a labor union.
Scofield was an officer of BRS Local Lodge 21, namely, the recording financial secretary, having been elected to that position in or about 2005, and holding that position until in or about November 2023. In that capacity, Scofield had access to BRS Local Lodge 21’s bank account and was authorized to use the checking account only for BRS Local Lodge 21’s expenses.
By pleading guilty yesterday, Scofield admitted that he used BRS Local Lodge 21’s bank account to make $54,412.67 in personal expenditures, including expenditures for the payment of his personal PayPal account, personal credit cards, and personal loans.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Scofield must pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $54,412.67.
Under federal statutes, Scofield is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole on the bank fraud counts to which he has pleaded guilty. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 31, 2026.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, Kansas City Resident Investigator Office.
Former Okfuskee County Jailer Pleads Guilty to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law for Assaulting an InmateRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Donovan Matthew Pruett, age 24, of Checotah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information for one count of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The Information alleged that on September 28, 2024, while on duty and working in an official capacity as an Okfuskee County jailer, Pruett physically assaulted the victim, an inmate in the Okfuskee County Jail, while the inmate was restrained, resulting in bodily injury to the victim.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Judge Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino, in consultation with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, represented the United States.
Former Commodities Trading Executive Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Scheme to Defraud Employer by Hiding Trading LossesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that DAVID SMOTHERMON was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to three years in prison. In May 2025, SMOTHERMON pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud his employer by hiding trading losses.
“David Smothermon engaged in a fraudulent scheme that always ends badly: he concealed trading losses and inflated performance, induced his firm to award him a $15 million bonus, and when the losses were discovered, his firm was devastated,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “That devastation cost hundreds of jobs, including in New York. Our Office has no tolerance for insiders who like to enrich themselves at the expense of our fellow New Yorkers.”
As reflected in the Indictment and other court filings:
From 2005 through early September 2016, SMOTHERMON worked for a privately owned firm, headquartered in Manhattan, that engaged in the international marketing, distribution, and trading of commodities products (the “Company”). SMOTHERMON was the Chief Executive Officer of a subsidiary of the Company, based in Houston, Texas, specializing in the trading of liquefied petroleum gas or “LPG” (the “Subsidiary”). SMOTHERMON was also on the Board of Directors of the Company. The Subsidiary engaged in two forms of LPG trading: entering into and executing contracts for the purchase and sale of barrels of LPG (the “Physical Trading”) and trading financial derivative products related to LPG in an over-the-counter market (the “Financial Trading”).
From at least in or about December 2015 up to and including in or about September 2016, SMOTHERMON caused false entries to be made into an electronic accounting system used by the Company in an effort to hide substantial trading losses. Specifically, SMOTHERMON falsely inflated the marks, i.e., the values he assigned to individual trading positions in the Financial Trading book, and he directed other individuals to alter the terms of Physical Trading contracts in the company’s accounting system to make it appear as though those contracts were substantially more profitable than they were. In doing so, SMOTHERMON concealed over $240 million in trading losses. SMOTHERMON took these steps in order to obtain a large, discretionary bonus that he knew the Company was considering in early 2016. Ultimately, in May 2016, the Company awarded SMOTHERMON a bonus of approximately $15 million, of which approximately $11.6 million was paid immediately in cash.
In late August 2016, SMOTHERMON was contacted by a senior Company executive to alert him that the Company had unearthed a discrepancy between a Physical Trading contract and what was entered into the accounting system. Thereafter, on or about September 1, 2016, SMOTHERMON resigned from the Company and admitted to a Company executive that he had been mispricing his trading book. The Company ultimately concluded that SMOTHERMON had concealed more than $240 million in trading losses. Upon this discovery, the Company realized considerable losses that resulted in the significant downsizing of the company and the layoffs of hundreds of employees.
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In addition to the prison term, SMOTHERMON, 55, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $11,600,000 and pay restitution in the amount of $19,550,081. As a condition of his plea agreement, SMOTHERMON paid $8 million of this restitution amount in May 2025, after entering his guilty plea. SMOTHERMON also paid an additional $300,000 prior to sentencing.
Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this case.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary and Matthew Weinberg are in charge of the prosecution.
Florida Man and Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Sell Counterfeit Drugs on Dark WebRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Boca Raton, Fl., man, Michael Basalyga, 36, and woman, Reina Chirinos de Urena, 39, were sentenced on October 9 by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier to 80 months and 45 months, respectively, for conspiring with others to produce and sell counterfeit drugs.
According to their plea agreements, Basalyga and Chirinos de Urena worked with their co-conspirators, Omar Thomas Wala, Vienna Cavanaugh, and Philbert Campbell, to make and sell counterfeit alprazolam, commonly known by the brand name Xanax. As part of the conspiracy, Basalyga, Chirinos de Urena, and their co-defendants made pills that looked similar to real tablets and were stamped with numbers used by legitimate manufacturers, but were in fact made from other substances, including clonazolam and etizolam, designed to replicate the effects of alprazolam.
The conspiracy involved selling directly to known customers and by selling the counterfeit drugs under pseudonyms on darknet marketplaces. People purchased the drugs with cryptocurrency across the United States, including in Kentucky.
Under federal law, Basalyga and Chirinos de Urena must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon his release from prison, they will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, with assistance from the FBI, IRS, and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosenberg is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Florida Man Ordered to Pay More Than $300,000 in Restitution for Sex Trafficking VictimsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Lake Placid man has been ordered to pay $327,735 in restitution to the victims he trafficked for sex. The restitution order was entered on Oct. 6 by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.
Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as “Shalamar,” 47, was previously sentenced to life in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and three counts of sex trafficking of a minor. The charges stemmed from Session’s exploitation of nearly a dozen women and girls.
“Human trafficking is one of the most vicious crimes imaginable—it strips victims of their freedom, dignity, and humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This restitution order ensures that the survivors of Session’s cruelty receive some measure of justice for the years of exploitation and abuse they endured. Our Office will continue to pursue traffickers relentlessly and stand with the victims they sought to silence.”
According to evidence presented during the nine-day trial in September 2024, Session compelled his victims to engage in thousands of commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and again between February 2016 and February 2019. Session lured women and girls facing unstable housing, substance abuse, or neglect with false promises of legitimate employment and housing assistance—promises calculated to gain their trust, expose their vulnerabilities, and ultimately allow him to control and exploit them.
Session forced victims to engage in commercial sex acts in squalid trailers housing migrant workers and in local orange groves. He used food, shelter, and drugs to maintain control, exploiting victims’ addictions and dependence. Evidence showed that Session used a firearm to intimidate and threaten his victims, and that he often resorted to brutal violence—punching and beating them with weapons, and, in one instance, taking victims to a nearby lake where he held two of their heads underwater and threatened to drown them if they disobeyed.
At trial and at the restitution hearing, the government demonstrated that Session made approximately $327,735 by compelling the victims’ coerced commercial sex acts. The restitution order requires Session to repay those illicit proceeds to his victims.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
The FBI Miami, Fort Pierce Resident Agency, investigated the case, with assistance from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-14074.
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Florencia 13 Gang Member Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Florencia 13 Gang Member, Gregorio Tabarez-Hernandez, aka “Trigger,” 20, of Sandy, Utah, was sentenced today to 240 months’ imprisonment, and three years’ supervised release for drug and gun crimes he committed in 2023.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow, comes after Tabarez-Hernandez pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025 to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a machine gun.
According to court documents and admissions made at Tabarez-Hernandez’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on October 19, 2023 law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence. In Tabarez-Hernandez’s closet, investigators located cocaine, small plastic bags, over $23,000 in cash, and two firearms. One of the firearms was a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device known as a “switch.” Tabarez-Hernandez admitted that he had been distributing cocaine and that he possessed the firearms to protect his drugs and money.
Tabarez-Hernandez has a history of firearm offenses which is consistent with his association with Florencia 13, a criminal street gang affiliated with the Surenos.
“I am grateful to our state enforcement partners for their excellent investigation that led to Mr. Tabarez-Hernandez’s arrest,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “This administration is committed to working with our federal and state partners to stop drug trafficking and organized crime in our communities. Mr. Tabarez-Hernandez’s 20-year sentence demonstrates that strong commitment.”
“These types of cases require a lot of work for law enforcement, and the arrest and conviction of Mr. Tabarez-Hernandez is a perfect example of how partnering with local, state and federal agencies gets results,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
"We are thankful for the hard work that the investigators put into this case,” said Sandy City Police Chief Greg Severson. “We are appreciative of our partnerships with local and federal agencies in taking this individual off our streets."
The case was investigated jointly by the Sandy City Police Department and the Salt Lake County Metro Gang Unit.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Felon who Caused Serious Accident After St. Louis Police Chase Sentenced to 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a felon who caused a serious accident after fleeing from police to 70 months in prison.
Juan Goodrich, 33, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On the evening of April 2, 2024, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer spotted a 2014 Chrysler 200 running a red light at North Kingshighway Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue. Goodrich sped away, running another red light and later running a stop sign. A computer inquiry showed that his license plate was invalid. When the officer tried to stop Goodrich by activating the lights and siren, he refused to stop, continuing at speeds exceeding 80 m.p.h. The officer turned off the lights and siren due to safety concerns, but Goodrich continued to speed through the streets. He ran another red light and his vehicle began to wobble before striking a 2009 Nissan Maxima head-on. The Maxima’s 52-year-old driver was trapped in her vehicle with major injuries. Goodrich got out of his vehicle, holding a black AR-15-style rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, and ran. He stumbled and fell, dropping the rifle, and then continued to run. He was arrested and admitted being a felon and possessing a firearm.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
Felon in Possession of a Pistol While on Supervised Release Sentenced to 18 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Hopkins, 39, a previously convicted felon who had been residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced November 24 in U.S. District Court to 18 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded 9mm firearm while on supervised release for another conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hopkins pleaded guilty on July 25 to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon before Judge Jia M. Cobb. In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, Judge Cobb ordered Hopkins to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2024, MPD officers and DEA agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Southeast Washington, D.C. Hopkins did not reside at the residence, but the mother of his child did. When officers entered, Hopkins was seated on a couch in the main living area of the apartment.
After Hopkins moved from the couch, officers found an Astra A-100 9mm pistol wedged between the cushions on which he had been sitting. The firearm was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.
As a previously convicted felon, Hopkins was prohibited from possessing any firearm. Hopkins collected five adult convictions between 2004 and 2016 for possession of marijuana, distribution of marijuana, carrying a pistol without a license, attempted unlawful possession of liquid PCP, and burglary, assault with significant bodily injury, kidnapping, stalking, civil protection order violation, and destruction of property under $1,000. All but one of the offenses that led to those adult convictions were committed while the defendant was on supervision. Hopkins had been on supervised release for less than two months before he was arrested on the current felon-in-possession charge.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the DEA’s Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Naseef and Mark Levy for the District of Columbia.
25-cr-0118
Former Pace Resident Pleads Guilty to COVID and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Sean Eric Thompson, 44, formerly of Pace, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of wire fraud, three counts of making a false statement, six counts of money laundering, and three counts of bankruptcy fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office is hard at work with our federal law enforcement partners to track down and prosecute every single instance of fraud against the U.S. Government during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes and will use every available means to recover the U.S. taxpayer monies stolen by the fraudsters to enrich themselves.”
Court documents reflect that in May 2021, the defendant, who was a partial owner of a business that owned a brewery and restaurant, electronically submitted a fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) application and supporting documents to the Small Business Administration (SBA). The RRF was created to provide funding for restaurants, bars, and similar businesses that served food and drink to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application and supporting documents electronically submitted by the defendant falsely stated that the business had sustained $1,128,233 in COVID-19 related losses, and on May 25, 2021, the SBA paid $1,128,233 in RRF funds into an account designated by the defendant.
The defendant then spent the RRF funds on personal expenses, including transferring substantial funds to his personal investment account. Specifically, between August and November, 2021, the defendant transferred $150,000 in RRF funds to his personal investment account.
Finally, in August 2023, the defendant filed a Chapter 7, Voluntary Petition in bankruptcy. The petition and schedules submitted by the defendant contained a number of material, false statements and omissions, including failing to disclose the RRF funds and the defendant’s interest in a second, unrelated business. In connection with his bankruptcy proceeding, the defendant then testified falsely under oath during a September 2023 meeting of his creditors. During that meeting, the defendant falsely testified that his petition and associated forms were true and correct and also specifically denied that his second business had ever had any assets, which was false. Finally, in February 2024, the defendant caused to be submitted to the trustee administering his bankruptcy estate fraudulently altered financial statements.
Thompson faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release as to each wire fraud count. He also faces up to five years’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release as to each false statement count, and up to ten years imprisonment and three years of supervised release as to each money laundering count. Finally, he faces up to five years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release on each bankruptcy fraud count when he is sentenced.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the SBA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Eleven Defendants Charged with Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Federal Law Enforcement Officers during Memphis Safe Task Force OperationRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – During the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) operation, the United States Attorney’s Office announces that the following defendants have been charged with violating 18 United States Code Section 111 (18 U.S.C. § 111) which provides, “Whoever forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated as an officer or employee of the United States while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties,” commits an offense. All suspects were charged by federal criminal complaints filed in the United States Magistrate Court in the Western District of Tennessee.
- Luis Cordova, 26 - On October 1, 2025, Luis Cordova was pulled over for running a red light. When it was determined that Cordova did not have a valid driver’s license and could not produce documentation that he was in the United States legally, a Deputy U.S. Marshal began to handcuff him when Cordova pulled back and attempted to run away. A criminal complaint for 18 U.S.C. § 111 was filed, and the case has since been indicted on October 30, 2025, for resisting, opposing, impeding, or interfering with a federal officer.
- Demario Burton, 21 - On October 3, 2025, Demarion Burton was pulled over for driving with no headlights. A Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Officer, sworn in as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force operation, had Burton step out and frisked him, finding suspected drugs on Burton’s person. The trooper began to arrest Burton, but Burton fled. A criminal complaint for 18 U.S.C. § 111 was issued, and the case has since been indicted on October 30, 2025 for resisting, opposing, impeding, or interfering with a federal officer.
- Montavious Neal, 27 - On October 6, 2025, a Memphis Police Department officer sworn in as a Special Deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force operation saw Montavious Neal driving a car that had window tint below the legal limit of 70%. Neal pulled into a parking lot, then put his car in reverse, hit the accelerator, and struck the police car in the front bumper three separate times. The officer was either still in his car or attempting to get out of his car at the time Neal was striking the vehicle. Two firearms were later found in plain view in the car. Neal was indicted for assault on a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111 and has been detained.
- Luis Gonzalez, 28 - On October 23, 2025, MSTF officers conducted a traffic stop on Gonzalez for having a fraudulent temporary tag. Gonzalez pulled over but sped off as officers approached. One officer exited his vehicle and attempted to deploy a stop strip to disable the fleeing vehicle, but Gonzalez swerved to avoid hitting the strip, almost hitting the officer in the process. A 5-year-old child and a pregnant woman were also passengers in Gonzalez’ car. The defendant is currently in federal detention for assault on a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
- Jesus Escobar-Villalta, 30 - On October 29, 2025, THP stopped a vehicle for traffic violations. Escobar-Villalta provided a fraudulent Honduras identification and was in the United States illegally. Escobar-Villalta refused to get out of his car and resisted. He grabbed the holstered and loaded firearm of an FBI Special Agent, attempting to pull the firearm out of the holster. Escobar-Villalta also bit the thigh of a USMS deputy who was assisting. Escobar-Villalta was charged with assault of a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111 and was detained after a detention hearing.
- Christopher Vanzant, 53 - On November 2, 2025, a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer saw a truck being driven by Vanzant and believed to be running from Hernando, Mississippi. After verifying the license plate, THP tried to stop the truck, using blue lights and sirens. Vanzant began driving at a high rate of speed in residential neighborhoods, striking a fence. Vanzant’s speed, failure to signal turns, driving in the opposite lane and swerving endangered other drivers, pedestrians, and federally deputized THP officers. Vanzant struck a THP car in the process. Vanzant physically resisted the Troopers, while also attempting to use a lighter to smoke what appeared to be methamphetamine through a clear glass pipe. Vanzant struck a THP officer in the temple with a closed fist. Vanzant was charged with assault on a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111. Vanzant’s detention hearing is pending in the United States Magistrate Court.
- Sanchon Dillup-Jones, 36 - On November 4, 2025, THP officers observed car driving recklessly at a strip mall where pedestrians were present. The driver was identified as Sanchon Dillup-Jones. Dillup-Jones refused to exit the car, and when the trooper attempted to open the driver’s door, Dillup-Jones rolled up the window and put the car in drive. The trooper reached in the window to put the car in park. Dillup-Jones drove away with the trooper’s body leaned inside the car, dragging the trooper approximately 50-60 feet before he could dislodge himself. Dillup-Jones is charged with assault on a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
- Nicomedes Jimenez, 37 - On November 4, 2025, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a car driven by Jimenez. Jimenez had two active warrants - one from May 2022 for aggravated assault and one from April 2022 for two counts of domestic assault. Jimenez refused to stop and accelerated, evading law enforcement for approximately 20 miles traveling at high speeds. Jimenez caused a civilian to lose control of their vehicle, continued to drive recklessly, losing control of his car and crashing into a barricade. A task force officer exited his car and Jimenez drove toward it, striking the door and rendering the car inoperable. The officer narrowly escaped being hit by jumping back into his police car just before the crash. A detention hearing is still pending for assault of a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
- Justin Hardaway, 26 - On November 6, 2025, MPD tried to make a traffic stop for a car with no license plate or rear bumper being driven by Hardaway. Hardaway fled at a high rate of speed, intentionally striking a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) vehicle three times. Hardaway exited his car while it was still in motion and attempted to flee. The driverless vehicle almost struck approximately 20 children who were exiting a school bus and did strike a house before stopping. After a brief foot pursuit, Hardaway was taken into custody. Hardaway has not had an initial appearance yet on the charge of assault of a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
- Khauleel Harrison, 22 - On November 7, 2025, THP and HSI were on Interstate 40 in pursuit of a car driven by Khauleel Harrison who was drag racing on I-40 East. Harrison reached speeds of 90-100 mph during the chase and weaved through traffic. Harrison exited the highway and made several illegal U-turns. Harrison turned towards the Tennessee Highway Patrol car, accelerated, and struck the patrol car head on. Harrison’s car was disabled after the head-on collision. Harrison is charged with assault a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
- Shone Pugh, 24 - On November 12, 2025, Shone Pugh assaulted a U.S. Marshal during a traffic stop. Pugh was the passenger of a car stopped for running a red light. The U.S. Marshal asked Pugh to get out of the car. Pugh shoved the U.S. Marshal and tried to flee, throwing the U.S. Marshal to the ground. Near the area of the struggle, law enforcement located a pistol engraved with a Kansas City Police Department badge logo that was reported stolen. Pugh is charged with assault of a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "We take all threats against law enforcement very seriously, and we have zero tolerance for any assault on federal officers. There is no constitutional right to resist arrest, and doing so endangers everyone involved. During the MSTF Operation and every day, we urge anyone who encounters a law enforcement officer to comply first, and, if warranted, complain later. We will enforce Attorney General Pam Bondi’s warning: ‘If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you'."
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaints are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Dublin man arrested in Utah on federal child exploitation chargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Dublin, Ohio, man was arrested in Utah and charged federally with sexual exploitation crimes against minors.
Wade S. Christofferson, 72, was arrested on Nov. 20. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Utah today and his case was unsealed at that time. Christofferson is charged with attempting to sexually exploit a minor and with coercion and enticement.
According to charging documents, on Nov. 12, the Dublin Police Department received a report regarding the alleged sexual abuse of an Ohio child by Christofferson.
It is alleged Christofferson sexually abused the child in person 15 to 20 times.
He also allegedly engaged in a sexually explicit FaceTime call with a second minor victim and sent coded letters to her Utah home that referenced sexual activity. Christofferson also committed hands-on sexual abuse of that child as well.
A complaint affidavit details that Christofferson allegedly taught the Utah victim code words like “snow” for vagina, “friends” for nipples, “asterisk (*)” for naked, a drawn “smiley face” for rubs and “SS” for “Secret Spanks.” The defendant was allegedly overheard on a FaceTime call asking the victim if he could see her “snow” and “friends.”
Letters referenced in the charging documents include “Top Secret” hand-written messages. For example, Christofferson wrote to the Utah victim, telling her “It was nice to see Snow and her friends when we FaceTimed…” and “I can’t wait to see you and play * games! I have a new one to teach you called ‘school.’ You will like it!”
In one letter Christofferson allegedly included coupons he said were “Good for one * game with me!! You get to choose the game!”
Christofferson’s phone allegedly included search history for “criminal defense attorneys sex crimes columbus ohio” and “In Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions.”
The defendant will be extradited from Utah to the Southern District of Ohio.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Adam Lawson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dublin Police Chief Justin Paez and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force announced the charges.
U.S. Attorney Gerace commended the significant contributions to this case by the FBI Salt Lake City Division, the Payson, Utah Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Court Appoints Scott E. Bradford as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Scott E. Bradford has taken the oath of office to remain as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District of Oregon.
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman administered the oath of office before staff, court personnel, and family. The moment was especially meaningful because Judge Mosman previously served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Bradford also clerked for him.
“Being chosen to lead the District of Oregon is a privilege I do not take lightly. I am deeply humbled by the district court’s vote of confidence in me, and I am committed to serving our community alongside remarkable colleagues and agency partners, who dedicate themselves to the mission every day,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “My focus remains on the Department’s priorities: keeping our country safe, upholding the rule of law, and protecting civil rights.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi previously appointed Bradford as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon on July 28, 2025.
Bradford has been a federal prosecutor for more than 18 years and has handled all manner of criminal cases, including violent crime, narcotics trafficking, child exploitation, fraud, cyber, and national security.
Bradford joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon in 2009 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and served in a variety of leadership roles within the office, including Chief of the White Collar Unit, Chief of the Economic, National Security, and Cyber Crimes Unit, and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
In 2022, Bradford served as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Regional Cybercrime Attaché in Southeast Asia where he trained justice sector partners within the region to combat cybercrime. Before becoming the U.S. Attorney, Bradford was the Acting Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section in the National Security Division in Washington, D.C.
Colorado Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Threatening to Kill Cayuga County ManRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jerry Gordon, age 56, of Colorado, was sentenced yesterday to 24 months in prison for transmitting a threat in interstate commerce to injure another person.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Gordon admitted that in April 2025, he sent threatening text messages to a man in Aurora, New York. In the text messages, Gordon told the victim to get his affairs in order before Friday April 25, 2025, as he was going to “drink your blood from the chalice that I will make out of your heart.” Gordon was arrested by FBI agents as he was getting off a plane in Syracuse, on April 25, 2025, after law enforcement became aware of the threats.
Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Disgusting threats to kill the citizens of our district will not be tolerated. The defendant not only made these abhorrent threats; he traveled from Colorado to Syracuse to make good on them. Thankfully, local, state and federal agents, working together, were one step ahead of him. They apprehended the defendant as he was getting off the plane, thwarting his devious plans.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, worked to identify, investigate, and quickly intercept Mr. Gordon before he could follow through on his disturbing threats of violence. Today’s sentence should send a clear message that the FBI will not stand idly by when a dangerous individual threatens the safety of our communities.”
United States District Judge Elizabeth C. Coombe also imposed a 3-year term of post-release supervision.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Police, Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Cornell Police Department, Tompkins County Sherriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service, Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office, Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Oneida County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown prosecuted the case.
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City Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Committing Series of Violent Armed Carjackings and Robberies in PhiladelphiaRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Khalil Dickens, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, five years’ supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney for committing a series of violent armed carjackings and robberies in the summer of 2023.
The defendant was charged by indictment in January 2024 and pleaded guilty in July of this year to conspiracy, eight counts of carjacking, and three counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, between approximately June 2023 and July 2023, Dickens and others took part in seven armed carjackings, an attempted armed carjacking, 11 additional gunpoint robberies, and one receipt of a carjacked car, all in the city of Philadelphia. A number of these crimes involved the perpetrators physically assaulting, pistol-whipping, or even shooting, or shooting at, their victims.
“Khalil Dickens and his associates created their own crime wave, committing some 20 violent gunpoint robberies and carjackings in six weeks,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We simply will not permit dangerous criminals to run around our city terrorizing innocent people. As Dickens can now attest, anyone violently victimizing others like this should be ready to spend not just years, but decades, in prison.”
“With Khalil Dickens sentenced to a quarter century in federal prison, a dangerous criminal is taken off Philadelphia’s streets,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Dickens and the other perpetrators physically assaulted and even shot at the victims of their many carjackings and robberies. Working with our Carjacking Task Force partners we are using the ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools to stop criminals and protect our communities.”
“Violent carjackings and armed robberies cause fear in our neighborhoods and inflict real trauma on the people we serve,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: if you choose to commit violent crimes in Philadelphia, you will be held fully accountable. I want to thank our federal partners and the dedicated investigators of the Philadelphia Police Department who worked tirelessly to bring this individual to justice. Together, we will continue to pursue those who harm our residents and work every day to make our city safer.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department.
Central Coast Man Arraigned on Federal Grand Jury Indictment Charging Him with Making Threats to Bomb SynagoguesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Luis Obispo County man was arraigned today on a three-count federal grand jury indictment charging him with threatening via social media last summer to bomb every synagogue within a 20-mile radius.
Elijah Alexander King, 36, of San Luis Obispo, is charged with one count of threats and false information regarding fire and explosives, one count of threats by interstate communication, and one count of false information and hoaxes.
King pleaded not guilty to the charges and a January 13, 2026 trial date is scheduled in this matter. He has been in federal custody since November 6 and has been ordered released on bond while the criminal case against him proceeds.
According to the indictment returned on November 19 and other court documents, on August 28, King used an X (formerly Twitter) social media account under the name “Billy Badass” and linked to an email address and telephone number he is known to use to post the threat. The threat read, “I’m gonna blow up every synagogue in a 20-mile radius.” He followed it up shortly afterward with “This is a real threat send the police and report me for terrorism.” Approximately 10 minutes later, King used his cellphone’s internet browser to repeatedly search for synagogues near him.
After law enforcement contacted King about the bomb threat and had him sent to a hospital for psychiatric monitoring, King continued to use his X social media account to make additional posts such as “I got arrested and put on a 3 day psych hold for my posts against the jews” and re-posted another user’s post, which said, “[w]e don’t need gun control. We need jew control.”
King’s X account prior to August 28 contained posts expressing antisemitic rhetoric, including praise for Adolf Hitler, and contained images of weapons, including a handgun, knives, and mace.
In September and October of 2025, King sent numerous racist voicemails and emails to the police detective who had him placed on a psychiatric hold on August 28.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, King would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for the count of threats and false information regarding fire and explosives, and up to five years in federal prison for the threats by interstate communication and false information and hoaxes counts.
The FBI is investigating this matter. The San Luis Obispo Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Laura A. Alexander of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Jenna W. Long of the National Security Division are prosecuting this case.
CEO of L.A.-Based Childcare Company and Camp Counselor Charged with More Than a Dozen Child Sexual Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today charged a childcare program CEO, camp counselor, and private babysitter in a 16-count indictment with using his positions of authority to sexually exploit at least six children he babysat.
Miguel Adrian Gonzalez, 28, of West Los Angeles, is charged with two counts of obtaining custody of a minor with the intent to produce child pornography, seven counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and two counts of possession of child pornography.
Gonzalez has been in federal custody since October 28. A federal magistrate judge the following day ordered him jailed without bond. Gonzalez’s arraignment is scheduled for December 4 in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in this case, from at least 2021 to 2025, Gonzalez – a long-time childcare provider, private babysitter, and the CEO of Let’s Play LA LLC, a childcare company based in West Los Angeles – produced sexually explicit images of children in his care or supervision. Gonzalez also sexually abused at least one minor victim.
In October 2023 and May 2024, Gonzalez texted the parents of two minor victims – each of them 6-year-old boys at the time – and offered to obtain custody or control of the two victims through his babysitting services, knowing that each victim would be portrayed in a visual depiction engaging in sexually explicit conduct. These requests led to two instances in which Gonzalez produced child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
From April 2025 to August 2025, Gonzalez used social media platforms such as Snapchat and Telegram to distribute and receive images and videos depicting CSAM, including images and videos depicting CSAM of children he had babysat.
In October 2025, Gonzalez knowingly possessed on two Apple iPhones images and videos depicting CSAM, including of the six children who had been under his supervision.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Gonzalez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office also has charged Gonzalez with a felony child sexual exploitation crime in connection with this matter. That case is pending.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelsey A. Stimson and Kim Meyer of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.