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30 September 2025
Charles County Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Commercial Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 44, of Waldorf, Maryland, to 14 years in federal prison for committing four armed robberies while using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD); Sheriff Troy D. Berry, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Marc Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
According to court documents, Harris and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of two businesses in Prince George’s County, one business in Charles County, and one business in Montgomery County. On March 23, and March 28, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed two convenience stores in Prince George’s County, stealing cash from the registers and several packs of cigarettes. Harris brandished a pistol-grip shotgun during both robberies.
Then on April 5, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Charles County, stealing cash from the registers and the wallet and phone of a store employee. Harris also brandished a pistol-grip shotgun and held the store employee at gunpoint while pinning a customer into a wall corner with his forearm.
On April 6, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Montgomery County, stealing cash from the register and a store employee’s purse and phone. Harris also brandished the same pistol-grip shotgun used in the earlier robberies.
Then on April 12, 2023, a PGPD officer observed the getaway vehicle Harris and his co-conspirators used in two of the robberies, resulting in a traffic stop. The occupants of the vehicle fled and escaped. Law enforcement recovered several items from the vehicle and submitted the items for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing. A subsequent DNA report revealed a high stringency match between Harris and a DNA sample from a bottle recovered from the vehicle.
On November 9, 2023, Charles County Sherriff’s Office detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Harris’s storage unit. Detectives accessed the storage unit and identified the clothing items Harris wore and the same pistol-grip shotgun he used during the robberies.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI, PGPD, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, and MCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Cape Girardeau Men Sentenced for Stealing from Gun StoreRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who helped steal a pistol from a Cape Girardeau County gun store to 40 months in prison.
Danaje Raymond Webster and his co-defendant, Dayvion Jyraud Parker, will also have to pay restitution of $1,999. Parker was sentenced in March to 70 months in prison.
On June 17, 2024, Webster, of Cape Girardeau, removed a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from the display case at a federally licensed firearm dealer in Cape Girardeau County and handed it to Parker. Parker first hid the pistol under his jacket before handing it to Webster, who hid it between Parker’s back and the back of Parker’s wheelchair. Parker then bought ammunition and a magazine for a different firearm and both men left the store. After store employees noticed the missing pistol, they discovered the culprits by reviewing surveillance video.
On June 25, law enforcement officers performing a court-approved search of a home in Cape Girardeau found Parker, who is a felon, lying on a bed with two pistols between the bed frame and the wall. Both pistols were equipped with auto sears, or “switches,” converting them into fully automatic weapons.
Webster, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in July to one count of stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer. Parker, now 22, pleaded guilty in October of 2024 to five felonies: stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of a machine gun.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
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.
Canton Woman Pleads Guilty to SNAP Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, MS – A Canton woman pleaded guilty last week to stealing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits intended for low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nya Irving, also known as Nya Carter, 25, unlawfully acquired and used SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits in October and November 2023. Irving was a Customer Service Representative for Conduent from September 26, 2022, to November 20, 2023.Irving used her position to access and obtain SNAP and TANF benefits belonging to recipients throughout the United States, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee without authorization.
Irving also provided EBT card data to her friend, Velton Taylor Williams, Jr., who was sentenced last week to five years’ probation for his role in the scheme. Irving and Williams used the stolen SNAP and TANF benefits for their personal gain. Irving obtained $41,587.87 in SNAP and $975.19 in TANF benefits without authorization. TANF benefits are intended for low-income families with children under the age of 18.
Irving pleaded guilty to Food Stamp Fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Deuchler of the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General made the announcement.
The United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
California Resident Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Long Beach, California, has been sentenced in federal court to 120 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Derrick Polk, 62, on September 24, 2025, also ordering Polk to forfeit $399,000 in U.S. currency, a firearm, and various Rolex watches and jewelry valued at over $150,000.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Polk conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Further, in and around April 2021, Polk possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Polk was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Polk. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.Calhoun drug dealer who bit a federal agent sentenced to more than a decade in federal prisonRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - DeWayne Allen McGill, a convicted felon and methamphetamine dealer who bit two law enforcement officers and unlawfully possessed a firearm, has been sentenced to prison.
"Caught red-handed with almost three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine, McGill violently—but unsuccessfully—resisted arrest by brave, front-line crimefighters,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will aggressively prosecute anyone who threatens or injures a federal agent. In North Georgia, criminals will be held accountable for any attack on law enforcement.”
“This violent repeat offender thought he could continue to distribute deadly drugs with impunity,” stated Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This sentencing protects innocent families and shows DEA’s commitment to stopping violent drug traffickers.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On March 10, 2023, McGill sold approximately 56 grams of methamphetamine from his apartment in Calhoun, Georgia. On April 6, 2023, agents followed McGill from Calhoun to the Atlanta metro area, where he picked up methamphetamine from another man in a parking lot. Law enforcement stopped McGill and found over 300 grams of pure methamphetamine in his vehicle.
McGill tried to run from officers and resisted arrest, biting a DEA special agent and a Calhoun Police detective in the fracas. Agents later executed a search warrant on McGill’s apartment where they found additional methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm handgun. As a twice-convicted felon, McGill was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
DeWayne Allen McGill, a/k/a “Domino,” 40, of Calhoun, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II, to 11 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. McGill was convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, assaulting a federal officer, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon on March 3, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Calhoun Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Forsyth, III prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at;USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is;http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Buffalo man going to prison for selling fentanylRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that James Clemons, a/k/a James Brown a/k/a Womp, 45, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Duncan, who handled the case, stated that in February and March 2023, investigators with the New York State Police conducted four controlled purchases of fentanyl from Clemons. On March 4, 2023, Clemons was operating a Porsche Cayenne in Lancaster, NY. A Lancaster Police officer conducted a stop on the vehicle because the Porsche did not have an up-to-date inspection. The officer discovered that Clemons’ license had been revoked, and he was arrested. The officer search Clemons and recovered $1,720.50 in cash. A search of the vehicle recovered plastic bags of suspected fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia. On March 31, 2023, Clemons was arrested on a federal arrest warrant by the FBI, which seized multiple bags of suspected narcotics from Clemons.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, and the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Gummo.
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Buffalo man arrested on drug and gun chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Julius M. Hatten, 35, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt I. Kass, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on September 25, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at Hatten’s Eckhert Street residence. During the search, they seized 2,251 grams of suspected cocaine, 321 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 100 grams of suspected pressed/engraved fentanyl pills, drug paraphernalia, two metal kilogram presses, 30 rounds of ammunition, two cell phones, and $21,740 cash. Law enforcement also searched Hatten’s vehicle, recovering 37 grams of crack cocaine, 11 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, and 17 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
In August 2011, Hatten was convicted of two felonies in Erie County Court and in August 2018, he was convicted of a felony in Federal Court. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Hatten made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alphonso Wright, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Bucks County Man Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Richard Adamsky, 66, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The defendant will make his initial appearance in federal court tomorrow.
The indictment alleges that, on or about June 15, 2024, Adamsky knowingly received a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment further alleges that Adamsky possessed two computers and two flash drives containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These depictions included prepubescent minors and minors under 12 years of age.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency, the Warminster Township Police Department, Upper Merion Township Police Department, and Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Armed Robbery of Southeast Liquor Store Nets DC Man Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert Jameson, 60, of the District, was sentenced today in D.C. Superior Court, to seven years in prison for the armed robbery of a liquor store on Minnesota Avenue in Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Jameson pleaded guilty on March 26, 2025 to one count of armed robbery. Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno sentenced Jameson to seven years to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 6 p.m., on Feb. 16, 2025, Jameson walked into O’Connor’s Liquors, located in the 2900 block of Minnesota Avenue, Southeast, brandished a firearm at the store manager and took a box of Fireball shots (a whiskey liqueur) and several lottery tickets. The defendant attempted to take the cash register but was unsuccessful. He fled the store on foot.
Officers located Jameson later that evening still wearing the same distinctive clothing captured on the store’s CCTV cameras. A search of Jameson’s home yielded dozens of the Fireball shots and an imitation firearm.
Jameson was arrested on February 16, 2025 and has been in custody since. Jameson had previously been convicted multiple times of robbery in Maryland.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green, who prosecuted the case.
Allegany County man going to prison for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ronald J. Chapman, III, 42, of Wellsville, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that between May and November 30, 2023, Chapman possessed a cellular telephone, which contained approximately 45 images and videos of child pornography. The images included depictions of toddlers and prepubescent minors.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto.
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Accokeek Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced OJ Rashad Green, 36, aka “Ice,” of Accokeek, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl in the Accokeek, Maryland area.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).
After a six-day trial in February 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Green, finding him guilty of knowingly and intentionally distributing fentanyl, a controlled substance, on four separate occasions. According to the evidence presented at trial, from or about January 21, 2022, through September 28, 2022, Green repeatedly distributed fentanyl from a home in the Accokeek area.
Law enforcement arrested Green following a series of controlled purchases arranged by officers. These controlled buys provided evidence that Green was utilizing his home as a fentanyl distribution hub.
At sentencing, federal prosecutors presented additional evidence of the large quantity of fentanyl Green distributed over a period of several years. The prosecution also unveiled Green’s extensive distribution network within and outside of the Accokeek area and how Green exploited fentanyl-addicted individuals to work on his behalf as drug testers and drug runners.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA and Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darren S. Gardner and Brooke Oki who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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29 September 2025
Zachary A. Keller Appointed to Serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of LouisianaRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – Zachary A. Keller has been appointed to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Mr. Keller took the oath of office in Monroe before Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty on September 29, 2025, where he was joined by family, friends, law enforcement partners, and students from West Monroe High School, his alma mater.
“I am grateful for the honor and privilege of serving my home district in this role,” said Mr. Keller. “Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will work tirelessly to make Louisiana a safer place to live, work, raise a family, and run a business by combatting violent crime, gangs, child predators, immigration and financial fraud, and other criminal activity.”
Mr. Keller joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida in 2021, serving in civil, criminal, and appellate sections before concluding his service as a Deputy Chief in the Major Crimes section. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he investigated, prosecuted, and tried federal crimes involving firearms, violence, immigration, drugs, child exploitation, and a wide range of other criminal offenses. Mr. Keller also served as the Project Safe Neighborhood coordinator for the Major Crimes section at the time of his departure, where he worked with local and federal law enforcement to prosecute gun crime. Before serving at the Department, Mr. Keller worked as a consumer protection staff attorney for the Federal Trade Commission and an associate attorney in private practice.
Mr. Keller grew up attending public schools in West Monroe, Louisiana, and attended college at Louisiana State University, where he earned his degree summa cum laude while attending on full scholarship. Mr. Keller then earned his law degree from Yale Law School.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Keller is responsible for overseeing federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the Western District of Louisiana. Mr. Keller will lead a dedicated team of approximately 70 federal prosecutors and staff located in Shreveport and Lafayette. The Western District of Louisiana covers 42 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes and roughly half its population, with offices in Shreveport, Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe and Lake Charles.
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Violent Criminal Alien Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Reentering the CountryRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Elpidio Abelardo Perez-Perez, 33, of the country of Mexico, was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison for illegal reentry by a removed alien. The sentenced was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This violent criminal alien repeatedly illegally re-entered our country after numerous prior deportations, and while unlawfully present here he continued to violate our laws. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from violent criminal aliens like this defendant who amply demonstrate a complete disregard for our national and state laws.”
Court records reflect that, on February 17, 2025, Perez-Perez was arrested for aggravated assault with a weapon and discharging a firearm in Escambia County. Through various record checks, investigators learned that Perez-Perez is a citizen of Mexico and was illegally in the country after having previously been encountered and deported by immigration authorities in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
The sentence was the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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.
US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones Attends “Passing of the Gavel” Ceremony Honoring Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo OrshanRead the Press Release
MIAMI - U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones joined colleagues, judges, and community leaders at this year’s Passing of the Gavel ceremony, marking the investiture of Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan as Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida.
Chief Judge Fajardo Orshan, who previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida during President Donald J. Trump’s first administration (Trump 45), led the Office in landmark prosecutions that strengthened the district’s reputation as one of the nation’s most active and impactful. Prior to her federal appointment, she served with distinction as a circuit judge in Miami-Dade County.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones reflected on their long professional connection:
“I had the privilege of serving as a line prosecutor under Judge Ariana’s leadership during her tenure as U.S. Attorney. Later, we served together on the bench as judges. Today, it is a deep honor to return to this Court, now as U.S. Attorney myself, and to celebrate Judge Ariana’s elevation by her peers to Chief Judge and her career of service to justice and to our community.”
The Passing of the Gavel ceremony, a longstanding tradition in South Florida’s legal community, recognizes the installation of the new Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and the continuity of leadership within the judiciary.
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Three Chicago-Area Men Indicted in Federal Court for Allegedly Scheming to Open Credit Cards in the Names of Deceased IndividualsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted three men for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently open credit cards in the names of recently deceased individuals. Two of the men—brothers from suburban Chicago—are also charged with fraudulently obtaining small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and falsely claiming tax credits to which they were not entitled.
In the alleged credit card fraud, ROOSEVELT GARRETT and his brother, TORIENCE GARRETT, schemed with FRANKLIN SIMMONS to fraudulently obtain credit cards in the names of recently deceased individuals, including two former residents of Illinois, according to an indictment returned in the Northern District of Illinois. After using the deceased individuals’ personal identifying information to obtain the cards, the Garretts and Simmons made purchases for themselves and did not repay the credit card companies, the indictment states. The Garretts and Simmons also charged the cards to purported business entities that they controlled, allowing them to convert the credit card fraud proceeds to cash, the indictment states.
The indictment also alleges that the Garretts engaged in fraud related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL)—a source of relief under the CARES Act. The indictment alleges that in June 2020, the Garretts submitted two fraudulent applications for EIDL loans on behalf of business entities that they purportedly owned and operated. The applications contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about the purported entities, including the number of employees and gross revenues, the indictment states. The Garretts allegedly used the EIDL funds to make cash withdrawals and transfers for their personal use and not for the operations of the purported entities.
The tax charges accuse the Garretts of misstating in corporate tax returns the number of employees of the purported entities they controlled and the wages allegedly paid by those companies. Additionally, Simmons fraudulently underreported to the IRS the income he derived from a purported entity he controlled and which he used in connection with the fraudulent credit card scheme, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Roosevelt Garrett, 57, of Itasca, Ill., with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of failing to file an individual tax return. Torience Garrett, 53, of Bolingbrook, Ill., is charged with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of money laundering. Simmons, 64, of Chicago, is charged with three counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and two counts of filing a false individual tax return.
The defendants were arraigned in federal court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maione.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
garrett_et_al_indictment.pdfTexas Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Tens of Thousands of Eaton Fire Disaster Money and COVID Jobless FundsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Texas woman pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining more than $28,000 in federal disaster relief money by falsely claiming that she was a Pasadena resident living in a property damaged by the Eaton Fire and to fraudulently obtaining more than $54,000 in jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joyce Turner, 57, of Rosharon, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud.
On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire ignited and burned through a residential area in Los Angeles County, killing 18 people and destroying more than 10,000 structures. A presidential disaster declaration was issued on January 8, making emergency federal financial assistance and benefits available to individuals and families affected by the Eaton Fire and to other wildfire victims in the Los Angeles area.
Victims who suffered losses because of the Eaton Fire, including renters who lost personal property and/or the use of their rental residences could qualify for benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The benefits included money for home repair, personal property damage, transportation, medical expenses, and housing assistance.
According to her plea agreement, on January 10, Turner submitted a fraudulent disaster benefits application to FEMA, falsely claiming she lived in Pasadena in a rental property that had been damaged by the Eaton Fire. In fact, Turner did not live in California and did not qualify for the benefits.
FEMA, relying on Turner’s false and fraudulent claim, sent her $28,195 in wildfire disaster relief money.
Turner further admitted in her plea agreement that in August 2020 she submitted a fraudulent claim for California unemployment insurance falsely claiming she had been working in California and lost work because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. Following this false and fraudulent claim, California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) provided Turner with $54,360 in jobless benefits to which she was not entitled – providing these benefits through a debit card mailed to Turner at an address in Los Angeles.
United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald scheduled a January 26, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Turner will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the disaster benefits fraud count and up to 20 years in federal prison for the mail fraud count. Turner remains free on bond.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Tallahassee Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of a MacHinegunRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Anthony Lamorris Davis Jr., 21, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of illegal possession of a machinegun. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I appreciate the excellent work of our local and federal law enforcement partners to remove this violent felon from our streets. My office remains committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the violent criminals victimizing our communities, and this successful prosecution is yet another step toward achieving that goal.”
Court documents reflect that Davis was the passenger in a car stopped by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office on July 21, 2024. Under Davis’s seat, deputies found a stolen Glock 9-millimeter pistol which had a machinegun conversion device attached and an extended magazine. Davis was not arrested at the time. On October 25, 2024, the Tallahassee Police Department observed Davis wearing a ski mask and jacket, despite it being 87 degrees outside, and stopped him for pedestrian violations. Officers found a pistol with an attached machinegun conversion device in Davis’s jacket pocket. The conversion devices attached to the July 21 and October 25 were both 3D-printed and bore identical markings. Davis has prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, burglary, and criminal use of personal identification information.
Davis faces imprisonment for up to 15 years per count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and 10 years per count of illegal possession of a machinegun.
The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 8, 2025, at 11:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Startup CEO Charlie Javice Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for $175 Million FraudRead the Press Release
Attorney for the United States, Acting Under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, Amanda Houle announced that CHARLIE JAVICE was sentenced today to 85 months in prison for falsely and dramatically inflating the number of customers of her company, Frank, to fraudulently induce J.P. Morgan Chase (“JPMC”) to acquire Frank for $175 million. JAVICE and her co-defendant, OLIVIER AMAR, were convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and securities fraud following a six-week jury trial in March 2025. Today’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.
“Javice perpetrated a $175 million fraud—repeatedly lying about the success of her startup company and even hiring a data scientist to create fake data to back up her lies. For that, Javice has been sentenced to 85 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay over $300,000,000,” said Attorney for the United States Amanda Houle. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that brazen frauds will be met with serious penalties. Our Office will continue to work tirelessly to hold accountable those who seek to profit through fraudulent schemes and lies.”
As set forth in public filings and the trial record:
In or about 2017, JAVICE founded Frank, a for-profit company that offered an online platform designed to simplify the process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”). FAFSA is a federal government form, available free of charge, that students use to apply for financial aid for college or graduate school. JAVICE was Frank’s CEO. AMAR was Frank’s Chief Growth Officer.
In or about 2021, JAVICE began to pursue the sale of Frank to a larger financial institution. Two major banks, one of which was JPMC, expressed interest and began acquisition processes with Frank. JAVICE represented repeatedly to those banks that Frank had 4.25 million customers or “users.” JAVICE explicitly defined “users”—to both banks—as individuals who had signed up for an account with Frank and for whom Frank therefore had at least four identified categories of data (i.e., first name, last name, email address, and phone number). In fact, Frank had approximately 300,000 users.
When JPMC sought to verify the number of Frank’s users and the amount of data collected about them—information that was critical to JPMC’s decision to move forward with the acquisition process—JAVICE and AMAR fabricated a data set. To do this, JAVICE and AMAR first asked Frank’s director of engineering to create an artificially generated (so-called “synthetic”) data set. The director of engineering raised concerns about the legality of the request, to which JAVICE responded, in substance and in part, “We don’t want to end up in orange jumpsuits.” The director of engineering declined the request.
JAVICE then approached an outside data scientist and hired him to create the synthetic data set. After the data set was created, JAVICE provided that synthetic data set to an agreed-upon third-party vendor in an effort to confirm to JPMC that the data set had over 4.25 million rows. JAVICE then caused the third-party vendor to convey to JPMC that the data set had over 4.25 million rows, consistent with JAVICE’s misrepresentations that Frank had 4.25 million users.
In reliance on JAVICE’s fraudulent representations about Frank’s users, JPMC agreed to purchase Frank for $175 million. As part of the deal, JPMC hired JAVICE and other Frank employees. JAVICE received over $21 million for selling her equity stake in Frank and, per the terms of the deal, was to be paid another $20 million as a retention bonus.
Unbeknownst to JPMC, at or about the same time that JAVICE was creating the fabricated data set, JAVICE and AMAR sought to purchase, on the open market, real data for over 4.25 million college students to cover up their misrepresentations. JAVICE and AMAR succeeded in purchasing a data set of 4.5 million students for $105,000, but it did not contain all the data fields that JAVICE had represented to JPMC were maintained by Frank. JAVICE then purchased an additional set of data on the open market to augment the data set of 4.5 million users. After JPMC acquired Frank, JPMC employees asked JAVICE and AMAR to provide data relating to Frank’s users so that JPMC could begin a marketing campaign to those users. In response, JAVICE provided what was supposedly Frank’s user data. In fact, JAVICE fraudulently provided the data she and AMAR had purchased on the open market, at a small fraction of the price that JPMC paid to acquire Frank and its purported users.
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In addition to the prison term, JAVICE, 31, of Miami Beach, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. The district court also imposed a forfeiture judgment of $22,360,977.48 and ordered restitution in the amount of $287,501,078.00 that is joint and several with AMAR.
Ms. Houle praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of Inspector General.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Micah F. Fergenson, and Georgia V. Kostopoulos are in charge of the prosecution.
Servicemembers Receive Relief for Unlawful Repossession of Their CarsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights for the United States Department of Justice, Harmeet K. Dhillon, announced today that NEW CITY FUNDING CORP. (“NEW CITY”) has agreed to pay at least $120,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”) by repossessing vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without first obtaining the required court orders. Under the agreement, NEW CITY has agreed to pay $60,000 to compensate four servicemembers whose cars it unlawfully repossessed and will also pay a civil penalty of $60,000 to the United States. NEW CITY has further agreed to provide information regarding additional repossessions and will compensate any additional servicemembers whose cars were repossessed in violation of the SCRA.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice launched an investigation into NEW CITY’s repossession practices following the filing of a private lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that NEW CITY violated the SCRA by repossessing the plaintiff’s vehicle after the plaintiff had entered military service. The subsequent investigation identified four additional violations to date and revealed that NEW CITY regularly failed to adhere to its written policies and procedures regarding SCRA’s protections against non-judicial auto repossessions.
NEW CITY, headquartered in Stony Point, New York, provides auto financing to New Yorkers, many of whom are unable to obtain financing from traditional lending institutions.
“New Yorkers support the women and men of our armed forces, and New Yorkers want our Office to stand up for the rights of our service members, particularly when they are deployed,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects our troops from having their cars and other assets seized while serving, and our Office stands ready to enforce those protections.”
“By repossessing these vehicles, New City Funding disregarded the law and the duties it owed to members of our Armed Forces,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will hold accountable any business that does not respect the legal rights of U.S. servicemembers.”
The agreement requires NEW CITY to provide $15,000 in compensation, plus any lost equity in the vehicle with interest, to each of the four affected servicemembers who have been identified to date and will provide similar compensation to any additional servicemembers subsequently identified whose rights under the SCRA were violated by NEW CITY. NEW CITY will also take steps to repair the credit of the affected servicemembers. NEW CITY will contact servicemembers to be compensated through this settlement in the upcoming months and will distribute payments at no cost to servicemembers. As noted above, NEW CITY will also pay a $60,000 civil penalty to the United States.
Enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. For more information about SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
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This case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Civil Division and the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Walsh Kumar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Trial Attorney Audrey M. Yap of the Civil Rights Division are in charge of the case.
Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran national residing in Lynn pleaded guilty on Sep. 26, 2025 in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Emelio Neftaly Pineda, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Oct. 30, 2025. In July 2025, Pineda was indicted by a federal grand jury.
According to the charging documents Pineda was deported on or about July 20, 2016, after having been convicted of a felony.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien, having previously been convicted of a felony provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Russell Laffitte Sentenced to 5 Years for Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, and Misapplying Bank FundsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Former banker Russell Lucius Laffitte, 54, of Estill, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; wire fraud; bank fraud; and three counts of misapplication of bank funds.
“As of today, Russell Laffitte and Alex Murdaugh have both been sentenced to federal prison, and their victims have been made financially whole,” said Bryan Stirling, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “The victims put their trust in Laffitte and Murdaugh after suffering serious injuries and losing loved ones, and they were exploited for financial gain. We appreciate the dedicated work of our partners at the FBI, SLED, and South Carolina Attorney General’s Office in ensuring justice for them.”
Laffitte was an officer and executive at Palmetto State Bank in Hampton, South Carolina. His co-conspirator, Alex Murdaugh, was a personal injury attorney at a law firm in Hampton.
Laffitte admitted that he agreed to serve as conservator and personal representative for several of Murdaugh’s clients, knowing that he would personally profit from doing so. Beginning in 2011, Laffitte began extending himself and Murdaugh loans from conservator accounts Laffitte was charged with managing. Laffitte did not disclose the loans to the conservatees, despite owing them a fiduciary duty.
Around that time, Murdaugh devised a scheme to obtain money belonging to his clients. In furtherance of the scheme, Murdaugh directed law firm employees to make clients’ checks payable to Palmetto State Bank. The checks were drawn on the law firm’s client trust account, identified the clients on the memo lines, and corresponded to amounts set forth in the clients’ disbursement sheets.
As to two of Murdaugh’s clients, Laffitte—their conservator—saw their disbursement sheets and knew that the bank was supposed to receive their settlement funds. Murdaugh presented the clients’ checks to Laffitte and directed that they be used for Murdaugh’s personal benefit, including to pay off loans Laffitte had extended from conservator accounts. Laffitte negotiated nine separate transactions for Murdaugh’s benefit, knowing that the funds belonged to the clients.
Laffitte also aided and abetted the structuring of transactions from a second check belonging to one of the clients, disbursing the funds at Murdaugh’s direction and for Murdaugh’s personal benefit.
As to a third client of Murdaugh’s, Laffitte negotiated 12 separate transactions, disbursing $1,325,000 in client settlement funds for Murdaugh’s benefit. Despite knowing they were client funds, Laffitte allowed Murdaugh to use the funds to repay Murdaugh’s personal loans, repay loans Laffitte extended from a conservator account, purchase vehicles and equipment, and receive cash back. Laffitte also deposited some of the funds into Murdaugh’s personal account.
Laffitte received $75,000 in conservator fees and $35,000 in personal representative fees from these three clients. He intentionally failed to report this income on his tax returns, knowing that he could hide the income because the fee checks were drafted to Palmetto State Bank rather than to him personally. Laffitte also structured transactions to avoid reporting requirements and intentionally failed to file suspicious activity reports.
In 2015, Laffitte misapplied bank funds by extending over $284,000 from a line of credit that was supposed to be for farming to repay Murdaugh’s remaining loans from the conservatorship.
Laffitte also misapplied bank funds on two other occasions. In July 2021, he extended Murdaugh a $750,000 loan for the stated purpose of beach house renovations. But Laffitte authorized a $350,000 wire transfer to an attorney and then transferred $400,000 of “loan proceeds” to Murdaugh’s account to cover over $367,000 in overdraft, knowing that these funds had nothing to do with beach house renovations.
In October 2021, the law firm uncovered that Murdaugh had stolen from clients. Laffitte knew he had negotiated stolen checks at Murdaugh’s direction despite knowing the funds did not belong to Murdaugh. Laffitte then paid the law firm $680,000 in bank funds without the knowledge or consent of the full bank Board of Directors or Executive Committee in an attempt to settle the matter with the law firm.
Laffitte paid $3,555,884.80 in criminal restitution before sentencing and will also forfeit $85,845.73 to the government. He also agreed that his guilty plea prohibits him from controlling or participating in the conduct of any federally insured bank or credit union, and he cannot serve as a director or officer of any such bank or credit union without permission.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel imposed the 60-month sentence, to be followed by a three-year term of supervision. The court also ordered Laffitte to pay a $20,000 fine and a $600 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse, Kathleen Stoughton, and Winston Holliday are prosecuting the case.
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Rambling Man Sentenced for Threatening ChristiansRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Isaac Sissel, 26, a man who intentionally bounces from place to place committing crimes and skipping town afterwards to avoid the consequences, was sentenced today to thirty months for threatening to kill conservative Christians with an AR-15 assault rifle, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Reuben C. Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to court documents, in September 2024, Sissel created Reddit accounts with names like “ShootUpTrumpRally” and “PlanningToKillTrump.” And then, on November 2, Sissel sent an anonymous tip to the FBI claiming that he would “carry out an attack against conservative christan filth in the event trump wins the election,” and said that he had a “stolen ar15.” Sissel sent his threat two days before President Trump’s campaign rally in Michigan, three days before the 2024 Presidential election, and four months after President Trump was shot at a campaign rally with an AR-style weapon. As a convicted felon, Sissel is prohibited from possessing firearms, however there was no evidence that Sissel actually possessed a weapon, including an AR-15.
In April 2025, Sissel pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. The government also charged Sissel with a Hate Crimes Motivation enhancement, meaning that he selected his victims because of their actual or perceived religion. The Court agreed and applied the enhancement to Sissel’s sentence.
“We live in evil times,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said. “Even in America, Christians are routinely targeted for death by violent extremists like this man. The First Amendment is a safeguard of religious liberty and free speech—and so it does not protect true threats that undermine religious liberty.”
"The sentencing of Issac Sissel reflects the FBI’s zero tolerance for individuals who threaten Americans, including leadership at the highest levels of government,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I would like to thank the dedicated members of the FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, alongside the FBI Ann Arbor Resident Agency, who worked tirelessly throughout this investigation. This effort would not be possible without the crucial assistance of the United States Secret Service, University of Michigan Police Department, and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in apprehending Mr. Sissel and supporting this investigation. I send my sincerest appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for their successful prosecution. The FBI will remain committed to protecting our communities across America and investigate those who seek to instill fear and violence.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hank Moon and Micah Wallace.
Prince George’s County Man Charged with Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement Officer on National Security Agency CampusRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced it filed a criminal complaint against Amir Phillip Wilson, 23, of Greenbelt, Maryland, charging him with assaulting Federal law enforcement officers.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the criminal complaint with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Craig Lustig, National Security Agency (NSA) Police.
On September 24, 2025, an NSA police officer, stationed at a checkpoint, observed a vehicle operated by Wilson approach the NSA campus in Fort Meade, Maryland. The officer saw Wilson drive the vehicle through the checkpoint without presenting the appropriate credentials required to enter the protected property. Eventually, law enforcement attempted to stop Wilson, but he accelerated to upwards of 40 to 50 miles an hour in an attempt to evade the officers.
During the pursuit, Wilson’s vehicle struck two marked NSA police vehicles responding to the scene injuring one of the officers. Upon impacting the second police vehicle at a high rate of speed, Wilson’s vehicle careened into a concrete retaining wall, where it came to a stop. Law enforcement then took Wilson into custody.
Wilson is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on Wednesday, October 1, at 10 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and NSA Police for their work in this investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. A. Massucco-LaTaif and LaRai Everett who are prosecuting this case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Portland Man Charged with Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement Officer Near Local ICE OfficeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man made his first appearance in federal court today after assaulting a federal officer near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.
Tomas Plancarte-Benson, 37, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offense of assaulting a federal officer.
According to court documents, on the evening of September 27, 2025, federal officers attempted to clear the driveway at the ICE facility. Plancarte-Benson was among a group of agitators blocking the driveway. Federal officials gave repeated verbal commands to “move” or “clear the driveway.” Rather than move when directed, Plancarte-Benson shoved a federal officer and retreated into the crowd. Federal officers subsequently found Plancarte-Benson near the ICE facility and arrested him for assaulting a federal officer.
“Violence at the ICE building or any other federal building will not be tolerated. If you assault a federal law enforcement officer, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Since June 13, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon has charged 27 defendants with federal crimes for offenses committed at the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, failure to comply, and depredation of government property.
Plancarte-Benson made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was released on conditions pending further court proceedings.
Felony assault of a federal officer is punishable by up to eight years in federal prison.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Phoenix Man Charged After Seizure of 36 Pounds of Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and 3 FirearmsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, John Avendano, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
According to the complaint, on September 22, a Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Silverado and identified John Avendano as the driver. Inside the Silverado, investigators seized a firearm and approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine, which was hidden in a black trash bag in the truck.
Investigators subsequently searched Avendano’s residence and found over 5 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 250 grams of cocaine, and two additional firearms.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
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).
The DEA’s East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-9417-PHX-ESW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-157_Avendano# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Philadelphia Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Suboxone into Curran-Fromhold Correctional FacilityRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Talia Hicks, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to three years’ probation, with one month of home confinement, and forfeiture of approximately $2,900 by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge, for conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
Hicks was charged with that offense by information and pleaded guilty in March of this year.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from at least December 2019 through November of 2020, Hicks conspired with multiple individuals to smuggle Suboxone into the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (“CFCF”). At the time of the charged conspiracy, she was working for the Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport.
A review of video tablet calls, a recorded form of communication available to inmates at CFCF, showed that a co-conspirator, on various occasions, discussed inmates sending CashApp and Apple payments to both the co-conspirator and Hicks. A review of CashApp and Green Dot records showed that Hicks and the co-conspirator sent and received CashApp payments on behalf of the co-conspirator, from and to various individuals. There were multiple transactions for which Hicks either facilitated the payment for Suboxone or provided the drugs to a co-conspirator to smuggle the substance into CFCF.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.
Peruvian National Sentenced to More than 6 Years in Prison in Transnational Scheme to Defraud Spanish-Speaking United States ConsumersRead the Press Release
A Peruvian national was sentenced today to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $3,000,000 in restitution for his participation in transnational fraud schemes that victimized vulnerable consumers in the United States.
According to court documents, David Cornejo Fernandez, 36, of Lima, Peru, facilitated fraudulent schemes that stole millions of dollars from thousands of Spanish-speaking victims across the United States. Cornejo provided Internet-based telephone lines, caller-ID spoofing services, and recording capabilities to a network of fraudulent call centers in Peru. Relying on Cornejo’s services, those call centers defrauded and extorted thousands of Spanish-speaking victims by falsely threatening them with court proceedings, fines, and other consequences if they did not pay for English-language products. Cornejo was extradited from Peru in November 2024 to face charges related to the scheme and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
In pleading guilty, Cornejo admitted that he provided fraudulent call centers in Peru with the technology to impersonate federal agents, police officers, attorneys, court personnel, and other government officials to extort payments from victims. Cornejo provided telephone lines to his call center co-conspirators, which they used to place unsolicited, fraudulent and extortionate telephone calls to vulnerable U.S. victims. Cornejo also provided caller-ID spoofing software that allowed his co-conspirators to convincingly impersonate government officials and threaten victims with severe legal and financial consequences if they did not pay. Cornejo placed pre-recorded messages on his co-conspirators’ telephone lines that fraudulently convinced victims they had reached actual U.S. courts, police departments, and federal agencies. When victims reported that specific telephone numbers were fraudulent, Cornejo provided new telephone lines and numbers to his co-conspirators so they could continue the fraudulent scheme.
Cornejo and his co-conspirators ultimately caused more than $3 million in losses to more than 8,800 victims across the United States.
With today’s sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 13 defendants have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with transnational fraud schemes that defrauded and threatened Spanish-speaking U.S. consumers, claiming they would suffer legal consequences if they did not pay for English-language learning products they never requested. Collectively, these defendants were responsible for defrauding more than 30,000 U.S. consumers.
The 13 defendants include eight Peruvian call center owner-operators; four distribution center owner-operators who processed payments and distributed products in the United States; and now Cornejo, who facilitated the fraud schemes from Peru. Cornejo and many of these defendants shared strategies on how to impersonate the U.S. government and defraud Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
Cornejo is the ninth defendant to be extradited from Peru and sentenced in federal court for fraud related to Peruvian call centers involved in English language learning scams. In 2021 and 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr., sentenced Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla, and Josmell Espinoza to sentences ranging from 88 months to 110 months in prison. In 2024, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano to 98 months in prison.
USPIS and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Peruvian National Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Peruvian National Police provided critical assistance.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Onondaga County Woman Sentenced for Firearms and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Alexis Miranda, age 30, of Syracuse, was sentenced on Thursday to 60 months in prison for possessing defaced firearms and for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Miranda admitted that from August to October 8, 2019, she agreed with Christopher Montano to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. On September 12, 2019, Miranda travelled from the Rome, New York, area to meet Montano, where they distributed more than 80 grams of methamphetamine to another person. A few months later, in August 2020, Miranda was stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 90, in Rensselaer County, New York, and law enforcement found heroin and fentanyl in her purse as well as a roller suitcase in her trunk containing four semiautomatic pistols with defaced serial numbers.
Last year, Montano was sentenced to 76 months in prison for unlawfully selling unregistered firearms and drug trafficking crimes.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Alexis Miranda was engaged in trafficking deadly substances and weapons, each of which contribute to drug addiction and gun violence in the community. We will relentlessly pursue and prosecute individuals like her to get rid of deadly firearms and drugs from our streets.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller stated: “Those who traffic in illegal firearms and deadly drugs will be held accountable. These defaced and stolen weapons pose a serious threat to our communities, and we remain committed to working with our federal and local partners to disrupt this kind of dangerous criminal activity.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James stated, “Strong partnerships are crucial for intercepting the illegal drugs and weapons that sustain a cycle of violence and threaten the quality of life in our communities. The collaborative multi-agency efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office, ATF, and New York State Police has resulted in the sentencing of Mr. Miranda and has eradicated an unprincipled gun and drug trafficking operation. We will continue to make it a priority to find those who commit these acts and dismantle the dangerous chain of activities they perpetuate.”
Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 5-year term of post-release supervision.
ATF and the NYSP investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted this case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Oneida County Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Receive and Distribute Child Pornography and for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – John Kelly, age 83, of Rome, New York, was sentenced on Wednesday to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to receive and distribute child pornography and for possessing child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his prior guilty plea, Kelly acknowledged that in August 2022 he began conspiring with his co-defendant, Richard Hockersmith, about exchanging child sexual abuse material. Kelly further acknowledged that he and Hockersmith decided to exchange the material by mailing an SD card containing child sexual abuse images and videos back and forth, which each of them did. Kelly also acknowledged that during a search of his residence on February 23, 2024, he possessed numerous images and videos of child pornography on a laptop computer.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also sentenced Kelly to serve a 10-year term of supervised release to begin after Kelly is released from prison, and to pay a total of $15,000 in restitution. Kelly will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Hockersmith was previously sentenced on July 8, 2025, to six years in federal prison and a 10-year term of post-release supervision.
Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “It is beyond disturbing that an 83-year-old man would seek out depictions of the sexual abuse of our most vulnerable population. Thanks to the diligent work of HSI, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and New York State Police, this defendant will now be spending his twilight years in federal prison—where he belongs.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said, “Today's sentence underscores how coordinated, targeted investigative efforts disrupt the distribution of child sexual abuse material and ensure offenders are held accountable. Protecting children from sexual exploitation is one of HSI's highest priorities, and we will relentlessly investigate and disrupt those who trade in child sexual abuse material. HSI Syracuse's strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York—and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners—has proven essential to holding these child predators accountable and strengthening public safety across New York.”
The case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve Nine Years in Federal Prison for Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy and Illegal Possession of a Machinegun, Methamphetamine, and CocaineRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – KEITH TERRELL THOMPSON, 27, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 108 months in federal prison for a firearms trafficking conspiracy, possession of methamphetamine and cocaine and methamphetamine with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a machinegun, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, on January 17, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) executed a search warrant at Thompson’s residence. Inside, OCPD officers recovered multiple firearms, an assortment of controlled substances including cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, $9,965.00 in cash, and a machinegun conversion device (MCD). When installed, MCDs convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns, and possession of the devices violates federal law. Thompson was later located and arrested by OCPD officers on January 29, 2024, at a different apartment. OCPD executed a search warrant on the second residence and recovered two stolen firearms, controlled substances, and more than $10,000 in cash.
On March 11, 2025, Thompson was charged by Superseding Information with a firearms trafficking conspiracy, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a machinegun, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Thompson pleaded guilty on March 20, 2025, and admitted he knowingly conspired to traffic firearms, that he knowingly and intentionally possessed cocaine and methamphetamine which he intended to distribute, that he possessed a firearm in furtherance of that drug distribution, and that he knowingly possessed an MCD.
At the sentencing hearing on September 25, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Thompson to serve 108 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge DeGiusti noted the seriousness of these offenses.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew E. Davis prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Oklahoma City Duo Lands in Federal Prison for More Than Nine Years Collectively after Pipe Bomb and Ammunition are Found During Traffic StopsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – CALEB GRAVES, 33, of Del City, and ROBERT ALLEN KEEFE, 25, of Oklahoma City, have been sentenced to serve 109 months collectively in federal prison for illegal possession of ammunition and possession of an unregistered destructive device, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On November 6, 2024, Graves was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. On April 1, 2025, he was also charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device and felon in possession of a firearm, namely, an improvised explosive bomb. On April 1, 2025, Keefe was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device related to the same improvised explosive bomb. Firearms and pipe bombs are considered destructive devices under federal law.
According to public records, on August 18, 2024, officers with the Village Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Graves and observed a loaded firearm magazine. The following day, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Graves’ residence, where they several rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. While on pretrial release awaiting trial, Graves was arrested again, this time on October 14, 2024, after Oklahoma City Police Department officers stopped Graves in his vehicle and located a hidden pipe bomb. Keefe, who was the lone other passenger, was arrested, as well.
On June 6, 2025, Graves, who had previously been convicted of a felony, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition and a felon in possession of a firearm, namely an improvised explosive bomb. Federal law prohibits previously convicted felons from possessing ammunition and firearms, including bombs. On June 9, 2025, Keefe pled guilty to being in possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Public records further reflect that Graves has previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for:
- Second degree burglary, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a felony in case number CF-2010-4613;
- possession of a methamphetamine in case number CF-2016-3849; and
- child neglect and possession of contraband in a penal institution in case number CF-2016-4096.
At sentencing hearings this month, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Graves to serve 72 months in federal prison, and sentenced Keefe to serve 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for both. In announcing the sentences, Judge Russell noted the seriousness of the offense and the need to provide just punishment.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Village Police Department, and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew E. Davis prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Nigerian National Extradited from Poland to Face Elder Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, 43, of Nigeria was extradited from the Republic of Poland and faces federal charges of engaging in a transnational criminal organization that operated an inheritance fraud scheme that cheated many American seniors out of their savings. Nnebocha made his initial appearance in federal court today in Miami.
Nnebocha was arrested in April 2025 by authorities in Poland, based on an indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida, and has remained incarcerated since then.
According to court documents, Nnebocha is charged with operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme. Over the course of more than five years, he, along with others, allegedly sent personalized letters to elderly consumers in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who purportedly had died years before in Spain. Victims were told that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and payments to avoid questioning from government authorities. Victims sent money to the defendants through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them. According to the indictment, victims who sent money never received their purported inheritance funds.
The defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as mail fraud and wire fraud. Nnebocha made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. If convicted, Nnebocha faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Two additional defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in this case. The Honorable Roy K. Altman previously sentenced both Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal, and Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, who was extradited from the United Kingdom, to 97 months of incarceration for their roles in the scheme.
USPIS and HSI are investigating the case.
This case is one example of efforts by the Justice Department to protect American seniors from domestic and foreign based scams. These efforts include cases against those who engage in, and knowingly facilitate, romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. Romance fraud is a confidence scheme where a perpetrator feigns romantic interest with a victim only to later extract money or property under false pretenses. Lottery fraud schemes trick victims into believing they have won a non-existent lottery or sweepstakes prize in order to extract fake fees, taxes, or other fabricated charges from the victim. Tech support fraud scams involve perpetrators tricking victims into believing that their computer or phone has a problem, often through fake pop-up messages, and to later seek funds from the victims in order to “fix” the “problem.” Grandparent scams, another type of confidence scheme, involve scammers impersonating a grandchild or close family member who experiences a fictitious emergency and needs money from the victim as soon as possible.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Josh Rothman of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Federal Bureau of Investigations Legal Attache in Poland, INTERPOL, and Polish Authorities, all provided critical assistance.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Trafficking Fentanyl and Cocaine from New York to Midcoast MaineRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Union man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing fentanyl and cocaine.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Kenneth Adams, 40, to 10 years in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release for trafficking kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine from New York to Maine. Adams pleaded guilty on December 20, 2024.
According to court records, from at least December 2023 through June 2024, Adams trafficked fentanyl and cocaine from sources of supply in the Bronx to mid-level drug dealers in Knox County for further distribution. As determined by the court, Adams possessed at least one firearm in connection with this drug trafficking activity.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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New York Auto Finance Company to Compensate Servicemembers for Illegal RepossessionsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that New City Funding, a New York-based auto finance company, will pay over $120,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing vehicles owned by military servicemembers.
The Department alleges that New City Funding, a regional auto finance company based in Stony Point, New York, repossessed at least five vehicles owned by servicemembers without obtaining the court orders required by federal law. The Department further alleges that New City took no steps to determine whether the owners of these vehicles were in military service prior to repossessing their cars, and, in some cases, went forward with repossessions even after they were told that the owner was on active duty.
“By repossessing these vehicles, New City Funding disregarded the law and the duties it owed to members of our Armed Forces,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will hold accountable any business that does not respect the legal rights of U.S. servicemembers.”
“New Yorkers support the women and men of our armed forces, and New Yorkers want our Office to stand up for the rights of our service members, particularly when they are deployed,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects our troops from having their cars and other assets seized while serving, and our Office stands ready to enforce those protections.”
Under the terms of the settlement, New City will pay at least $60,000 in compensation to affected servicemembers, forgive any unpaid balance on their accounts and take steps to repair damage to their credit. New City will also be required to pay a $60,000 civil penalty and make changes to its policies and training to avoid future violations.
The SCRA is a federal law that provides legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service.
This case was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $483 million in monetary relief for over 148,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Note: The Settlement Agreement can be read here
Nespelem Man Sentenced to 216 Months in Federal Prison for Sex Crimes Involving Children on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Lance Scott Michel, age 31, of Nespelem, Washington, to 216 months in federal prison after Michel pleaded guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and Sexual Abuse in Indian Country. Judge Dimke also ordered that, following his sentence, Michel be placed on a lifetime term of supervised release.
According to court documents, in early 2023, Michel began communicating with various minor females on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation over social media. Michel, a then twenty-nine-year-old, provided the minor females with items such as vaping products and cartridges. After engaging in this grooming behavior, Michel sexually abused two 15 year old victims. District Court Judge Dimke noted the aggravated nature of Defendant’s crimes and applied a sentencing enhancement due to Michel’s forcible conduct against both minor victims.
“Mr. Michel targeted minors from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation with the explicit intent to sexually abuse them. Protecting children and holding accountable those who seek to exploit and harm them are top priorities of my office,” said United States Attorney S. Peter Serrano. “We will continue to seek out and prosecute these heinous crimes thanks to our dedicated team and our FBI and tribal partners.”
"Through social media, Mr. Michel gained the trust of minors on the Colville Reservation, trust he later took advantage of in the most unthinkable way,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “There is no question that his heinous actions were entirely deserving of today's sentence. Protecting the lives and wellbeing of our nation's children from those who seek to prey on them is, and remains, a top priority for the FBI and our partners."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colville Tribal Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Michael J. Ellis, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
2:24-cr-00028-MKD
Multi-State Child Exploitation Investigation Results in the Arrest of Men in Washington and Iowa on State and Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
On September 24, 2025, the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (SER-ICAC) Task Force, comprised of detectives from the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments, Deputies from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, executed search and arrest warrants in Richland, Washington, and Mason City, Iowa, arising from child exploitation investigations in the Tri-Cities area.
Joseph Ralland Whipple, 34, was arrested in Mason City, Iowa, on federal charges of producing, distributing, receiving, and possessing sexually explicit images of minor children in Tri-Cities, Washington. A search warrant was executed at Whipple’s residence in Iowa and multiple electronic devices were seized. The SER-ICAC was assisted by the Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Whipple made an initial court appearance in federal court in Iowa and was detained pending further proceedings in federal court in the Eastern District of Washington. Whipple has also been charged in Benton County Superior Court with two counts of Rape of a Child in the First Degree with the Aggravating Circumstance of Pattern of Sexual Abuse and two counts of Child Molestation in the First Degree for his alleged conduct with multiple minor children. His bail has been set at one million dollars.
Charles Lon Seltz, 57, was arrested in Richland, Washington, on state charges of Rape of a Child in the First Degree. The SER-ICAC and Richland Police Department executed a search warrant at Seltz’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices. Seltz was subsequently charged in Benton County Superior Court with four counts of Rape of Child in the First Degree with the Aggravating Circumstance of a Pattern of Sexual Abuse. His bail has also been set at one million dollars.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Washington and the Northern District of Iowa and the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 18 months for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to court documents, on August 18, 2024, Mobile Police Department responded to a local hotel in reference to a shooting. Reginald Thompson, 50, fired rounds into the wall in the bathroom area, claiming someone was breaking in. Surveillance footage showed that no one was near the room Thompson was occupying prior to law enforcement’s arrival. Thompson admitted to possessing the firearm. Thompson has several prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Thompson was ordered to a 3-year supervised release term upon release from incarceration and must pay a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Michigan Felon who Possessed Firearm in Iowa Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on September 26, 2025, to more than four years in federal prison.
Marquise Darius Dickerson, age 33, from Monroe, Michigan, received the prison term after an April 17, 2025 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.
In August 2024, law enforcement officers in Oelwein, Iowa, responded to a report of an assault. The victim reported that Dickerson had spat and choked the victim. At the time of the assault, Dickerson was intoxicated. During a search of the residence, law enforcement officers located Dickerson’s firearm. Dickerson is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he is a felon.
Dickerson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Dickerson was sentenced to 52 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Dickerson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Nagin and investigated by the Oelwein Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
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.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-02048.
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Miami Jury Convicts Argentine National for Producing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Sept. 10, a federal jury in Miami convicted Argentine national Osvaldo Daniel Fernandez, 61, of two counts of production and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fernandez sexually abused two minor victims and recorded the abuse.
In May 2022, law enforcement opened an investigation into the sexual abuse of two minor victims. Investigators determined that Minor 1 was abused between the ages of 9 and 17, and Minor 2 between the ages of six and 15. During the investigation, Minor 1 disclosed that Fernandez had recorded the abuse.
A search warrant executed at Fernandez’s residence led to the seizure of multiple cellphones and a laptop. The laptop contained over 500 sexually explicit images/videos of Minor 1 between 9 and 17 years of age and several images/videos of Minor 2 at 9 years old. Investigators also discovered more than 900 images of other pre-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Fernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 11, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the production counts and 20 years on the possession count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Crimes against children are the most vile and unforgivable," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. "Fernandez robbed these victims of their innocence and dignity, and then sought to immortalize their pain. That cruelty will now be met with justice. The Southern District of Florida will relentlessly pursue predators who exploit children and will ensure they face the full weight of the law. No sanctuary, no excuse, and no escape—those who prey on children will be hunted down and held to account.”
Fernandez is subject to deportation after he is sentenced.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami, Field Office announced the charges.
FBI Miami investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Miami Beach Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elena Smukler and Audrey Pence Tomanelli are 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 Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20406.
Mexican National Arrested with Firearms and over 91 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Jose Ismael Castro Leon, 47, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.
According to the complaint, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force learned that a drug transaction was scheduled to take place in a parking lot in Phoenix on September 22. Investigators established surveillance at the location and watched as the driver of a GMC Acadia, later identified as Castro Leon, showed another person the contents of a black duffle bag that he had stored in his trunk.
Investigators then approached and arrested Castro Leon, seizing approximately 56 pounds of methamphetamine from the duffle bag along with a firearm that they found in the center console of the Acadia.
In a later search of Castro Leon’s apartment, investigators seized over 34 more pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 1.14 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and a second firearm.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
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).
The DEA’s Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-9413-PHX-ESW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-158_Castro Leon# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Manitowoc County Woman Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling announced that on September 29, 2025, Cherie Campion (age: 64) of Mishicot, Wisconsin, pled guilty to two counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, 1956(a)(1)(B)(i).
Publicly filed documents reflect that Campion, through her temporary staffing agency based in Manitowoc, generated and submitted thousands of fraudulent invoices, causing respective losses of $5,000,000 and $5,389,371.51 for the two companies she deceived. Campion took substantial efforts to conceal her fraud, including registering a “proxy” company with the State of Wisconsin; creating a fictitious persona associated with her fraudulent invoices; and submitting false bank statements. As part of her plea, Campion acknowledged that her scheme was sophisticated enough to warrant an enhancement under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Campion will be sentenced on January 27, 2026, before United States District Judge Lynn Adelman.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Knight.
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For further information contact:
Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Man Sentenced to over 25 Years in Federal Prison for Transporting A Minor from Mexico for Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Christian Hernandez (27, New Port Richey) to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. Upon release from custody, Hernandez will be required to register as a sex offender. Hernandez pleaded guilty on July 1, 2025.
According to court documents, in 2019, Hernandez began sexually abusing the minor victim when she was approximately 12 years old while the two were in Mexico. In 2022, when the minor victim was 15 years old, Hernandez facilitated the minor victim’s illegal entry into the United States so she could live with him in New Port Richey. While in Florida, Hernandez physically and sexually abused the victim and forced her to work to repay her debt to him for her illegal entry into the United States.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Clearwater Police Department and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for Production of Child Pornography and Attempted Enticement of a Child.
According to court documents, throughout 2024, Jason Jones, 46, would pose as an attractive teenage boy on various online applications such as Snap Chat and manipulate young girls to produce and send pornographic images to him. Jones communicated with two minor victims, ages 11 and 13. Jones also distributed items of child pornography and obscene material through internet-based applications to underage girls to entice them to engage in sexually explicit conduct. After a search warrant, child pornography was found on three of Jones’ devices.
Jones will be placed on a 15-year term of supervised release after incarceration and is prohibited from possessing internet capable devices. He is also ordered to have no contact with minors. Jones will be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Man Charged with Providing a “Switch” to a Minor While Serving Firearm and Drug SentenceRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A complaint was unsealed alleging that a Broken Arrow man unlawfully possessed a firearm while under supervision of the State and allegedly sold a firearm “switch” to a minor. Derrick Carl Andrew Chatman, 24, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by Person Under Indictment, Transfer or Possession of a Machinegun, and Firearms Trafficking.
In July, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was contacted by the Tulsa Police Department about recovering a firearm with an attached machinegun conversion device commonly known as a “switch.” A parent found the gun and ammunition in their juvenile’s bedroom. With the parents’ permission, the juvenile spoke with law enforcement and disclosed that he purchased the firearm at a gun show at the fairgrounds. While at the gun show, the juvenile met a man he could buy a switch from.
The complaint alleges that Chatman sold the switch to the juvenile. Video surveillance from the gun show also shows Chatman purchasing a firearm. During a search of Chatman’s home, law enforcement allegedly found a gun, several rounds of ammunition, and a box with a shipping label from China that contained firearm switches.
Further, court records show that Chatman was charged in July 2024 with two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and other crimes. In December 2024, Chatman pleaded guilty, was sentenced, and is still under the supervision of the State.
The ATF and the Tulsa Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.
Louisville Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville, Kentucky man was sentenced on September 22, 2025, to 9 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police made the announcement.
On September 22, 2025, Christopher Payne, 30, was sentenced to 9 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Payne pled guilty on June 12, 2025, to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, between April 3, 2024, and July 9, 2024.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The FBI and KSP investigated the case, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Frank Dahl III prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal Adela Alic.
This conviction is a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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).
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Lincoln County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Kings Mountain, Ky., man, Zackary Keith Jones, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to 194 months in prison, for transporting a minor over state lines with the intent that the minor engage in sexual activity.
According to his plea agreement, Jones transported a minor victim over state lines, from North Carolina to Lincoln County, Ky., with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Jones used Snapchat to communicate with the victim and lied to the victim about his age to induce the victim to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. Jones also admitted that he engaged in sexual acts and sexual contact with the minor victim during and after the interstate transportation of the victim. The victim, who was reported missing from North Carolina on December 8, 2023, was found by law enforcement on December 25, 2023 in a hidden compartment in the floor of a bedroom at Jones’ residence.
Under federal law, Jones 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 20 years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General; and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. David Dalton, Commonwealth Attorney for the 28th Judicial Circuit, also provided significant assistance to the investigation and prosecution of the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Lewisburg Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for International Parental KidnappingRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Kate Carson, 38, of Lewisburg, Tennessee was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today for international parental kidnapping, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Protecting vulnerable children from harm is the highest priority of our office,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Kate Carson kidnapped her young son in full defiance of family court orders because she thought she knew better. She is now being held accountable for her crime and will face the consequences of her decisions.”
“Every child deserves a safe and stable upbringing,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “This sentence should send a clear message that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will make it a priority to investigate those who commit similar acts.”
According to court documents, Carson is the mother of N.C. who, in the summer of 2023, was nine years old. Carson and N.C.’s father were involved in custody litigation in Sumner County involving Carson’s request for a parental relocation to Portugal. In July 2023, a family law judge allowed Carson to travel to Portugal with N.C. However, she did not return as ordered and wrote a letter to the judge saying she was disobeying his order and had no plans to return to the United States.
Once N.C.’s father began pressing his rights in The Hauge international tribunal, Carson fled Portugal with N.C. to Indonesia, a country who does not share an extradition treaty with the United States. According to court documents, Carson then tried to pay the child’s father to abandon his pursuit of custody and end his cooperation with law enforcement.
In October 2024, Carson was a fugitive from justice and had been federally indicted by a Nashville grand jury for international parental kidnapping. Indonesian immigration authorities sought to expel her from their country and asked her to leave voluntarily. When she did not comply, she was eventually detained by Indonesian immigration authorities. According to court documents, she briefly escaped from an Indonesian detention facility and continued her flight, fleeing from one Indonesian island to another with N.C. and other members of her family. Finally, she was apprehended by Indonesian immigration officials and expelled from the country. Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation accompanied her from the airport in Indonesia to the United States where, upon arrival on American soil, she was arrested.
In April 2025, Carson pleaded guilty to one count of international parental kidnapping with sentencing to be set by U.S. Chief District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. Today, Judge Campbell ordered Carson to serve a sentence of 18 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release. Judge Campbell prohibited contact with N.C. absent Carson showing that visitation has been granted by a family court with jurisdiction over her and N.C.
N.C. has since been reunited with his father and is being provided counseling services.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office. Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire prosecuted the case.
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Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of Privately Made AR-15 Pattern PistolRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident who has multiple prior felony convictions pleaded guilty today to unlawful possession of an unserialized, privately made AR-15-pattern pistol. A privately made firearm without a serial number is sometimes called a “ghost gun.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about October 20, 2023, Noel Lynn Waters unlawfully possessed a loaded, privately made 5.56x45mm semi-automatic pistol incorporating an AR-15-pattern lower receiver. He further admitted that he pointed the firearm at another person and threatened he was going to “shoot everybody.”
Waters has multiple prior felony convictions in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He was previously convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in Clark County, Nevada. Additionally, he was previously convicted of possession of controlled substance for sale; unlawful possession or use of tear gas; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm; and transportation, furnishing or sale of controlled substance, all in Los Angeles County. He is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
Waters pleaded guilty to one-count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2026, before United States District Judge James C. Mahan. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Topper, San Francisco Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
The ATF and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Dan Cowhig is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about unlawful firearms activity should call ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), email ATFTips@atf.gov or submit an anonymous tip at www.reportit.com/.
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Lake County Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas Patrick Barber has sentenced Jose G. Medina (50, Leesburg) to 37 months in federal prison for knowingly making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) to maintain false information in its official records. Medina pleaded guilty on March 5, 2025.
According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina illegally straw-purchased multiple firearms from FFLs in the Middle District of Florida for other individuals. Some of these firearms were later intercepted by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as other individuals attempted to transport them across the United States’ border into Mexico.
On May 27, 2023, an individual was encountered by CBP as he tried to make entry into Mexico at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry. He was attempting to bring 10 handguns, 9 rifles, 7 shotguns, 20 ammunition magazines, and large amounts of assorted ammunition into Mexico. The individual stated that he was traveling from Orlando, Florida, to San Diego de la Union, Guanajuato, Mexico—an area where Mexican cartels are fighting for control of the territory. Medina had purchased one of these recovered firearms nine days earlier.
Firearms and ammunition seized at the U.S. border on May 27, 2023.
On November 17, 2023, CBP officers stopped another individual at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry who also was attempting to bring five firearms into Mexico. Medina had purchased two of these firearms less than two weeks earlier.
A record check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) showed that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina had purchased 82 firearms for a total of $42,085.61—an amount that exceeded his reported annual income. The investigation also revealed that another firearm purchased by an associate of Medina had recently been recovered and electronically traced by Mexican law enforcement using ATF’s e-Trace system.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Eustis Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
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.
Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, and Japan Fair Trade Commission Meet in Washington to Continue Their Long History of EngagementRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Chairman Andrew Ferguson of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Chairman Eiji Chatani of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) met today in Washington, D.C., to continue the United States and Japan’s long history of engagement on competition issues affecting both countries. The meeting continues and underscores the strong relations between the United States and Japan reflected in the historic U.S.-Japan Framework Agreement now being implemented by the Trump Administration.
“The Japan Fair Trade Commission is one of our closest and most important international partners,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are grateful to the JFTC for our long history of sharing best practices, discussing common challenges, and engagement on competition issues of interest to both of our countries. I would like to thank JFTC Chairman Chatani for traveling to Washington for today’s discussion. We look forward to continuing our close relationship with the JFTC in the future.”
“I want to thank Chairman Chatani and the Japan Fair Trade Commission for joining us in a productive and insightful discussion,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “The friendship between the United States and Japan is among the most important for both countries, and these strong ties also apply to the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and Japanese competition agencies. I fully expect our collaboration will continue to produce substantial benefits for competition, consumers, and workers in both countries.”
“I am truly honored to participate in today’s bilateral meeting between the United States and Japan, a dialogue with a long and distinguished history,” said JFTC Chairman Eiji Chatani. “As competition authorities confront common challenges, it is vital that our leadership engage in direct and candid discussions. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to AAG Slater and Chairman Ferguson for their gracious hospitality. This productive meeting establishes a solid foundation for deepening cooperation between our nations, promoting mutual progress and sustained collaboration across multiple levels.”
The 1999 competition cooperation agreement between the Justice Department, FTC, and JFTC builds on the long-standing and close relationship between the Department and the JFTC, dating from the enactment of Japan’s Antimonopoly Law in 1947. The Department and the Federal Trade Commission have held regular antitrust consultations with the JFTC since the 1970s, the longest-running of the United States’ bilateral consultations with foreign antitrust authorities.
Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson meet with Chairman Eiji Chatani of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC)